Kawartha Lakes, ON – Of all the aspects of his co-op placement at Ampere, one local high school student says it was the positivity that impacted him the most.
Zach Callan joined the Ampere team in February 2026 as a Delivery Operations Program Assistant through his high school co-op program at LCVI. As part of the Lindsay community, he had seen some of the organization’s work before his placement started but he soon realized that was only the tip of the iceberg. The longer he stayed with Ampere, the greater his reservoir of knowledge about the organization grew.
As part of the Delivery Operations team, Callan would spend his shifts at Ampere supporting his lead, Valerie Craig, the Delivery Operations Programs Manager, with various tasks. These often included working on process documents, tutorials for future onboarding and helping with STEAM School.
STEAM School is where Callan says his favourite memory of his time at Ampere was born.
The student became the teacher for a number of lessons at STEAM School, which runs Tuesday and Wednesday from September through June, offering a smaller class size, STEAM-focused curriculum, and cutting edge technology for learners in the Kawartha Lakes area. During one of his lessons, Callan says one moment stuck out to him.
“Seeing the girl at my STEAM School lesson come up and write down her theory about space was so cool to me. I loved being able to see something so beloved to me shared with the youth,” says Callan.
Leading these lessons also taught Callan about himself, noting he learned just how much he loves teaching and sharing his curiosity.
“I always thought I wouldn’t be a good teacher because of my unique learning style,” he says, adding that seeing all of the students having fun and sharing his interest changed that.
It’s this impact, this ability to create positive change and seeing the difference that became his favourite part of being a member of the Ampere team.
“The impact Ampere has on people in the community is profound. Ampere truly is such a welcoming, nurturing and amazing place,” Callan says.
“Oftentimes people look at the negative. Ampere showed me that there are good people doing good things. It’s a lot easier to have a positive attitude when I can see all of the amazing people here so dedicated to helping Canada.”
While his placement at Ampere is over, Callan is not slowing down. He plans to finish schooling and see where life takes him. With aspirations to become an astrophysicist, aeronautics engineer, professor, author, microbiologist or paleontologist, there is no limit to what Callan can achieve.
For his colleagues at Ampere, Callan wants them to be proud of what they do.
“Coming from an outside perspective, the things that are done for the community because of all of you is astounding, and it makes me so happy and prideful to be part of that,” he says.
In return, the Ampere team wants Callan to know that it was an honour and a privilege to have been part of his story and we look forward to seeing what he does with his passion, his abilities, his perspective and everything that makes him unique.
About Ampere
For over a decade, Ampere (formerly the Pinnguaq Association) has partnered with rural, remote and Indigenous communities to provide access to science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) education and opportunities. Founded in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, Ampere applies a Lifecycle approach to ensure that its supporting learners at every age, and every stage of life. Ampere offers programming directly through Makerspaces in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Bathurst, New Brunswick, and in the Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, and works directly with community partners, social organizations, governmental funders and educational institutions from coast to coast to coast.
