It was a chilly summer day, sunny and calm with a light breeze. The splashing of waves mingled with the laughter of 65 teens. Some jumped into the lake in their swimsuits. Meanwhile, I had forgotten to bring a swimsuit. This was a rite of passage. Every year, SHAD at Lakehead University was officially kick-started with a camping trip that culminated in leaping into a freezing cold lake.
For the majority of my life, I hated exploring nature; more specifically, I hated doing things I assumed I was bad at. There was a time in my life when I frequently turned down invitations to play soccer and go dancing, simply because I was diligently avoiding the unfamiliar. I signed up for SHAD because of its reputation as an immersive STEM enrichment program, …show more content…
Then my shirt and phone. With an uncharacteristic burst of excitement, I sprinted across the beach—finally, I took the leap.
SPLASH! My teeth instantly chattered and my body went numb. I emerged from the lake, shivering, but pleasantly surprised at how invigorated I was.
As I rested by the campfire that night, I was dry, comfortable, and relaxed. With the thrill of the plunge still lingering, I laughed with my friends about “my leap of faith”. The memories created through this experience were worth having to hike back to camp in drenched jeans.
In hindsight, the physical experience of plunging into the lake was a pivotal moment, one that pushed me not only physically but also intellectually. In particular, as I participated in traditionally “academic” activities at SHAD, I realized that innovation also requires plunging into an unfamiliar realm.
For example, the main “academic” project that tested the limits of my comfort zone involved inventing a new product and proposing a business to reduce the energy footprint of …show more content…
I soon noticed that people who had a greater diversity of experience, came up with more potential areas of improvement—I was at a great disadvantage. However, I drew inspiration from a recreation experience I did have: the SHAD camping trip. During the trip, our phones died one by one so I thought that a device which preserved a phone’s battery life would be excellent. Immediately, my group members who were well versed in engineering identified the problem of Phantom energy: energy wastage when devices are plugged in and not being used (it’s what causes battery life to deteriorate). We decided to design a plug-in device which eliminated Phantom energy.
I was doubtful on the feasibility of the project. However, like that teenager who plunged into the freezing cold lake in jeans, I took a “leap of faith”. Apprehensively, I dove into Circuitry, a subject area which I wasn’t particularly strong in, to acquire knowledge necessary to create the device. As I worked on the ecological project with my team, my doubts began to fade, and the unfamiliar soon became familiar. Ultimately, we successfully completed the
For the majority of my life, I hated exploring nature; more specifically, I hated doing things I assumed I was bad at. There was a time in my life when I frequently turned down invitations to play soccer and go dancing, simply because I was diligently avoiding the unfamiliar. I signed up for SHAD because of its reputation as an immersive STEM enrichment program, …show more content…
Then my shirt and phone. With an uncharacteristic burst of excitement, I sprinted across the beach—finally, I took the leap.
SPLASH! My teeth instantly chattered and my body went numb. I emerged from the lake, shivering, but pleasantly surprised at how invigorated I was.
As I rested by the campfire that night, I was dry, comfortable, and relaxed. With the thrill of the plunge still lingering, I laughed with my friends about “my leap of faith”. The memories created through this experience were worth having to hike back to camp in drenched jeans.
In hindsight, the physical experience of plunging into the lake was a pivotal moment, one that pushed me not only physically but also intellectually. In particular, as I participated in traditionally “academic” activities at SHAD, I realized that innovation also requires plunging into an unfamiliar realm.
For example, the main “academic” project that tested the limits of my comfort zone involved inventing a new product and proposing a business to reduce the energy footprint of …show more content…
I soon noticed that people who had a greater diversity of experience, came up with more potential areas of improvement—I was at a great disadvantage. However, I drew inspiration from a recreation experience I did have: the SHAD camping trip. During the trip, our phones died one by one so I thought that a device which preserved a phone’s battery life would be excellent. Immediately, my group members who were well versed in engineering identified the problem of Phantom energy: energy wastage when devices are plugged in and not being used (it’s what causes battery life to deteriorate). We decided to design a plug-in device which eliminated Phantom energy.
I was doubtful on the feasibility of the project. However, like that teenager who plunged into the freezing cold lake in jeans, I took a “leap of faith”. Apprehensively, I dove into Circuitry, a subject area which I wasn’t particularly strong in, to acquire knowledge necessary to create the device. As I worked on the ecological project with my team, my doubts began to fade, and the unfamiliar soon became familiar. Ultimately, we successfully completed the