Braden Weltz is one of the student organizers of the 2014 Global Development Symposium.
It can be intimidating for a high school student to step onto a university campus for a conference, but when his ideas and comments are welcome and valued, it can pave the way to bigger things.
For Braden Weltz, it made all the difference. Now a second-year student in the U of G’s International Development Studies program, Weltz attended the 2012 Global Development Symposium (GDS) along with a number of other Grade 12 classmates from his Walkerton high school. He’d always had an interest in international development and was considering studying a related field in university. The GDS helped focus his decision.
He was impressed to see faculty not only involved in planning the conference, but involved in the conference itself. “I wasn’t expecting that,” says Braden. He also was impressed that the University of Guelph President, the OVC dean and director of international studies were all at the symposium, and they were engaged and asking questions. “They weren’t there just for a photo op,” says Braden.
Now Braden is on board for this year’s GDS and helping symposium planning committee member Dr. Roger Thompson sort through abstract submissions and rank them according to eligibility. He’s also a part of the marketing committee working to get the news out about the symposium. One of those messages is that this is symposium has something for everyone interested in global issues.
Initially, Braden wondered whether he would be a good fit for a conference hosted by the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), since he had no connection to veterinary medicine. However, he soon realized there are a lot of connections between international development and veterinary science.
“OVC could have chosen to host a conference focused on veterinarians,” he says. “But they opened it up to economists, lawyers and doctors.” He found he had information to contribute and everyone had a voice at the conference.
Another benefit of the conference for Braden — it clearly illustrates the interdisciplinary strengths of the University of Guelph. “I’ve seen that since coming here, and it’s not just in the International Development program.”
For more, read the story about Braden on the GuelphGDSblog or visit the symposium’s website, and follow the event on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.