Connection, Collaboration and Diversity: How Being a Wavemaker Helped Celine Enhance the Skills Needed in the Workplace of the Future

Student Profile: Celine, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology

As a mature student and newcomer to Canada, Celine saw the Wavemakers program as an opportunity to build bigger and stronger networks in her new home country. Connecting with other students, mentors and potential employers through a work-integrated learning program felt like a smart move, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic had made connecting with peers and colleagues more difficult over the past few years. 

“I felt it was a good way to connect with people and to gain a better understanding of Canadian workplace culture,” says Celine, who worked in computer science in China but made the decision to pursue supply chain management at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology after immigrating to Canada.

Building networks with the other participants was made easier thanks to the intuitive and immerse virtual reality platform the Wavemakers program runs on, Celine adds. Interacting with other students’ avatars and taking part in icebreaker activities, like having your avatar take a boat on a lake, helped break down barriers and bridge the geographical distance between participants across the country. 

“You can hang out with your friends at every corner of the virtual campus.” Celine says. “I think virtual reality technology helps us feel like we are really in that environment.”

One of the focuses of the program is building the skills employers will be looking for in the future, and as someone who recently made a career transition, Celine says she understands the importance of building strong transferable skills that can carry you forward even as workplace trends evolve. 

“After the pandemic, the way we work could change in a big way, and we’re already seeing positions that are advertised as remote, or hybrid. There will be different ways of work, and I think technology will create new possibilities that we need to be prepared for,” she says. 

That’s why the experience of working on a project with other participants was particularly rewarding, she added. Each student brought their expertise and ideas to the table each week, collaborating on their group project, which culminated with a presentation at the end of the program. 

“The project made me see how important interpersonal skills are — how to communicate with fellow group members and how to express ideas in a team of different voices is very important,” Ceine says. “You also learn the importance of respecting others and how to utilize the diversity that is present in your groups — you learn all of this by collaborating with your group.”  

Along the way, they were guided and challenged by experienced mentors who post insightful questions to participants as they work together, she adds. “Each week we could learn from the mentors and from each other, and that was so useful.”

About Wavemakers

The Wavemakers program is a first-of-its-kind work-integrated learning program that leverages cutting-edge, accessible virtual reality technology and forward-thinking speakers. Wavemakers provides post-secondary students from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives with the opportunity to come together, develop and cultivate future-proof skills, and build long-lasting connections with industry leaders, to help their transition into the workplace. It’s about providing meaningful opportunities to a diverse community of future leaders who can tackle today’s big challenges with even bigger and bolder ideas that will carry us into a more positive and inclusive tomorrow.