Shad Alum shares how Shad helped him grow his passion for computer programming and explore ways to use his skills to improve lives
Chi Azuhnwi has long had a passion for computer programming. He’s spent time online building his skills and nurturing his innate digital talents, learning from expert videos and practicing those lessons through technical experimentation. Knowing this is the career path he wants to pursue, Chi has set his sights on a degree in Computer Science, the program entry for which is quite competitive. So, when a computer science student suggested Shad was a way to elevate his student profile, he jumped at the opportunity.
“I searched online how to get into the University of Waterloo and I saw a number of videos of students giving application advice, and they each said they’d attended Shad. So, I looked up the program and I found it interesting that I’d get to spend time at a university, getting familiar with a university environment. That seemed really cool.”
Chi applied to the Shad2024 program and was accepted to attend Shad’s University of British Columbia (UBC) campus in Vancouver. As a resident of Medicine Hat, Alberta, he was excited to explore a different part of the country and meet students who shared his passion for technology.
“I got to form a lot of new relationships and learn a lot from the people I met, they were really awesome and smart too. There were a couple students I met who take part in hackathons, which was really cool because that’s not really a thing where I live. And BC is really beautiful, we got to go camping and hiking and that was really cool as well.”
Chi’s parents have been very supportive of him pursuing his dreams. The family immigrated to Canada from Cameroon in 2019 in search of better opportunities, and his parents instilled in Chi and his siblings a belief in the value of hard work to achieve your goals.
“My Dad is who got me into programming. He signed me up for a program called Code Ninjas, which introduced me to the basics of computer programming, and I’ve just been continuing to learn since then. He wants all of us to have the opportunity to get a good job and do something we enjoy.”
Chi earned a scholarship to Shad, which really helped him to make his goal of attending a reality. He is close with the Cameroonian diaspora in Northern Alberta and feels it’s important for members of his community to have access to programs like Shad that help students build skills and prepare for their future.
“It’s important for all communities to have access to opportunities because I feel like I learned a lot. I hated public speaking before Shad, and though it still makes me nervous, I am better at it than before. I see little changes about myself I didn’t necessarily expect to see when I applied, beyond just the lecture learning.”
Chi was excited to be able to put his programming skills to use during his time at ShadUBC. When deciding how to tackle that summer’s Design Challenge, which asked the Shads to create solutions to help youth in Canada integrate affordable and reliable green energy sources into their everyday lives, Chi’s design team created a website that offered green alternatives to commonly used energy-reliant tools and products.
“Me and my team built a website that recommends different products, like more sustainable products. We built a prototype where a shopper could go to the website because they needed a particular product, and the program would help them source something that was more efficient or greener.”
Because web design is what Chi is most passionate about, the experience of the Design Challenge really spoke to him. He loved having the opportunity to use his skills to create something that could positively impact communities, something he hopes to continue to do as he moves forward.
“It was really meaningful for us to be challenged to think about such an important problem, and then getting to see how I can use what I already love doing to solve it. One of the reasons I want to work in web design is because I’m making something that could possibly be used by millions of people. That’s pretty awesome, to think about the affect that has.”
Positively impacting others motivates a lot of the extracurriculars Chi has chosen to engage with. As a member of the Student Union at his school, one of his favourite activities has been organizing the Terry Fox run to raise money for cancer. He loves encouraging the runners and setting up the event to help maximize its success. “It’s a fun event to organize, we ordered donuts and a couple of other snacks and drinks for the kids who were running.”
As he continues to get ready for one of his dream post-secondary programs, Chi is looking forward to continuing to build his skills and student resume. He’s participating in Fermat, the math contest created by the University of Waterloo, in February, and hopes to participate in a hackathon with friends from Shad in Toronto next summer while visiting his mom.
“I am always looking for ways to grow my skills and learn new things, since there aren’t a lot of programming clubs or stuff like that at my school. And I hope I can meet up with some friends from Shad next summer to experience a hackathon because that sounds really cool too, something I’d like to try before applying to university.”
Reflecting on his time at Shad, Chi expresses gratitude for the experience and the ways it’s helped him grow. He feels the time away from home helped him gain some independence and prepare him for a post-secondary experience out of province. He hopes more students from his community will pursue the experience and explore ways to live their own dreams.
“I think it’s important for programs like Shad to be available to different communities and I’m looking forward to sharing my experience with others. Shad helped me to use my skills in new ways, which is something I really enjoyed. It was just a great experience.”
