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Working in Copenhagen was a transformative experience. Denmark is routinely ranked as one of the world's happiest countries, and its capital Copenhagen as one of the world's most livable cities. Boy can you ever feel it. The magic of Copenhagen comes from the absolute respect that the city planners have for the bike. To travel around the city by bike is to be completely in touch with the urban realm in a way that's not possible by any other means of transport. You don't just live within the city, in some sense you get to be one with the city and everyone who calls it home.

This photo was taken after work one day on Copenhagen's post-card-perfect Nyhavn canal. Its brightly coloured 17th-century houses were the highlight of my daily ride home from the office. My beloved Centurion bike is pictured in the foreground. As much as this is a photo of Copenhagen, it's also a portrait of a dear friend. Although that friend did have a couple of pricy repair bills! That said, the offset transit expenses and reduced carbon footprint made it a no-brainer.

Denmark in general is obsessed with the UN sustainable development goals, and their emphasis on biking is a part of their strategy that almost everyone contributes to. I'll hold Copenhagen in my heart for as long as I live.

Uganda is the pearl of Africa with the most welcoming people I’ve ever met. Sipi Falls where my photo was taken is located in East Uganda about three hours from Jinja where I volunteered as an accessibility support worker with an organization called Ekisa Ministries. Their focus is on destigmatizing disability and supporting children and their families by creating an accepting and supportive community by rewriting the story of disability.

In Ekisa’s vision, they are all about their four core values of Imago Dei, family preservation and strengthening, quality of life, and helping not hurting. Dreaming of a day where everyone is included and recognizes their value, with differences being celebrated, and disabilities given unconditional love and support. Ekisa Ministries allowed me to see how they are a model organization in Uganda that works with vulnerable children with disability with all their amazing programs and staff in the school, social work, therapists, caretakers, volunteers, and many other departments and partnerships. They work to solve the root causes of problems faced by children with disabilities and their families.

My entire journey was filled with love and happiness, I truly felt connected and grateful to experience firsthand how Ekisa brings people together between communities through learning, curiosity, empathy, and acceptance. During my time there I built several long relationships with locals and it was an unforgettable experience with many joyful memories to reflect on. I felt like this photo was a great representation of the breathtaking scenery that is present all around Uganda as well as reflects the beauty of Ugandan culture and its people.

A Train Track Through Cultures – Tet in Vietnam: It was one of those rare moments when everything felt warm and peaceful—lanterns swayed in the breeze, incense filled the air, and soft laughter echoed through the narrow streets. Families gathered by the tracks, sipping tea and sharing meals, connected by joy and tradition. I took this photo of Hanoi Train Street during Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, while travelling through Vietnam. This street, once a symbol of colonial industrial progress, has turned into a lively community hub where life flows around trains that pass just inches from people’s homes.

During Tet, the streets come alive with colour and warmth, glowing with lantern light. Outside doorways, kumquat trees—symbols of luck and prosperity—stand tall, inviting good fortune for the year ahead. Watching families reconnect along the tracks brought up strong feelings in me, reminding me of celebrating Chinese New Year at home—the same warmth, belonging, and sense of renewal in every tradition. This image reflects my own journey: embracing change, bridging cultural gaps, and finding a sense of home in new places. In that moment, I felt both the distance from my family and the beautiful truth that, no matter where we are, these moments connect us across cultures and borders. Supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: The people of Hanoi Train Street haven’t just adjusted their routines around the tracks—they’ve transformed what could have been a disruptive structure into a cherished part of daily life. Their ability to integrate modern infrastructure with tradition and community spirit highlights the essence of UN SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

This goal emphasizes the importance of creating inclusive, safe, and resilient spaces that prioritize human connections alongside development. Rather than being displaced by urbanization, the locals have repurposed shared spaces along the railway into thriving hubs for small businesses, social interactions, and tourism. A Photo That Connects the World: This photo not only captures a moment in time but also tells a story of connection and resilience that transcends borders. My time in Hanoi allowed me to dive into the rich tapestry of local life, where every interaction deepened my appreciation for different cultures.

By documenting these vibrant scenes, I hope to highlight the power of community in tackling urban challenges. I’ve seen how small businesses thrive and how people come together to support one another, showing the strength of collaboration. This experience taught me that positive change often starts at the grassroots level, inspiring me to advocate for sustainable practices that benefit communities worldwide. As I bring these insights back home, I’m excited to work on projects that celebrate cultural diversity and promote social responsibility, fostering unity and support in my own community.

The Galápagos Islands: a breathtaking collection of pristine islands in the Pacific, sanctuary to thousands of captivating species found nowhere else on Earth. That, is where I spent my summer co-op and it was unbelievable. I went into it with apprehension: I was going to spend 3 months on some islands more than a thousand kilometers away from land, doing work that seemed completely unrelated to my program and, I did not speak the language (Spanish). A few days after arriving, I realized I had made one of the best decisions of my life. What changed? I was welcomed into a local family who cared for me as if I was a long lost child of theirs, I met people who have become some of my best friends and I saw amazing sunsets (photo above).

Everyday around sunset, I would be at the beach with coworkers and friends, sharing laughs and being ourselves. The relationships I shared with locals were some of the most amazing parts of my experience. As pure and pristine as the friendships I had, was the wildlife. I worked many weeks with National Park rangers in the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center and every day, I felt the profound importance of conservation and sustainability in a way I could never feel by living in a big city in Canada.

During my international internship, I was working for SpaceX, as a software engineer for Starlink, building satellite software that provides internet to the world. During an 8 hour hike in Mount Rainier, I started my journey in a rainforest, halfway through, I left the forest and walked along the mountain ridge line for several hours, and eventually reached glaciers at one of the peaks, by the end of the hike, I saw 3 different biomes all in the span of a single day.

During this time, my phone was constantly connected to the Starlink network, so I was able to stay online while enjoying the beauty of nature, sharing my experience with my friends and family in real-time despite being hundreds of miles away from civilization where there’s normally no service. This reminded me that a significant portion of the world’s population remains disconnected from the internet, this experience brought me closer to nature and showed me that I’m making a real difference towards changing the status quo when it comes to instantaneous global communication over satellite internet.

This moment captured my heart like no other.  After waking up at 4:30 AM and scrambling to the nearest peak, I found myself completely alone with this breathtaking view. Standing 2,600 meters above sea level at Rifugio Alpe di Tires in the Italian Dolomites, all I could do was watch the sunrise paint the sky while clouds danced below my feet. As someone who has always dreamed of exploring the Alps but never thought it would happen so soon, this moment felt surreal. My co-op journey with Intrinsic in Munich has been more than just professional growth - it's been about pushing boundaries and embracing the unknown.

Moving to Germany to work in robotics was way outside my comfort zone, but it opened doors I never imagined were possible, including the chance to explore these magnificent mountains on weekends. Standing there, watching the sunrise over the clouds, I realized I wasn't just witnessing my dream - I was quite literally standing above it. This photo captures not just a beautiful moment, but represents everything my international work experience has given me: the courage to venture into the unknown, the reward of pushing past comfort zones, and the pure joy of discovering what lies beyond the horizon.

Photo Credit: (With permission) Jake Oshins (Minot Hot Tot/ Honeybees Media Intern)

This Photo was taken immediately following an hour-long rain delay during the opening day of the inaugural season of the Minot Honeybees, and Northwoods League Softball. The Northwoods league is a long-standing summer collegiate baseball league established in 1994, and the league have been giving young athletes a chance for additional exposure to advance their collegiate and professional baseball careers ever since. However, in 2024, the Northwoods League expanded to include a second league, built up with 4 Softball teams located in Minot North Dakota, Mankato Minnesota, La Crosse Wisconsin, and Madison Wisconsin.

I was lucky enough to work for the Minot Hot Tots, a member of the Northwoods League that were given a Softball franchise this season, where I was able to see the impact of strong female leaders in a community. The Minot Honeybees attracted Youth Softball Teams from across the state that were looking for a chance to see the first ever for-profit collegiate women's Softball league in the United States. This photo is a representation of the beauty of one of America's pastimes and greatest games. A league that has been in the works for years and is incredibly deserving, an opportunity to see the best Softball players that the American Collegiate system has to offer, and after so many years, nothing was going to stop these women from taking the field, not even a North Dakota storm.

In the west-central region of New Zealand’s north island, in Egmont National Park, lies a 2,518m tall dormant volcano called Mount Taranaki. Pictured above is a photo of Mount Taranaki from a neighbouring tarn, which is a glacier formed lake at about 700m elevation. The hike to this site began 2 hours before sunrise to arrive at the tarn before daytime winds disrupted the calmness of the water, allowing for a near perfect reflection. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals represent a call to action for all countries to protect the future of our planet. In Egmont National Park, elements of Goal 15: Life on Land are prevalent and demonstrate New Zealand’s effort to create a sustainable future.

Sustainable Taranaki reports over 30 documented extinctions of organisms in New Zealand over the last 100 years. In the Taranaki region, loss in forests, wetlands, and indigenous coastal vegetation have been observed at astounding rates. Recent efforts have shed light on the role that land use and farming methods have on irreversible environmental loss. Biodiversity efforts are now at the forefront of their initiatives in hopes of attracting native wildlife and encouraging regrowth. Learning about these efforts, as well as adopting the principals of environmentally conscious hiking, helped me to further appreciate our life on land.

During my internship in Germany, I explored many cities, tried new foods, learned about the culture, and studied the language from the ground up. After four months in Germany, this moment encapsulated everything I had experienced. I took this photo right after passing my A1 German language Goethe exam in this town. In the distance, we can see the buildings of Schwäbisch Hall, with the medieval Neubausaal standing out prominently, where town events take place.

Schwäbisch Hall is not just a picturesque town, it also exemplifies efforts towards Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. The blend of historical architecture with modern sustainability initiatives reflects a commitment to preserving cultural heritage while promoting environmentally friendly practices. The town aims to be climate neutral by 2043, ensuring that future generations can enjoy the rich history and beauty of Schwäbisch Hall.

This photo captures the sweeping grandeur of Norway's mountains and fjords, a place that not only shaped my personal journey but also deepened my professional insights during my recent co-op term. Standing on the edge of this vast, intricate landscape, I felt the profound interconnectedness between myself, my work, and the natural world around me. The rugged terrain, forged over centuries, mirrored the complex challenges I encountered in my research, where the focus on clear, dependable solutions became both a professional and a personal mission. During my time in Norway, I embraced ""friluftsliv,"" the Scandinavian philosophy of living closely with nature, and discovered hiking as a cultural way of life here.

Weekend hikes became more than recreation; they were opportunities to connect deeply with the land and community, embodying the Scandinavian respect for nature that influenced my approach to technology and sustainability. Working in a multicultural team exposed me to a wide range of perspectives, all united by the goal of creating inclusive, sustainable solutions. I was fortunate to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by enhancing the reliability and trustworthiness of AI, a task that required patience, adaptability, and a deep respect for the global impact of technology. The photo reflects not only the beauty of Norway but also my own growth. Walking these trails and connecting with local and international peers taught me the value of thoughtful progress and collaborative innovation, reinforcing my commitment to making a positive, global impact through my work.