Teaching Assistants Wall
Raiden Sohan
Years of Teaching Assistant: August 2016 - May 2019
My story:
As a kid growing up, I was very interested in robots and computers and how things work. I have always been fascinated by machines that can do unimaginable stuff and all by the power of coding. As I got older I started to take action in my interests.
My mom then signed me up for ROBO-GEEK in 2015 for the basics such as Scratch. I then progressed to Python, then onto Java, and finally C#. I have used the knowledge I've gained from ROBO-GEEK in school and took initiative to learn it even better than I had been taught.
My future study program:
I am going into Electrical Engineering at the University of Ottawa. My plan is to switch to Computer Engineering Second year.
Stuart Fong
Years of teaching assistant: 2
I started working at Robo-Geek during the 2019 summer camps as a co-op student. During this time, I improved my understanding of a variety of subjects, and built upon my presentation and leadership skills. Doing this allowed me to teach future lessons in an easy-to-understand manner. After finishing my co-op term, I transitioned to the weekend STEM courses in fall 2019. I taught coding, electronics, and robotics lessons, and worked on some incredible projects on the side with my coworkers. This continued into fall 2020, where I had the unique opportunity to teach students virtually with my coworkers. The past couple years have been an amazing experience, and allowed me to share my passion for STEM subjects with highly motivated students.
My future Study program in Fall 2021: Queen's University Computing (BCmpH)
Jacob Kloet
My name is Jacob Kloet. I volunteered for two years as a teaching assistant at Robo-Geek. I attended several sessions at the Centre when I was younger to learn about software engineering and other STEM topics, which sparked my passion for programming.
As of writing, I am set to begin studying at Sheridan College in Fall 2021
and am working towards earning an Honours Bachelor Degree of Computer Science.
Gabriel Godinho
My time at Robo-Geek is one that I will never forget. I still remember the time when I was called to join the team at Robo-Geek at the end of the 2017 March Break Camp, what a day that was!
It was such a privilege to be able to teach the kids all about coding and robotics; getting to teach young minds with a passion to learn and grow, whilst having fun in the process was my favorite part about being a teaching assistant at Robo-Geek.
It was such a joy to work alongside Omar and the team, the opportunity that I had to do so is priceless. Being a teaching assistant at Robo-Geek has taught me many valuable lessons in life beyond the computer screen.
Lessons that I hold near and dear to my heart, and lessons that I know that I will take with me forever.
My future Study program: Teacher’s College
Nathan Fong
Years of Teaching Assistant: 2
My journey at Robo-Geek began in the summer of 2019 when I volunteered during the summer camps as a co-op student.
I found that the concepts taught in these classes were similar to those taught in my high school courses, which allowed me to focus more of my time on the development of soft skills such as leadership and communication.
I then transitioned to the weekend sessions, where I had the opportunity to teach students and see them build their confidence in STEM week after week.
Additionally, my time at Robo-Geek opened my eyes to the broadness of computer science and led me to create my own projects that I did not know I was capable of before.
My future Study program in Fall 2021: Queen's University Computing (BCmpH)
Diego Sanchez Marzal
Years of Teaching Assistant: 2014-2016
My Story:
While growing up I took a keen interest on how a couple of 0s and 1s took over the world within a generation. From this came one of the fastest growing industries and labour markets-the gaming industry. The detail and way one could modify & create using lines of code in order to make a product was something fascinated me. Thus, when Omar gave me the opportunity to become one of the first teaching assistants I jumped on the chance.
Beginning in the summer of 2016 Omar and I began a journey of finding a dynamic and interactive curriculum that could fit various interests and minds. Though I had lots to learn I was able to take up the challenge and aid student learners with one on one interactions and feedback. I left Robo-Geek around early 2016 and since then it has grown to be a dominant and vibrant space for young people to develop their skills and interests in order to prepare them for an exciting career in the STEM.
Current study program: Honours Business Psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University