My Journey at the Innovation Fair 2023
By Kezah Halstead, Grade 12, Sir James Dunn Academy, St. Andrews NB
On May 11th I had the pleasure to travel to the Brilliant Labs Innovation Fair in Moncton NB. I knew by the way people spoke about the fair that it was quite the scene to behold, but when I arrived, I was blown away.
I’m quite new to the Brilliant Labs scene as I only became their co-op student 16 weeks ago. Since starting, I’ve done a lot of digging on the internet trying to understand what it is that Brilliant Labs does, but I could never fully grasp the whole picture. After all, you can only learn so much online. From the very beginning I started my journey with Brilliant Labs I knew I wouldn’t fully comprehend everything until I went to the fair and saw what it was that they do myself.
This year’s fair was hosted in the French school, École Le Mascaret. Maybe it’s because I’m from a small town and attend a small school, but I was shocked at the sheer size of the school. Outside the entrance there was a purple carpet inviting people in as they arrived. The group I came with and myself had to squeeze past bundles of kids excited to see what was in store for them. When we managed to get into the room where the actual fair was held there was so much more than I thought there would be. Rows of well designed projects and students waited eagerly to begin talking about what it was that they had created.
My purpose at the fair was to interview students about what they had made and write it down. After finding my co-interviewer Alex Hawkins, who also happens to be the co-host of Brilliant Labs show “b.Brilliant”, we set off to work.
Despite what I had already seen I still expected the projects to be on the same level as the typical volcano erupting display you see in movies. Instead, I was met with students who had come up with solutions to real world problems, students who were sharing their culture, and students who were coming up with interactive ways to help better the school system.
There was a group of middle schoolers who were inspired to sell candles to raise money for supplies for the homeless shelter in their community after hearing the news about overcrowding. There were several projects about changing the fast fashion industry and cutting down on clothing consumerism. Each idea was interesting and even I, who avidly hates fast fashion and goes thrifting, was wondering if I could do more. Alex and I spoke with many people about what they had done and each time I was amazed at how passionate and forward-thinking the students were.
After some time had passed, Alex and I took a break in a classroom and talked about what we had just seen and learned. We were both blown away at how smart all of the students were. I even told her that I had some new hope for the future of our education system.
When the fair was nearing the end, I made the 2.5 hour journey back home. The first thing I did when I woke up the next day was type up every detail about what I had seen and heard the previous day. I’m so lucky that I got to go to the fair and see what the future has in store for us. If the fair does show a glimpse into the future of technology and humanity then I can safely say we’re in good hands.
To CanCode and the provincial EECDS, your support has made it possible for students like me to celebrate the incredible projects and initiatives that are created with the support of Brilliant Labs. Your commitment to fostering innovation and education is truly appreciated and has left an indelible mark on our collective learning experience.
Thank you for making the Innovation Fair an inspiring and impactful event.
