Of My Experience at BTST

When I learned that I got the job I applied for at Beat The Streets, I did not know what to think. Trying to recall what I expected I’d be doing all summer, I drew a blank. 

What I ended up doing was not in any way what I could have possibly expected though. 

This was my first experience working besides newspaper delivery and I do not think it could have possibly been better. I've gotten to work on a variety of projects that increased my confidence in the fact that even if I get a task with which I'm unfamiliar, I will be able to figure it out and do it well because of my work ethic. Working at Beat The Streets was very growth-oriented: I received feedback on my submissions that helped me improve them, I attended workshops on different topics every week, and I had mentorship meetings which helped me understand my values and work on my weaknesses.

The most memorable part was teamwork. Jessica always made each group meeting fun with her jokes, which made everyone else more lively. The mentorship meetings with Jessica and Coach Neal were always thought-provoking, and I always left them feeling more confident in myself. I really struggled with interacting with people I did not know well, but with their advice (littered with a healthy amount of laughter) I felt like it was less of a big deal to just start talking to someone. 

I'd like to give a shout out to Jasreen, with whom I worked a lot to organize game day for the team. Jasreen always made the event very lively and fun, and we've had lots of team members say they absolutely loved it.

Finally, I'd like to give the largest shout out possible to Negar, my fellow research assistant. Negar is lovely with a super wicked sense of humour. We spent so much of our research meetings together joking and laughing - while we worked, of course ;D 

Negar and I went through a lot together: trying to find proper fact citations, brainstorming for blogs and our workshop, polishing up proposals, interviewing team members for the newsletter, presenting a workshop on presentation skills, and so much more. I did not expect to have such a wonderful team member, or such a great and supportive group in general.

Thank you, Beat The Streets Toronto and Canada Summer Jobs for giving me this opportunity to grow, learn, and laugh while working.