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Julia Wakulewicz, a Let's Talk Science Volunteer alumni, shares her STEM journey.

“I remember getting to high school and being really nervous because I loved science, and I was thinking: ‘Oh my gosh. I need to do super well.’ And then I realized that half of the content in high school I had already covered in the Let’s Talk Science Challenge.”

Joelle has strong feelings about inclusion in STEM, a philosophy that was sparked by a high school physics teacher who empowered his female students to consider futures in science. Volunteering with Let’s Talk Science was a natural progression and Joelle joined the University of Toronto’s Scarborough site in 2003.

Joseph wasn’t a typical Let’s Talk Science Outreach site volunteer and coordinator when he joined the team at the University of Calgary in 2008. For one, he was working full time in a non-STEM career in communications and fundraising. And while he may not have seemed like a natural fit at first glance, according to Joseph, the fundamental characteristic required to find joy in science outreach is simple. 

Volunteering for Let’s Talk Science gave Abdi the oppurtunity to get out of the classroom and enabled her to bring her passion for science to youth across Ottawa. “Hands down, my favourite part of volunteering is working with the kids,” says Abdi. “They are so much smarter than you could ever imagine, and I've never had a negative experience. I always have kids coming up to me during visits, telling me how much fun they are having and asking when we are coming back. It’s amazing.”

Kevin Little remembers the start-up mentality that fuelled the early development of McGill’s Let’s Talk Science Outreach site in the late nineties, “It was fun. We just had to roll up our sleeves and go and make things happen.”

Huang first got involved with Let’s Talk Science after hearing President Bonnie Schmidt speak at the 2021 Sanofi Biogenius Canada competition.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Let’s Talk Science and much has changed over three decades. Cell phones have shrunk from the size of a brick to something that fits in our pockets.

Mannix Chan is currently a Student Engagement Coordinator at York University in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies. But before he was working with arts students at York, he was building connections and skills at Let’s Talk Science. First, as a volunteer, then a site coordinator, then the regional coordinator for Western Canada, many of Chan’s formative experiences were forged in the Let’s Talk Science family.

At 6:00 a.m. on a cold and rainy day in May, a group of young students huddled together at the Langdale Terminal on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. After months of planning, Eran Foreman’s grade 6/7 class was finally ready to embark on a special field trip to the University of British Columbia. With their outrageous outfits and excited energy, they were on the way for their very first time competing in the Let’s Talk Science Challenge.

It wasn’t until elementary school that her passion for science exploded during her three years competing in the Let’s Talk Science Challenge. A voracious learner, Quadir was always looking for something extra to do at school to challenge her learning; she would even help out her sister (eight years her senior) with her high school homework.

I am Elliott, Ojibway on my father’s side and Mohawk on my mother’s. Looking back on my life's journey, I can't help but marvel at the twists and turns that have brought me to where I am today. As we approach the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, I find myself reflecting on the significant events that have shaped my life and led me down a path of empowerment and positive change.

“I started a small outreach project with some grad students in physiology at Western in the London community, and it grew really quickly,” recalls Schmidt. “It started because of the decline in research funding and wanting to promote research and help people understand its role and value.”

I am sad to say on behalf of myself and all the summer students that our wonderful summer is nearing its end. I know my fellow interns have also had a wonderful time, so I decided to sit down and chat with them one final time to reflect on the last four months.