Monday, August 31, 2009

After taking the bus to Edmonton’s downtown core, I arrived at my workplace, the Alberta Advanced Education and Technology office. Having interned there for almost a month, the thought of leaving the place at the end of the day struck a sad note. Of course, that feeling was also encouraged by the beginning of school looming ever nearer!

I had a presentation that afternoon, so I worked on putting the finishing touches on my presentation. The presentation was detailing my summer internship assignment. For my project, I was given a database, and I was to undertake further analysis on it based on several parameters. I was introduced to SPSS and PASW Statistics, statistical software that enables users to deliver clear and accurate results. My project was to analyze the information in the database and do some data abstraction, importing, recoding and entry. It was a very interesting project and one in which I was able to exercise my analytical processes and acquire many transferable skills.

The presentation went wonderfully and we were all treated with delicious nachos and homemade salsa. For dessert, we had equally scrumptious apple strudel! I had an amazing experience this August working with many delightful people! I am very thankful to Shad Valley for providing me with this wonderful opportunity.

At the end of the day, I thought to myself, that this was definitely not the end; this summer was just the kick start of many wonderful experiences to come.

Shivani Upadhyaya
Hometown: Edmonton, AB