Article by Grade 10 World of Work Intern Nicole T.
Thanks to all of the interns, companies, and teachers for their photo contributions.
They were teachers; they were lab analysts; they were music producers.
These were just some of the many internships WAB’s Grade 10 students took part in during World of Work. Also known as WoW, it is a week where students partake in volunteer internships to get ideas about their future career choice, learn about themselves, identify strengths, and gain valuable experience in the working field.
“Knowing what you would like to do in the world and what your strengths are is really important for when you leave high school,” World of Work Coordinator and Counsellor Natasha Tavares said. “It’s that piece of understanding yourself as a person.”
This year, students had various internships, including working as journalists at jingkids International, shadowing department personnel at Oasis Healthcare, and assisting at IDC Dental, among many others.
For Grade 10 student Aksaamai O., who has had an interest in illustration since Grade 7, this was an exciting opportunity to work in a professional graphic design studio, LAVA北京.
“Having learned how a certain job is managed, in my opinion, is very useful for the future and lets us see what type of working people we are,” she said. “It helps us see how our future could look like and see if this is really what we want.”
Interns at IDC Dental not only had the chance to study dentistry, but they were also able to work with patients and learn about entrepreneurship.
“I tried to incorporate experiences that they could find interesting, such as doing research on various health topics and doing clinical observations for them to learn about patient management,” Dr. Jaclyn Dam Laute, IDC’s dental specialist and CEO, said. “The two student interns were also able to observe the running of a private practice business.”
For others, like Rasmus N., who worked at a company selling medical equipment, the program encouraged them to pursue a career path elsewhere.
“I’ve learnt that I would rather have a career being out in the field instead of being cooped up in an office,” Rasmus said. “Even though this week was fun, the job used more organization and time-management skills that I was not as developed in, and I think in the future this career path is not something I would choose.”
Some students stayed on the WAB campus for the week, getting involved in the education industry. Elementary School Homeroom Teacher Emma Burchall hosted one student intern, Wendy, as a teaching assistant.
“We were doing a math activity in the classroom, and Wendy was able to notice a child who needed a bit of extra support. Without me needing to tell her, she went over and helped the child with the lessons,” Emma said. “I think Wendy was able to get insight into what it takes to build relationships with the children. I know it’s only a small week-long program, but I think it’s one of the most important things we need to do as educators: to build those relationships of trust with the children.”
The program World of Work is just one of the many fresh ways that WAB connects their students and the community to inspire them to think about their future career, interests, and goals. For more information about the unique learning opportunities available to WAB students, visit our Learn page.