Sharing the SFU experience as a family

When Dawn Barroso’s daughter first brought up “Take Our Kids to Work Day,” Dawn and her daughter knew she would be coming to SFU.

“My husband’s workplace doesn’t have a program like this, and neither did my previous workplace,” says Dawn, who works in Well-being Strategy & Initiatives within SFU’s People, Equity and Inclusion portfolio. “So I was actually really keen and interested to see what her experience would be like.”

Malaya Barroso, then a grade 9 student, enjoyed the bustling environment of Burnaby Mountain. She describes feeling energized as she toured the university, with the fresh autumn air and many students, faculty and staff on campus.

At SFU’s Take Our Kids to Work Day event, a selection of faculties and departments lead students through activities introducing their respective fields. Malaya took part in workshops led by volunteers from biology, computing science and archaeology.

“I felt it was really cool for her to see the bridge between high school, post-secondary and different potential fields and careers,” says Dawn.

“I think in high school you may feel pressure and easily boxed into needing to know specifically what you're going to be doing in your career, et cetera. But I think the experience for her reinforced that there's so many opportunities available out there to consider and to explore.”

Dawn’s favourite part of the day was introducing her daughter to her team, and vice versa. Having her family and colleagues meet each other was meaningful, and she felt her daughter was able to experience a sense of the campus community.

While attending Take Our Kids to Work Day, Malaya noticed “a good balance between SFU prioritizing a focused and enriching academic and work environment, but also making it an enjoyable place to be.” Since her visit, she has gone on to volunteer with SFU Camps over the summer. “Being in this kind of space helps me bring my best self.”

“I’m glad she was able to learn and expand her idea of SFU beyond what I do at work,” says Dawn. “I appreciated that SFU made every effort to give my daughter a great experience.”