High school student Helena Bahramirad arrived at Thompson Rivers University in July, excited to spend a month on campus exploring her passion for astrophysics through Shad. Ten days into the immersive STEAM program, a cybersecurity workshop opened her mind to unexpected connections.

“I’ve learned to embrace the discomfort,” said Bahramirad. “I thought, okay, let me put my past assumptions aside and learn something new.”

When the speaker tied the future of cybersecurity to quantum physics, quantum entanglement and quantum computing, she was struck by new possibilities.

“I thought, ‘Wait, how can I learn something about that? That seems really interesting.’ You are constantly being inspired on campus by the lectures and the people you talk to.”

Bahramirad is one of 60 students from across Canada who gathered at TRU for Shad, a month-long enrichment program that brings together high-achieving Grade 10 and 11 students to explore STEAM — science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics — alongside entrepreneurship, leadership and community engagement.