Every time I enter, the nutty smell of the café wafts up to embrace me, even on the topmost floor of the building. Walking through the open layout of the offices, observing the brightly painted walls and water bowls for the occasional canine companion on the floor, I am once again struck by how modern this company is. But then, that’s what Desire2Learn is: a modern, innovative company making a big impact in the world around it.
Desire2Learn creates the online platforms supporting online learning for universities, secondary schools, corporations, and governments all over the world. This is the first year they have taken on a Shad alumnus as an intern. I was assigned two projects to complete for the duration of my stay: completing the initial research for a new vertical Desire2Learn wishes to explore, and watching and categorizing raw video footage from D2L’s recent users’ conference called Fusion.
On my first day, I was extremely nervous. I didn’t know what to expect or what I would be expected to do. Luckily, my mom sent me off with these kind words of encouragement: “They’re not going to give you something that will jeopardize the future of their company!” That made me feel a lot better. However, I needn’t have worried; everyone at Desir2Learn was very kind and obliging. I was given the use of a desk and laptop and I set to work on my projects.
The time flew by. I am an intern with Desire2Learn for five weeks, and here I am among the final days. I will miss the routine and the sense of accomplishment that this internship has given me. I will miss the aroma of coffee and cookies from the café downstairs. I will miss the thrill of excitement I get every time I see a dog run past my desk (a common occurrence at Desire2Learn!) But most of all, I will miss the people who introduced themselves in the elevator, or walking past my desk. And to those who kept talking, who brought me into their worlds outside of work. Thank you.
Charlotte Wallace
Desire2Learn
Waterloo, Ontario