Innovation Is an Investment: Time, Space and the Opportunity for Ideas

Innovation is an investment in our students. It was a privilege to bring 14 students from Rundle College Senior High to the Energy Disruptors: UNITE conference at Calgary’s BMO Centre. Students heard from speakers including author Margaret Atwood, Canadian astronaut Colonel Jeremy Hansen, and Alberta’s Minister of Technology and Innovation, Nate Glubish, along with thinkers, leaders and entrepreneurs from our city and beyond. There was so much for the students to absorb, and it was wonderful to see them seize this chance, this early in their lives, to engage with other conference attendees, who ranged from CEOs and founders to investors, policymakers, and innovators.

One theme came up again and again: change is happening so fast that it can be difficult to keep up. Eric Gales of AWS spoke about building the human and AI infrastructure to meet that pace. His focus was on building confidence and bridging skills, meeting people where they are and helping them get where they want to go. It was a timely reminder for all of uss: academic success is essential, but students also need the confidence and adaptability to keep learning as the world changes.

Other ideas stayed with us, too. We heard that innovation is the only sustainable competitive advantage and speakers stressed that getting the policy environment right matters. One speaker described nation-building not as an event but as a handoff: we inherited the country we live in, and we are responsible for the one we leave behind. For schools, that idea lands close to home. Our legacy will be measured by how well we prepare the next generation to carry that work forward, because today’s students will be tomorrow’s innovators.

Students also attended a Young Entrepreneurs panel, where the advice was practical and personal. On networking, panelists said to “dig your well before you’re thirsty,” meaning you should build relationships long before you need them. On finding direction, the panel encouraged students to follow a passion driven by purpose and to “chase your envy,” because what we envy in others often points to what we want for ourselves.

Students didn’t wait to put that advice into practice. They introduced themselves to adults they didn’t know, listened in on real discussions, and started conversations of their own. Some of those conversations reached the people who drive our city’s economy. Satvinder Flore, CEO of Calgary-based energy data company Geologic, stopped to ask students about their experience at the conference, and students put their own questions directly to Minister Glubish.

One Rundle parent, Neera C., shared how much her son, Krish, brought home from the day. He especially valued two sessions on AI and energy: economist Tyler Cowen’s talk, which broadened his view of AI’s impact, and a presentation on Alberta’s potential for AI infrastructure, including data centres and the bottlenecks currently hindering it. He also took the panel’s networking advice to heart, speaking with Sashie Steenstra of Calgary Economic Development about how students can prepare for a future shaped by AI, and with Apoorv Sinha, co-founder of Carbon Upcycling, about business ownership, development, and marketing. Reflecting on the experience, Neera said: “It was a great opportunity for them to get exposure beyond the classroom and connect with people who bring different perspectives. Hearing speakers, talking with people from varied backgrounds, and seeing how professional networking works are all valuable, especially when students are starting to think about potential career paths.”

At Rundle, we want our students to build skills and safely test their limits in the real world. This early taste of networking gave them exactly that chance. They are starting to dig their own wells.

Experiences like this are truly a team effort. For Senior High students, a day out means missing four class periods, and our teachers make it possible by adjusting lessons and arranging make-up assessments. Our administration supports the vision and the planning behind each opportunity, families encourage their children to say yes, and students take responsibility for catching up on what they missed. Some lessons can’t be taught in a classroom, and giving students the time and space to find them takes all of us.

The return on an investment like this may not be immediate. It might show up in a conversation that sparks a career path, a connection that opens a door years from now, the confidence to walk into a room full of strangers and introduce themselves, or the courage to apply for an opportunity they might once have shied away from. Our students left the BMO Centre with new ideas, new questions, and a clearer picture of the world they are preparing to lead. That is the investment, and the most rewarding part is watching it grow.

Author Sue Mylde is Director of IDEAS (Innovation, Design, Entrepreneurship, AI & Skills) for Rundle Schools