Shana George, a member of the Squamish First Nation, participated in 2019. She was in 11th grade at the time. It was really great because it was my first job,” recalls the woman who is now a second-year biology student at UBC. It meant a lot to me. It opened my eyes to the world.
It’s great to be able to get young people into the swing of things like that. They can realize that science is really cool, and that it’s not just math! And after that, getting into college is less scary.
A quote from 2019 program participant Shana George
Interns receive stipends, travel passes and loaner laptops. We want to try to reduce barriers to participation in the program by covering student costs where possible, says Cheryl Niamath, ICORD communications and administration manager and co-founder of seed2STEM.
We hope to be able to obtain long-term funding to ensure the sustainability of the program for future students, continues Ms. Niamath. Seed2STEM recently received two years of funding from the UBC Faculty of Medicine Strategic Investment Fund to expand the program to the faculty this summer, a university release said .
Shana George also hopes that the program will continue. She plans to continue her studies at medical school to become a doctor or researcher. I hope this type of program will be extended elsewhere, so that it opens the eyes of Indigenous students across Canada.
The summer 2024 seed2STEM program will run from July 2 to August 9, according to a UBC press release. The registration deadline is April 2, but applications will be accepted until early May, depending on availability.
Natasha Kumar has been a reporter on the news desk since 2018. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining The Times Hub, Natasha Kumar worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my natasha@thetimeshub.in 1-800-268-7116