Parent Testimonials

Hello Veselin

Thank you for the invite to the closing ceremony. I am planning on attending and look forward to it.

My daughter has enjoyed every day of the camp to date! We talk everyday as she is excited to tell me all about the guest speakers and interesting things she has learned each day. She loved the chemistry lab and the forensic lab. She said Triumf was "the coolest thing she has ever seen".

She is also enjoying the English class and has positive things to say about the English teacher. She finds Jordan very understandable with the math concepts and is making good progress with her workbooks. She is looking forward to the next workbook where the concepts will be entirely new to her.

My daughter has said the other students are very social, (more social than she is used to) and I think this is another reason why she is enjoying the camp immensely. She has made friends and has exchanged phone numbers with other students.

The camp has exceeded my expectations. The guest speakers have captivated my daughter 's attention and she was not expecting to enjoy the Math and English classes so much. Her attitude towards post secondary is positive and I feel that this experience at SFU has reinforced the idea of continuing her education after high school.

She has already indicated to me that she would like to apply again to the camp next year. I hope this feedback is meaningful and I look forward to seeing you next week.

Kindest regards,

(...)

Good day Veselin,

I wanted to say that there has been a big change in my daughter's overall attitude. She is really happy with the camp. She said that even the long commute each way isn't so bad because she likes the camp and activities. She has mentioned that in the math section she has learned new ways of doing things and tips/tricks to finding answers. She I think liked that part as she said that in school they never taught her those things. She likes everything about the camp. She can relate to all the students in the camp so I think that has an overall effect on her acceptance. I believe this has opened her eyes to post secondary education. In the opening ceremony you had someone talk about going back to school after so long as her daughter has started. I liked that part as I believe it's good to hear that from someone other than parents telling their kids to keep going to school, it's never too late. I would like to personally thank your staff about the tremendous job they have done and I will on closing ceremony day as I and possibly my parents will be attending. All around good job to all. If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

(...)

Hi,

We have spoken to our son on several occasions during the last weeks with regards to this camp.

His impressions are very positive. He thinks his Math and English skills will improve next year due to the help he received during these 4 weeks. He really enjoyed the afternoons with the wide variety of topics being discussed.

He thrived in the more open and mature settings of SFU compared to high school and this camp strengthened his commitment to pursue a post secondary education, especially in the field of a criminology degree. In a year where at times he has struggled to find the motivation to do well in high school, he came to the realization during this camp that high school is an important stepping stone and not the end of his educational journey.

It did more than meet our expectations, it exceeded it by far.

Having said that, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your staff for an amazing job you did with these kids. I can only speak for our son, and I know sometimes he can be somewhat distracted and distracting, however to get him excited to go to school after a full year of high school really says it all. Again kudos to you and your staff.

Regards

(...)

My daughter became very motivated to attend university after doing the first SFU Academic camp. Attending this camp has made her believe it even more as she is closer to graduating now. She spoke at length about the Indigenous Student Centre at SFU that offers career counselling, student loan assistance and other services to help you while at University. I think this was a huge, helpful piece of information that made her feel less fearful and more confident as she felt there would be somewhere to go for help in all aspects of university life, someone that would care and want to help. Hearing that other people have had obstacles like tragedy or family issues and have overcome them and went on to University is also very motivating for her. I know she worries about how her education will be paid for as we have been honest with her that we will only be able to pay for a small portion and that she will have to apply for scholarships and student loans. The camp has made her see that not everyone has their education paid for, nor do they all have easy lives and even so they find a way, work hard and achieve their goals.

She is starting to get sad because the camp is almost over and she wishes it was longer. My daughter really likes the Math and English teachers and programs but said that it would be better if there were extra teacher assistants in Math to be able to answer everyone’s questions. She also wishes there were less guest speakers or shorter speeches and more hands on activities like the science experiments.

I think the SFU Academic camp is terrific and has met all my expectations. It makes me so happy to hear my daughter talking about when, not if, she goes to university.

Thank you to you, Sheryl and everyone else that has worked so hard to make this camp happen.

Best regards,
(...)

Thanks for the emails and keeping us parents up to date too. Our son has had a wonderful experience and would like to go again next year. He has gained more academic confidence and that I thank you all for. This opened up his eyes for post secondary. Our son said he did math that impressed one instructor too. He was a natural at drum making. We thank you all.

(...)

Dear Dr. J,

I was so sorry I couldn't attend the closing ceremonies, but I had to be at work. My mom and daughter went, and shared some photos and video of the ceremony.

The camp was incredible for my son, and I watched the video of his thank you speech, and saw a part of him that I hadn't in some time! Passion, humor, confidence and appreciation. There is not one thing he didn't enjoy! He told me that the kids at the camp, were among the nicest people he has ever met. He loved the teachers, yourself included. It opened his eyes to areas of science he didn't know existed. Math has been a struggle for him, in terms of keeping his interest, and not being such a chore...and now he has a different outlook on it thanks to this camp! I think he would quite possible have gone the ENTIRE summer if he could have! He desperately wants to return next year, as does my 11 year old when she is of age! .

This camp met so many different needs for the kids...spiritual, social, intellectual, and physical. Not all of these needs are met through traditional classrooms or family life. You and the others have made a difference in my son, the way he sees himself and others in the world.

Heartfelt thanks,
(...)

Presenter Testimonials

Hi Veselin,
I had a blast with your kids yesterday, very interesting questions and comments. Very interactive. Whole different group than my most recent Tech Talk.

-- Cris Rowan, CEO Zone'in Programs

The participants this year were engaged and I felt their presence. They asked thoughtful questions and I was very grateful when some students came up to me afterwards to thank me or ask more questions; it truly warmed my heart. I recognized a couple faces and the changes in personal growth were significant; I hope the individuals in this group are as proud of them as I am.
Thank you again for the opportunity Veso.

-- Janelle Dobson-Kocsis

Thanks again to you and Sheryl for having me last week! They are such a great group of kids and it was awesome being able to tell them about our program. Hopefully we'll see a couple of them in the program at some point :)
Have a lovely summer,

--Laurel Berg, Program Assistant
Community Education Program, Lifelong Learning
Simon Fraser University

And the students - they were very good and I would have liked to do two sessions with them - perhaps next year ☺.

--Natasha Davidson, Math Instructor
Douglas College