Testimonials
Your donations have helped make experiential learning accessible to all students, regardless of financial background. Gifts have supported: travel costs to field placements abroad, national or international competitions; registration fees; internship stipends; materials and manufacturing costs to build prototypes. Having these resources enhances students’ educational experiences and contributes to their academic success.
The students below have benefited from experiential learning opportunities, made possible by your donation to the Fund for Good.
“Hi! My name is Emerald and I’m a 3rd year student in the English program at Carleton University. This past year I had the opportunity to participate in the Community Partnership Project where I created a social media campaign for the Youth Climate Lab’s Infiltration Manual that teaches young people how to get involved in municipal government. While I still have a year in my program, I’m looking forward to attending graduate school for Comparative Literature in English and increasing my activism within my local community and beyond. My experience with the Community Partnership Project taught me the importance of time management, organization, and communications. Working with the infiltration manual has given me the confidence to seek out engagement in local politics as a citizen and resident while my work on the social media campaign has opened the world of communications – an incredible feat considering I didn’t have the platform to see the final product of our work.”
– Emerald, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Community Partnership Project participant
“My eyes were opened to many of the issues being faced worldwide; from the impact of plastics on the environment to how most of us take our education for granted. I would recommend anyone, in any program of study, consider Alternative Spring Break. It’s an eye-opening, emotional, and life-changing experience that taught me to treat the earth and others better.”
– Catherine, Alternative Spring Break Participant (Nicaragua)
Read more about students’ experiences with the Alternative Spring Break program
Hanna and Jessica are students from the Faculty of Engineering & Design, who recently worked on an Emergency GPS Tracker device designed for people living with dementia as part of their 4th year Capstone Design Project.
“I am a 3rd year forensic psychology student. I participated in the CPP Capstone Project, and I am currently the Wellness and Spirituality Project Assistant at the Spirituality Centre, and I will be taking over for the Student Mental Health Engagement Committee over the summer. The skills and experience I gained from the Capstone Project were communication skills, leadership skills, teambuilding skills, and problem-solving skills. I also noticed that I had an increased sense of civic engagement and social responsibility after I completed the CPP. This opportunity has helped to shape where I am now, as it not only let me practice the skills I already had, but it taught me new ones, which I believe have an impact on the job I have gotten.”
– Megan, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Community Partnership Project participant
“It was one of the hardest, most rewarding years of my life largely due to the Capstone Design Project. Our team developed an easy to construct, high performance building, alongside the Gull Bay First Nation community, to further their goal of de-fossilization. From this unique opportunity we learned many technical and other skills and also broadened our network. The Capstone Design Project allowed us to apply the skills and knowledge we gained from the entirety of our undergraduate career to something we’re very passionate about and extremely proud of. Thanks to everyone who helped make this opportunity possible. Our time at Carleton would not have been the same without your generous help.”
– Eric, 4th year Engineering student, Boreal Builders Capstone Design Project
Learn more about the Boreal Builders
For the past several years, Carleton’s Sprott School of Business and Faculty of Engineering and Design participated in a multidisciplinary initiative—From Buckets to Rainbarrels—where students from different departments travel to Longido, a rural village in Tanzania, and create projects to address challenges for health, agriculture, and waste management.
Each project was created through a collaborative yearlong course between students from Industrial Design, Business, Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Food Science.
The Moshi Inje Stove was designed in collaboration with Maasai women by recent industrial design graduate Tatum Dietrich for her fourth year capstone project under the supervision of Prof. Stephen Field. This system creates a safe cooking environment by redirecting smoke out of the Maasai’s home under the wall rather than through the roof. Tatum’s business partner in the project was recent business graduate Clarissa Garcia.
Learn more about From Buckets to Rainbarrels
“As a recent alumnus of Carleton University’s biochemistry program, I want to express my sincere gratitude for the Dean’s Summer Research Internship (DSRI). Two years ago, I had the privilege of receiving the DSRI to work in Dr. Kyle Biggar’s lab. This experience provided me with a tremendous amount of experience in molecular techniques, biochemistry, and networking that helped me thrive at Carleton.
The project I worked on pertained to a protein, SOS1 and its substrates that are overexpressed in lung, pancreas, and thyroid cancers. Our goal was to investigate a potential new treatment for these types of cancers. My experience in the lab, working on the project, and speaking with upper year biochemistry students gave me ample opportunity to better understand fundamentals of biochemistry that I would later be exposed to in my second year. The DSRI gave me a leg up on academic obstacles throughout the year as I had plenty of background knowledge to draw upon.
Working in the lab also allowed me to make a diverse network of students and professors throughout Carleton’s faculty of science. Through the DSRI, I made a notable connection with Carleton’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Society (CCBS). Research in biochemistry, among my other extra-curriculars, pushed me to become a leader of my program as I became the president of the CCBS and have just been accepted to Medical School at the University of Ottawa.
I was delighted to be selected for this internship and am deeply appreciative for the support.”
– Lucas, Dean’s Summer Research Internship Participant and Biochemistry Alumnus
Carleton University professors lead ground breaking research studies year-round. The Dean’s Summer Research Internships (DSRIs) provide Faculty of Science undergraduate students in all disciplines, the opportunity to spend 12 weeks working in one of the active laboratories. This internship program receives high praise from participating students and lab supervisors, and our ambitious first-year students have participated in such research as how cold-blooded animals survive sub-zero Canadian winters, how free radicals are absorbed in tissues, and how wasps keep lily beetles in check. The DSRI program provides an invaluable learning experience for students while earning income to support their university education.
Adapting to a new virtual landscape
With the Covid-19 pandemic, students haven’t been able to travel with abroad for their experiential learning opportunities. However, they’ve still been able to participate and benefit from this kind of experience. Learn more about virtual international internships.