Take 5

TAKE 5 INTERVIEW

BY SAMANTHA MCRAE, DIGITAL MEDIA MARKETING ASSISTANT Alexy Leger is a passionate student who has been working with Brilliant Labs as a STEAM mentor since 2020. Alexy has dedicated himself to the field of technology from a young age and spent this past summer delivering camps about cybersecurity, programming, biomaking and much more! He is currently studying at the Université de Moncton with a focus in computer science and hopes to continue on into a career in technology.

How did you become involved with Brilliant Labs? We had a cyber security workshop at our high school and we had a demo with the b.Boards. I had the chance to learn how to code by connecting to the Brilliant Labs Cloud and we experimented with weather controlled LED lights. It was all very cool! A few months after that the pandemic hit and when june came, I had a call from my tech teacher letting me know that Brilliant Labs was hiring and they thought I’d be a good candidate and that’s how I got the job. I had a talk with Jeff Willson and a few weeks later, I became a STEAM mentor (2020, Grade 10). Have you always been interested in computer science? Yeah! I have been interested in computer science for quite a while. When I was young I used to call up my uncle because my parents often got viruses on their computer. He used to work for microsoft and he taught me how to reinstall windows whenever we got a virus. So that was kind of my start with technology and I have always looked up to him. What was your role as a STEAM mentor? We were delivering camps around south- east New Brunswick delivering camps about Scratch, TinkerCad, biomaking and cyber security. We held workshops where kids can either create games or 3D designs. A lot of them liked creating toys. One of our campers built spare parts for his legos. It was a really

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We had a cyber security workshop at our high school and we had a demo with the b.Boards. I had the chance to learn how to code by connecting to the Brilliant Labs Cloud and we experimented with weather controlled LED lights. It was all very cool!

enjoyable experience. Can you share a moment where either you or your campers were engaged in a way that influenced you? When I teamed up with Evan and Greyson to deliver the virtual Cyber Security summer camp, really enjoyed that and I had the opportunity to learn a lot about the linux terminal and programming. That had been a big barrier for me, having never programmed before or never having used commands. Brilliant Labs gave me the opportunity to break the barrier and see that it’s not that complicated and that I would enjoy doing this in the future. It really confirmed for me that I wanted to continue with computer science in my post secondary studies. In this case, my inspiration and engagement can be attributed to working with a great team and the opportunities presented to me by Brilliant Labs. Why do you think Maker Spaces are important in schools? Well we didn’t have a Maker Space in my school but I feel it’s important to have access to one or the Brilliant Labs team as it’s a crucial facility to develop ideas. I’m really into robotics and if I had had the chance to access a Maker Space, I could have used that hands-on practice to learn how to build a robot. I am very much a hands-on learner so when I am able to actually build my own robot, I will learn both the mechanical side of things as well as the programming side. When I did robotics competitions, that was a chance to truly develop my skills. It is important for students who learn kinetically, to have a space where they can make. What do you make? I build robots! I actually just joined the robotics team at the University of Moncton so it is something that is ongoing for me. I was just accepted to the team today, so I am I had the opportunity to learn a lot about the linux terminal and programming. That had been 2 2 a big barrier for me, having never programmed before or never having used commands. Brilliant Labs gave me the opportunity to break the barrier and see that it’s not that complicated and that I would enjoy doing this in the future.

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It is important for students who learn kinetically, to have a space where they can make.

looking forward to it. Congratulations!! What advice would you give to other students who are interested in technology and looking for a way to engage that interest? Programming is usually where you should start on the software end of things. When it comes to programming, often the best way to learn how to program is experimenting! Try things out, see how certain blocks of code behave and push things to the limits. I like breaking my own code because I get to see the limitations of my robot or the code itself.

What is next for you? I am interested in going into software development. I am currently studying computer science at the University of Moncton. I’m not sure exactly where I am going but I am very inspired by my uncle as I mentioned. He currently works at Amazon and he has mentioned that he would help me get an internship. I know for sure that’s where I’d like to end up in the technology field, maybe even cyber security. I am open to different opportunities.

The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, MP, visit with Alexy and STEAM Camp Mentors in Moncton.

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Try things out, see how certain blocks of code behave and push things to the limits. I like breaking my own code because I get to see the limitations of my robot or the code itself.

I’d like to end up in the technology field, maybe even5 5 cyber security. I am open to different opportunities.