Andrew Young (Founder of Vaccine Hunters) reflects on his experience in the BTM program

Meet Andrew Young - a BTM graduate who founded and directed  Vaccine Hunters Canada (external link)  which ended operations earlier this year on March 19, 2022. The BTM alums’ mission was to connect eligible Canadians with the COVID-19 Vaccine due to his struggle to get his parents vaccinated. He bought the domain name VaccineHunters.ca on March 19, 2021, and set up the Discord (external link)  server and Twitter (external link)  account. With over 100 volunteers (external link)  all over Canada, the organization had close to 500,000 followers, expanded to more social platforms, and helped millions of Canadians get vaccinated.

Andrew is currently a Web Developer at Toronto Metropolitan University, and here is what he has to say about his experience in the BTM Program. 

What skills or knowledge did you learn throughout the BTM program that you found most helpful in your career?

'I enjoyed interacting with like-minded people in formal and informal settings: in classes, student groups, the community at large, and the workplace (co-op placements). Having taught myself web development when I was young, I particularly enjoyed more technical courses (e.g. databases, web development). I also valued exposure to other business topics like accounting/finance, professional communication, project management, and marketing.

Being involved with student groups such as Information Technology Management Students' Association (ITMSA) (I served as ITMSA President in 2010-2011), Ted Rogers Management Conference (I was on the inaugural TRMC team in 2009-2010 and have been helping the teams to this date), and Ted Rogers Students' Society enriched my learning experience.'

Why did you choose the BTM Program?

'I built my first website at 11 years old (a Pokémon website), so my future was set in stone pretty early on. I chose the BTM program because I wanted to stay in Toronto. I knew I loved technology already and had taken a few business courses in high school, so I felt BTM was a nice fusion. Most importantly, BTM offers a cooperative education program: getting paid and real-world job experience sounded good to me!  To stay in the co-op program, maintaining a minimum CGPA was a great motivator to stay on top of my studies, and the extra year allowed me to get involved in the TMU student community.'

What are your plans for the future?

'I look forward to the day the COVID-19 pandemic is officially over, but until then, I will still be masking up (I like to call it my comfort cloth). We are living through history, and one day, we will have the opportunity to look back and ask ourselves if we did everything in our power during the pandemic to protect ourselves and others.

I plan to always be on the lookout for opportunities to help others using my background in technology and valuable experiences gained from not only Vaccine Hunters Canada but also from my University experience, which includes the BTM curriculum, co-operative education placements, and extracurriculars. I look forward to opportunities to share these experiences with the next generation.’