As summer comes to an end, Grand Challenges Canada is bidding a bittersweet farewell to the latest cohort of Fellows who brought so much fresh perspective and experience to each of their teams. A group of knowledgeable, passionate and innovative young people, they made invaluable contributions to GCC’s mission, and never ceased to amaze us with their dedication and ingenuity!
They reflected on their summer experience with GCC, including some of their key takeaways, and advice for all future Summer Fellows:
Aljeena Qureshi (she/her) | Team: Global Health Innovation (GHI)
What was your favourite project that you worked on and what is a key takeaway from that experience?
I have had the incredible opportunity to work across so many different portfolios so I really can’t pick a favourite! For my work with Stars, I loved putting my data analysis skills to the test. I spearheaded a report where I analyzed grant applications consisting of innovative ideas addressing the impact of climate change on health and identified themes to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current landscape of innovators. As part of Saving Brains, I really enjoyed supporting my team in managing several active deals on early childhood development in different stages and connecting with innovators. As part of Global Mental Health, I helped generate reports and graphics that summarized the outcomes of prominent innovations that allowed me to exercise my creativity!
What advice would you give to future summer fellows?
Embrace the journey with an open heart and mind! GCC brims with avenues beyond your regular tasks – explore them. Absorb knowledge, seek out challenges, and always strive to make the most of every opportunity.
Clara Chang (she/her) | Team: Legal
What was your favourite project that you worked on and what is a key takeaway from that experience?
I really enjoyed working on our Summer Project, which focused on putting together resources for GCC around funding restrictions. My key takeaway from this work is the importance of condensing and translating legal research and terms into language that is user friendly for those working outside the legal team. This goes hand-in-hand with the ability to write effective legal memorandums, which is a skill that the legal team here at GCC was gracious enough to take the time to help me hone.
What advice would you give to future summer fellows?
I would advise future summer fellows to make the most of your time at GCC by taking advantage of the many opportunities presented to you, such as your mentor matches and the Summer Speaker Series. Take those opportunities to listen, ask questions, and explore career paths and areas of interest to you.
Evelyn Tran (she/her) | Team: Finance
What was your favourite project that you worked on and what is a key takeaway from that experience?
My favourite project this summer was assisting the Finance Programs team with compiling financial reports. Though challenging to learn at first, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of becoming more efficient and paying close attention to the detail that was required. One of the key takeaways from this project was the fact that no matter how challenging a task may seem at first, patience and asking questions is always going to help. I am grateful for how supportive the Finance team is and appreciate everything I learned during my time here.
What advice would you give to future summer fellows?
My advice for future summer fellows is to stay curious and open to learning from everyone at GCC! Outside of Finance, I had so many opportunities to learn about the work that other GCC colleagues partake in. Be open to having conversations with someone new and try to learn as much as you can before your summer is over.
Nicole Robertson (she/her) | Team: Knowledge Management Translation 
What was your favourite project that you worked on and what is a key takeaway from that experience?
My favourite project that I worked on this summer was the creation of a Case Study repository and the updating of Innovator Case Studies. GCC has written many Innovator Case Studies over the past few years, largely for the purpose of reporting. The team realized that these could also be used to help highlight the incredible work our innovators are doing. I spent part of the summer updating and organizing the case studies, which meant that I got to learn a lot about some of our innovators. I enjoyed familiarizing myself with many different projects across different portfolios. I also enjoyed getting to learn how GCC funding, guidance from the GCC team, and venture advisory assistance worked together to support innovators. A key takeaway from this project is to always take advantage of the resources you already have and make the most out of the data you’ve collected!
What advice would you give to future summer fellows?
Take advantage of the opportunities offered and enjoy your summer! While working remotely can be isolating at times, the coworking experiences with my team and the team and GCC-wide socials gave me the opportunity to get to know the lovely people at GCC, many of whom were happy to share their experiences and provide career advice. Everyone I spoke to at GCC had an interesting career journey to get to where they are, and I was appreciative that they were willing to share their diverse stories with me!
Olivia Marotta (she/they) | Team: Communications
What was your favourite project that you worked on and what is a key takeaway from that experience?
It’s hard for me to pick a favourite, but working alongside my team members to highlight GCC innovators’ achievements is a standout. Particularly, learning about the Global Mental Health innovators from funding Round 2, spotlighting their individual stories and achievements overall has given me a new perspective on creative health solutions. Mental health supports such as education, building a sense of community, and access to proper treatments should be easily within reach for everyone. The organizations that I had the privilege of learning about this summer are working to make this a reality across the globe, all the while adapting the accessibility of mental health services to their prospective communities. My own experience of learning about and highlighting what GCC-funded innovators do has made it even more clear to me just how essential storytelling is for making change.
What advice would you give to future summer fellows?
Everyone at GCC is so welcoming, friendly, and always willing to help out. I have met so many wonderful people, both on the Communications team and throughout the organization, that have so graciously mentored and provided me with useful advice that I will be sure to take with me in my future endeavours. So, my advice to future summer fellows would be: don’t be shy! Make connections and get to know as many people as you can – you’ll have so much to learn from each of their stories and everyone is so willing to share.
Rebecca Cecim (she/her) | Team: Human Resources and Operations
What was your favourite project that you worked on and what is a key takeaway from that experience?
My favourite project that I worked on this Summer was helping to improve hiring and onboarding processes using Monday.com. As GCC has grown so much over the past few years, it was important for the HR and Ops team to focus on making sure our processes are as efficient and innovative as they can be. It was a great learning experience using Monday.com to automate steps in the hiring and onboarding process and to see what steps can be removed to make it as user-friendly as possible. Through this, I learned more about the employee experience at GCC, and was able to contribute to improving the experience for staff.
What advice would you give to future summer fellows?
Advice I would give to future summer fellows is to think ahead about what you would like to accomplish and learn during your time at GCC and communicate that with your team to ensure you get as much out of the experience as possible. There are so many different projects you can be a part of, and people you can learn from at GCC. As the summer passes so quickly, it’s important to be intentional about what you would like to get from this experience. Everyone at GCC is so supportive and is willing to share their knowledge and experience so be sure to take advantage of that during your time with GCC.
Sruthi Mada (she/her) | Team: IT Operations
What was your favourite project that you worked on and what is a key takeaway from that experience?
My favourite project that I worked on this summer was creating a personal SharePoint site for the Information Technology team. It involved a lot of redesigning and finding what works best for our team as a whole. I have always wanted to incorporate my design skills into IT, and I was able to fulfil that during this project. I had amazing experience researching new cybersecurity software for GCC and creating guides. Every query or project I took on gave me great experience and a lot of lot of insight!
What advice would you give to future summer fellows?
The most important thing to keep in mind as a Summer Fellow is to always keep an open mind and ask questions! Our managers are here to help you throughout your fellowship, and with all your projects. Everyone on the team is usually willing to help you as well! Work hard and gain all the skills you can but also remember to have fun and build connections!
