########################################
#Written by David Tam, 1994. #
#davidkftam@netscape.net Copyright 1999#
########################################
Shad Valley UBC 1994
Shad Valley Program Report
==========================
Shad Valley is about life, friendships, and trust. I learned a lot about
life in those 25 days at UBC. Being in such an encouraging environment
allowed me to grow. I wasn't afraid to try new things and to be challenged. I
don't want to ever stop growing in life. Amazingly, even though I did not
have a lot of sleep, I found those 25 days to be the happiest in my life so
far. I enjoyed every moment of it, even through the tough times. Spending
almost every waking hour with friends allowed me to develop better social
skills. I experienced a variety of emotions and events while I was at UBC.
Academically, it was challenging because of the projects that we had to work
on. Socially, it allowed me to meet brilliant people from all across Canada.
Emotionally, it changed the way I view life in general. Indeed, Shad Valley
is a very hard concept to explain to others who have not gone through the
program.
Shad Valley is such a fulfilling program, there are a lot of great aspects
to it. The best aspect was the type of environment we were exposed to at UBC.
It was a very supportive, creative, interesting, and encouraging one. I felt
that I could touch the sky if I really wanted to. It was the people who made
Shad Valley memorable. It was the staff members who provided us with the
perfect environment, and it was the 53 other Shads who helped me to break free
from the chains of discouragement. I was a free spirit. I learned to
appreciate music and I even tried out the guitar, piano, and a little bit of
violin. I stretched my vocals chords in a number of vocal quartets as well.
We were exposed to a variety of things in life. We had time for academics,
time for social outings, time for recreation, and time for sleep. Within the
academic side of things, we were exposed to the essentials of the program such
as engineering, science, and business lectures. We had an amazing variety of
lectures on other topics that did not directly relate to our projects such as
the visit from an M.I.T. representative, the editor of the Computer Paper,
lectures on bird watching, organ donation, the Internet, physics, earthquakes,
forestry, and many more. With such a variety of topics, it provided a better
sample of real life than having a focus just on engineering, or just on
business. From the social side of things, I learned to deal with large groups
of people, such as the project house groups which had approximately thirteen
members. Communication is a two-way street and it is an essential part of
life. Understanding others was a very important part of the program. We had
a lecture on sensitivity which really helped in the time of crises. On the
recreational side of things, we learned to speed skate and ballroom dance.
The world game was an interesting experiment on power, greed, politics,
corruption, and human nature. It provided an explanation of why the world is
in its current condition. A great side effect of having so many brilliant
young people together was that I learned to appreciate other Shads' talents.
They all influenced me positively and I tried to be a little like each of them.
As for recommendations for improving the program, there seemed to be lack of
free time. Everyday was filled with activities to do ranging from academics
to social get-togethers and to recreation. This was a great way to keep us
busy, but there was little free time. Maybe an extension of the program by a
few days would provide more time for Shads. As for our house projects, the
staff members did not seem to communicate too well between each other.
Sometimes, the engineering advisor and the business advisor would give
contradictory information. The engineering and business advisors should
discuss their expectations before Shad Valley begins. More time should have
been allocated for the creation of the monthbook because some students had to
sacrifice a lot to finish it on time. Finally, the farewell on the last day
was a bit disorganized and some Shads departed without the proper good-bye.
I've changed quite a bit because of Shad Valley. I've become more sociable
because I spent so much time around Shads at UBC. I've learned to trust
myself and to be spontaneous. I'm not as linear as before because I can
switch between several tasks when the need arises. I've developed a more
optimistic view of life, and priorities have changed for me. I've learned to
let my mind free when I need to be creative. Life is what you make it to be
and I will definitely make it very memorable. After experiencing Shad Valley,
I find that almost everyday, I am full of energy. It must be some kind of
Shad energy.
Shad Valley is 25 days of the ideal life. Meeting new friends, constantly
learning about yourself, finding and feeling different emotions, not being
afraid, feeling ready for a challenge, seeing new possibilities, and most
importantly, freeing your mind. I did a lot of maturing at Shad Valley. I
had an unforgettable summer that has deeply changed me and will affect me for
the rest of my life. As the sun sets in the west, I face in that general
direction. I look up at the sky, towards the sunset, and thoughts of UBC'94
run wildly in my mind.
(
geocities.com/siliconvalley/campus/9640/HighSchool) (
geocities.com/siliconvalley/campus/9640) (
geocities.com/siliconvalley/campus) (
geocities.com/siliconvalley)