The day’s events began with Open day, where all of us prepared and presented all the different aspects of Shad Carleton program to the parents, the general public, and the media. I was personally in charge of the booth for late night and lectures so I got to really tell the visitors about all the fun we had at the different late nights and all the interesting things we learned at the lectures.
Later that night was the closing banquet and the variety show. The banquet had delicious food and was really special because the staff, some of our family members, along with important speakers and Shad Valley supporters were there. What was even more special was the variety show afterwards. All of us got to showcase our talent to everyone, including our parents, for the last time. At the end we all got up there to sing our Shad song and had a large sentimental group hug afterwards. By the time we all packed up and exited the banquet hall, we were all tearing up.
What I didn’t expect were the events that happened after the banquet. We got our Shadwear (sweaters) and took a long walk over to a clearing where we had our closing ceremony. After that we headed over to Dunton towers where we had another one of those emotional sharing sessions. Everyone was pouring their heart about how they have changed and how Shad helped them.
Looking back, these events really reminded me about how much all of us Shads bonded, changed and learned over the course of the program. Shad Valley was amazing, or should I say, Shadmazing, and I will never forget it nor let go of the friendships I’ve made this summer.
Sharon Chen, Shad Valley Carleton University'11
Hometown: Scarborough, ON
