My name is Abigail, I am a 4th-year student at McMaster majoring in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior. My interests include people, animals and the great outdoors! I decided to apply to the CityLAB program because I was searching for a fully immersive learning opportunity, something that would switch gears and give me a different perspective on education than what I had received thus far. It was way out of my program’s scope and meant that I would need to spend an additional semester catching up on mandatory courses but more and more each day I realize how worth it this decision has been. I never knew where the leap would take me and that it would band me together with different kinds of people from diverse disciplines to create meaningful change.
There are many aspects of the program that truly set it apart, for one you really feel as though you are working together with people for the greater good of the community as well as for each other. I have always wrestled with how competitive the school system is, and how the environment can become toxic really quickly with students feeling threatened by each other's success, as though they have to prove themselves all on their own. CityLAB is different in that you feel like you are a unit, dare I say a family, that cares about something each of us has in common and mobilizes towards protecting it.
This year our focus has been climate change, and we have been using various methods of inquiry to study its effects, and mitigate them. We have prioritized neighborhood-level analysis and action. I believe that the local community, as well as City staff benefit from the partnership with McMaster students because the brilliant young people we see today are inspiring and creative, but most of all, they care about the future that they know will be their own tomorrow.
CityLAB’s capacity for innovation, in a cost-effective manner, is commendable, and every semester there is improvement in the program structure, as each instructor's priority remains to constantly make progress towards a better and more useful program for both students, and their learning objectives, as well as meaningful initiatives that impact the local community.
It has been a privilege to be a part of something as cool as the CityLAB program, where students are encouraged to think outside of the box. The people I have met and worked with have been so genuine and each lesson taught has inspired my thinking and world-view. Like any program, it is only as good as one makes it and the personal efforts that each person puts in can make all difference. I recommend the experience to anyone who is yearning for more out of their university experience.