Jennifer Huynh blends passion for STEM make education accessible for newcomers to Canada

 Jennifer Huynh

Jennifer Huynh was born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, but immigrated to Canada with her family as a child and ultimately ended up in Edmonton in 2011.

The first-year Faculty of Science student remembers always having a fascination with math and physics, and a dream of studying them in a post-secondary setting.

She even volunteered with SmileSonica Inc., a Canadian technology company using ultrasound technology to build medical devices for orthodontic patients.

Jennifer Huynh blends her passion for STEM and her experiences as a young immigrant to help make education accessible for newcomers to Canada. (Photo: Supplied)

However, alongside a passion for STEM, Huynh also hopes to make education accessible within immigrant and refugee communities, “especially having been an immigrant myself and growing up experiencing the challenges that come with transitioning to a new world.”

Huynh has encouraged STEM learning among young newcomers by programming an interactive computer game called Ready, Set, Math! for students at an after-school program to practise mathematics and track their improvement.

She also worked with the Somali Canadian Cultural Society of Edmonton, leading a non-profit initiative organizing free workshops about finance, health care, law and business for more than 360 newcomers.

“Receiving the Schulich scholarship came as such a shock to me, and I’ll never forget the look on my parents’ faces when I told them the news. We came to Canada because of the education opportunities, and they’ve made so many sacrifices for me — I can only hope I’ve made them proud.”