Emily Morozoff awarded Jardine Bursary
By Diana Walker
Emily Morozoff, younger daughter of Cst. Robert and Laura Morozoff of Oyen, is enrolled at the University of Calgary for a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Computer Science.
“I chose to work in the technology industry because computers open up a world so expansive I could spend the rest of my life learning and never scratch the surface,” says Emily. “Technology can create many opportunities to support and improve the lives of Albertans. I plan to use my skills to give rural communities like Oyen the opportunities that larger cities have without the large cost.”
Diana Walker, representing the Jardine Bursary Committee that includes Sharon Dahl and Cheryl Ball, presents Emily Morozoff with $1,000, one of two bursaries.
When Emily began volunteering at Family and Community Support Services in September of 2022, she saw the community was still suffering from the feelings of isolation caused by the pandemic.
“The pandemic impacted me greatly,” says Emily, “especially the loss of connections, so I wanted to mitigate these feelings in my community. FCSS, an Alberta non-profit organization, uses locally-driven preventive social initiatives to enhance the well-being of individuals, families and communities. I found it to be the perfect place to achieve my goal of connecting with the community and preventing feelings of isolation.”
Under supervision, Emily organized events including the first Halloween Dance since COVID-19. It promoted togetherness and mitigated feelings of isolation. Over her nine months of volunteering, she observed the tremendous work necessary for a non-profit to make up for the lack of financials. This, and the intense work she witnessed employees putting into supporting the community, taught her the essential components needed to make a difference in the community.
“My desire to impact the community through my unique skills led me to create an educational program called Introducing and Navigating Code in Teens and Elementary (INCITE) in early 2023,” adds Emily.
She taught two coding classes during Multimedia and CTF courses for junior high and elementary students with three goals in mind: educate the young generation about technology, create an exciting and fun way to engage students, and incite a love of coding to lead kids to pursue a career in STEM. Mentored by two teachers, she successfully taught five essential coding concepts to the kids.
“My initiative was successful in its goals,” says Emily. “I taught them the concepts, engaged them in learning, and opened them up to take a STEM career path. I plan to continue INCITE by creating an accessible educational platform containing step-by-step projects and lessons that feature digital citizenship and graphic design lessons alongside coding.”
The goal of this platform is to take the burden off the unequipped teachers by giving them the ability to instruct technology without needing special training or equipment. In the future, Emily hopes to use the INCITE model and work with the Alberta government to reach more rural schools without access to quality technology courses.
“My goal is to make technology a prominent part of early learning in underfunded parts of the Canadian school system that can’t afford specialized classes,” concludes Emily.