The Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement Black Student Summer Leadership Program (BSSLP) provides Black youth at the Toronto District School Board from Grades 10 to 12 mentorship, experiential learning opportunities, access to a variety of guest speakers and the possibility to engage in Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR). We caught up with Raheem A. a recent graduate from Forest Hill CI to learn more about his experiences with Smith + Andersen, a national engineering firm.
Where is your placement? What kind of activities are you doing?
I was at Smith + Andersen supporting real-time projects that they were doing. I was working with this application (app) called Visuals. The architect would send a drawing of the building and I would put lights on the drawing, and the lights needed per room depending on the room size and the luxe level (brightness).
We did tours, they would take us to other companies that create lights and do communications, and they took us to the library on Yonge St. And showed us the electrical room, boiler room, the generators, the air filters, water pumps and the freezers/coolers to create cool air and they showed us the fire safety/fire alarm system.
I also did a luminary spreadsheet, where I look at different lights, write down the description of the light, the voltage the light uses, the company that makes the lights and the total luminance. I created a spreadsheet, so they are able to organize the lights they are using for a particular project. It creates convenience for when people and teams work on a project.
What have you learned so far?
How to use new apps. I have learned how to use the app Revu, and the app called Visual. And I learned more about workplace ethics and how an office setting works.
With the app Visual, you are able to create a virtual simulation, by creating rooms and putting lights in it so you are able to tell how bright the room will be.
Revu is for architectural drawings and tables and you can open it in the app, and you are able to create labels, reciprocal usage. It is mostly for labeling.
What are your academic and career aspirations?
I want to go into the electrical field. Right now I am leaning towards electrical engineering. I am going to Durham College next year for the Electrical Engineering Technician program.
How has your placement supported you with your academic/career goals?
It helped me a lot as they created references for me, which I can put on my resume. They are even trying to see if I can work again for the next three months until January as a co-op student, as my classes start in January. They taught me about the workplace setting and the type of people I can meet. They taught me about the different apps you can use as an electrical engineer. They taught me about the day in the life as an electrical engineer.
What is the most interesting thing that you saw and what did you learn?
The most interesting thing I saw was the library, because they showed me what goes on behind the scenes of the building we use and what makes up the room. I got to learn about the different stuff that are in the building. I learned about how the generators work when they sense there is no power. How everything is becoming more automated, and how they are able to control the different components/ most devices used by the building with a computer.
What advice do you have for future Junior Leaders?
Ask a lot of questions, create connections, get LinkedIn because it is easier to create connections and to find people who are similar to you, especially in your career field. Show up everyday that you can. Have fun. When you are having fun and you like what you are doing, it turns out better.
Learn more about the Black Student Summer Leadership Program.