At McMaster Engineering’s Venture Camp, young minds are ignited with a passion for STEM through engaging and hands-on experiences. Three former campers have now returned as inspiring program instructors, dedicated to fostering the same love for STEM in the next generation. These current McMaster Engineering students share their journeys from Venture Camp campers to influential leaders, shaping the future of our community outreach programs.
Navdeep Khehra
iBioMed, Level 2
What is your favourite Venture camp memory?
My favourite memory from when I was a camper was when I created a hydraulic arm that resembled a prosthetic arm. The activity allowed me to learn about biomedical devices and healthcare research. This experience was really eye-opening and sparked my curiosity about the ties between engineering and medicine.
What made you want to come back to Venture camp as a leader?
I wanted to come back as a leader at Venture because it’s where I was inspired to pursue a career in Biomedical Engineering, and I want to give back to the program and hopefully inspire the next generation of young engineers to discover a field they’re passionate about. I wanted to share my love for STEM with youth in the community as a leader who has been in their shoes before.
What is your favourite Venture camp activity to lead?
My favourite Venture camp activity to lead is Operation: DIY, a project that allows campers to build and design their own game board based on the popular board game, Operation. The project involves circuitry and design principles that cover electricity topics while being a very fun game to play once complete.
How does it feel to be inspiring young kids in STEM?
Creating a safe and engaging environment where campers are actively participating in STEM activities is incredibly motivating. I am glad I can inspire future STEM leaders and see campers be so enthusiastic to try new things here at Venture.
Noah Singh
Computer Engineering, Level 3
What is your favourite Venture camp memory?
My favourite memory of being in Venture camp is when we created LEGO Mindstorms robots to compete in a sumo wrestling tournament! I was ecstatic to take my experience with LEGO and merge it with my newly found interest in programming and robotics. From that activity, I saw that I could one day make incredible machines and was motivated to pursue that passion in the future.
What made you want to come back as a leader?
Venture camp provided me with the opportunity to explore interests that weren’t focused on in school, and I wanted to come back as a leader to help ensure that the next generation of engineers and scientists are given that same opportunity.
What is the best part of being a Venture camp leader?
The best part of being a Venture camp leader is that I now have the opportunity to give kids the same sense of wonder and excitement for the world of science and engineering I experienced at camp.
How did your participation in Venture camp impact the decisions you made in your future studies?
By being a Venture camper, I was able to start exploring the wide world of STEM at a young age through unique and fun projects, which generated both interest and confidence in fields such as Computer Engineering. Most importantly, the camp gave me a strong connection to McMaster University which helped me decide to choose it as my post-secondary home. My camp experience made me feel very familiar and comfortable on McMaster’s campus, and I still find it amazing that I currently have lectures in the same rooms I spent camp in!
Vanessa Chalmoukos
Biotechnology, Level 4
What is your favourite Venture camp memory?
I had so many great memories while being a camper! This included making new friends, exploring McMaster’s campus and creating many fun projects. My favourite project was building a robot to detect and avoid obstacles in a maze.
What is the best part of being a Venture camp leader?
The absolute best part about being a Venture camp leader is inspiring the next generation of future engineers and scientists. I love it when students show interest and engage in all things engineering!
What made you want to come back as a leader?
In addition to being a camper, I also had the opportunity to volunteer with Venture when I was in high school. I enjoyed the experience of being in a leadership role and helping students engage in STEM-based learning and have wanted to come back ever since.
How did your participation in Venture camp impact the decisions you made in your future studies?
Participating in Venture camp sparked my interest in both attending McMaster and entering an engineering-related program! I enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere of McMaster and got to see how vast and fun the world of engineering can be.
Learn more about Venture Camp and McMaster Engineering outreach programs.