A Meeting of the Minds At Shad 2025

Each summer, the Shad Program invites high school participants to experience post-secondary education and culture at various universities across Canada. The sought-after STEAM program gives successful applicants the opportunity to attend lectures and workshops, take part in off-campus field trips, and to work together on a team project addressing themes of sustainability and environmentalism. 

Astrid Kim ‘26 was one of several Greenwood students to take part in this year’s program, visiting St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The quiet coziness that the campus and surrounding town offered was the perfect backdrop for Astrid as she took part in each day’s activities with her fellow students. One such activity was a Biochemistry lecture on cancer research and the scientific community’s efforts to find a cure. 

For more hands-on learning, students explored New Brunswick’s marine life by handling and interacting with various sea creatures in an open-tank aquarium. Opportunities to explore the province continued with a camping trip along the Bay of Fundy, which quickly became Astrid’s favourite activity.

“I enjoyed camping, it made me feel more connected to what I’m used to,” said Astrid. She said her experiences with Greenwood’s OE over the years made her confident in taking on a leadership role during the excursion. The familiarity of telling stories around a campfire was matched with unique study activities, such as learning about intertidal zones and how tides are affected by lunar cycles. 

The topic of environmental sustainability would carry over into the program’s design challenge, which asked students to create a plan addressing innovative and sustainable transportation solutions for Canadians. Astrid’s team approached this topic with an innovative idea; aerial shuttlebuses that would commute passengers between suburban and urban areas. These shuttles would operate above major highways and utilize solar panels to produce sustainable energy. 

When asked about the personal skills she learned through her time at St. Thomas, Astrid said, “It gave me the opportunity to be completely independent but still somewhat structured. I was constantly learning something new.”

If you’re interested in joining Shad for Summer 2026, please apply on their website before 11:59 p.m. on January 5, 2026.