GEMinar Reflection by Geertika

On Saturday January 28, 2023, GEM held our 3rd GEMinar co-hosted by Google Canada.

This is Geertika’s reflection on the experience.

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A commonality among us all is our desire to succeed and be grounded in our purpose, especially career-wise. While some know since the age of five exactly what their heart longs to do, most find their pathway through numerous trials, experiences and learning opportunities. As a highschool senior, I was taking on numerous opportunities to narrow down my passion and ensure I was making the right decision for post-secondary. I realized among students that it may feel as though this “unconventional” route, dabbling in various fields, may not have a high guaranteed success rate. However, the “Secrets to Success with Google” GEMinar proved otherwise. We got to hear about individuals who were incredibly established in their field of tech, while starting off pursuing careers in law and music! Seeing that part of the success is the learning we indulge in through each opportunity was a comforting feeling, and that is all thanks to GEM!
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Not only this, each GEMinar includes breakout rooms with other mentors and mentees, where you find yourself immediately feeling included in a fun, welcoming community. During this specific GEMinar, we reflected on our successes and spoke about what goal we were most proud of accomplishing during the year. How often do we really take the time to do that? I had the chance to confidently share my accolades with a room full of supportive women. It was a notable moment as we praised each other, ourselves, and the GEM community we were grateful to be a part of.

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