Mike Johnson-Student Intern
My name is Mike Johnson (he/him). I am a mature student, a bilateral below-knee amputee due to diabetes, and a Sheet Metal Worker with 40+ years of experience enrolled in a Technical Writing course! This is my third time at BCIT; my first was in 1976-80 as a Sheet Metal Apprentice, 1994-6 Computer Technology, Electronics Service Tech, Industrial Instrumentation, to the present, Technical Writing. I took this course because my Comm instructor in 1994 said I would do well in Technical Writing as I was very articulate. Technical writing is much more than being articulate! My goal is to find work as a writer in the construction industry as I have varied knowledge gained over forty-two years of experience. I would also like to write for a section in the disability field.
My experience as an intern at Diversity Circles has proven to be enlightening and rewarding. I found the staff very helpful and understanding. I felt confident working on the Diversity Circles website as I am constructing my own site using WordPress. I solved some of the site issues and suggested how administration personnel could solve some issues I could not. I edited and uploaded events for the Events page, biographies and photos for the Bios page, and made suggestions on how to embed videos or add a link directly to the Diversity Circles YouTube channel. I (re)learned some valuable lessons about editing and peer reviews; use them before publishing! All of these tasks have boosted my confidence and reinforced my learning.
I also took a few MOOC citizenship courses, including Anti-Racism, Relearning Gender, Human Rights, and Indigenous Awareness. These courses were very informative and have provided me with a better understanding of these issues. I thought I was doing my part by having an open mind. This was not enough. I needed to learn more with humility and a desire to learn. It looks to me like learning about these issues is the responsibility of all Canadians. We need to be aware of the past to move forward.