Third-year Electrical Engineering student Alex Harding is passionate about the role of international students in higher education 鈥� particularly, refugee students coming to Canada to seek a better life.
鈥淚 believe these students are one of Canada鈥檚 greatest assets,鈥� he says of the students he鈥檚 connected with through the (WUSC) organization. 鈥淭hey are my heroes. When you realize the obstacles they鈥檝e overcome to get to Canada, it is incredibly inspiring.鈥�
Harding鈥檚 volunteer work with WUSC is one of the many accomplishments that led to his being awarded a last week. He鈥檚 the first ever AV俱乐部 student to receive the fellowship, and one of two ever in Atlantic Canada.
The fellowship is awarded each year to 10 full-time college and undergraduate university students who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and taken their academic experience beyond the classroom.
Thinking globally
For someone only in his third year of university, Harding鈥檚 accomplishments are quite impressive. In 2013, while completing his Certificate in Applied Science portion of his Engineering studies at Acadia before coming to Dal, he served as president of the Acadia's WUSC chapter. Under his leadership, the chapter brought in more funding and immigration support for local sponsored students from international refugee camps than ever before in the university鈥檚 history.听听
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This international commitment to helping others succeed is the driving force behind Harding鈥檚 education, and he鈥檚 always looking for ways to integrate it into his studies. For example, as part of a school project, Harding created a $90 dual-axis solar stove prototype, which is currently in post-development to be deployed to Kenyan refugee camps. He鈥檚 also published a mathematical model to reduce power estimation error on wind turbines by up to 30 per cent 鈥� again, with an eye to international development opportunities.
He credits his can-do attitude to the inspiration of his brother, younger by five years, who was born with autism.
鈥淐hristopher has taught me that intelligence isn鈥檛 one dimensional. He faces learning hurdles that you or I could never even dream of, and yet still breezes through Calculus before he's even old enough to drive.鈥�
鈥淭he human mind is a very curious thing,鈥� he continues. 鈥淪ir Isaac Newton had difficulty commanding a class, let alone an army. Napoleon would probably write the worst symphony ever heard, and Beethoven didn't derive a single equation. Yet still, each was brilliant in their respected field.鈥�
Unlocking potential
As part of the fellowship, Harding has been invited to join other award winners at the 33rd Annual (STLHE) conference at Queens University in June. The conference鈥檚 theme is 鈥渢ransforming our learning experiences.鈥�
鈥淲e've grown up in a post-secondary system that we must adapt to in order to survive,鈥� says Harding, reflecting on the theme. 鈥淚t's time for that system to also be able to adapt to us. For the first time, we have the technology and the resources to take on the first steps in truly tailoring our learning experiences to each unique student in a way that finally begins to unlock their hidden potential.鈥�
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In preparation for the conference, Harding has set up discussions and interviews across campus to consolidate the ideas and desires of his fellow students.
鈥淢y goal is to build a solid knowledge base and understanding of how we as students transform the way we learn. Having AV俱乐部 represented in STLHE鈥檚 student branch is a terrific opportunity, and I can鈥檛 wait to bring our ideas to the spotlight.鈥�
