Brain Power students Risha Reddy and Alex Balaci have been selected to participate in this year’s Harvard Summer School — and Alex has also been selected for SHAD! Harvard Summer School offers two different programs that both offer a transformative introduction to college life. Participants get exposure to college-level academics, meet new friends from around the world, strengthen their college applications, and build important life skills for future college success!  WE’RE PROUD OF YOU, RISHA AND ALEX!

Brain Power’s founder and director, Dr. Karine Rashkovsky, was invited by Stephen Lecce, Ontario Minister of Education, to be honoured at the Inspiring Women’s 2021 (Virtual) Celebration on March 8. This celebration brought together selected outstanding female entrepreneurs, philanthropists, business and non-profit leaders and pioneers. WE’RE PROUD OF YOU, KARINE!

Brain Power alumna Cora Usurelu has been selected as one of 50 recipients of the prestigious Queen’s Chancellor’s Scholarship (valued at $36,000)! The scholarship requires that the candidate demonstrate superior academic ability, creative and original thinking, and proven leadership qualities. Cora will be attending her first year of Queen’s Commerce in the fall! CONGRATULATIONS, CORA!

Brain Power student Achinthyaa Kaveri has been awarded the Silver Key in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards presented by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers for her short story “The Last Painting.” In the past, the Scholastic Awards has recognized some famous artists when they were teenagers, including  Andy Warhol, Tschabalala Self, Stephen King, Charles White, Joyce Carol Oates, and Kay Walkingstick CONGRATULATIONS, ACHINTHYAA!

On November 30, Brain Power’s book club met to have a detailed discussion of J. M. Coetzee’s The Lives of Animals. We also had a guest talk from Maureen Hutchison, a field educator with the Educated Choices Program, who discussed central issues in the book including the environment and modern agriculture. Our students had an enthusiastic reaction, and one of our Intermediate 1 students said, “I think that the book club was amazing and different than what I was expecting and that...

On May 4th, a group of Brain Power students, led by Dr. Karine Rashkovsky and Dr. Jason Boulet, attended the Young People’s Theatre’s production of Antigone. This production is a fresh and timely adaptation of the classic Greek story, inspired by the 2014 student umbrella protest in Hong Kong and the 1989 uprising in Tiananmen Square. In this riveting new play, “re-education” awaits anyone who questions the state’s traditional doctrine. Antigone faces high stakes as she stands up for her brother...

Brain Power recently welcomed David Silverberg as a guest speaker to our Public Speaking classes!  David is a very successful journalist who writes for the BBC, Washington Post, Vice Magazine, and Toronto’s NOW, and who is also the theatre director and founder of Canada’s largest spoken word organizations! While at Brain Power, David shared tips and knowledge, taking our students through various fun exercises to improve their communication skills! Thank you, David! 
It was a pleasure to have you!

We were excited to welcome Joze Piranian to our Public Speaking class on November 12th! Joze is a lifelong stutterer on the quest to confront his fears one stage a time. After spending most of his life avoiding speaking out of the fear of being judged for being “different,” he is now a TEDx speaker, Inspirational Speaker of the Year at Speaker Slam in 2017, and a stand-up comedian who has performed at the laugh Factory (Chicago), the Broadway Comedy Club (NY), Comedy Nest (Montreal), and Absolute Comedy...

Pictured above (left to right): Brain Power alumni Nicole Rayskin, Brain Power Instructor Patrick de Belen, Founder & Director Dr. Karine Rashkovsky, Brain Power student Slava Samokhina, Brain Power alumni Erik Fridman, and Brain Power alumni Jane Illiaranova. On November 28, Dr. Karine Rashkovsky’s Public Speaking classes attended the 2018 Grand Slam, an inspirational public speaking competition hosted by Speaker Slam! The event was held at Jane Mallett Theatre in Toronto, and it was absolutely incredible! What a fantastic lineup of inspirational speakers and infectious...

On June 3rd and 6th, Karine took Brain Power’s Public Speaking students to a professional recording studio in Toronto to record their end-of-year final projects: self-made podcasts.  The students — who have been practicing a range of presentation skills — worked with a voice coach and sound engineer to perfect their final products. The students had an amazing time and learned so much! Their recordings will be part of their course yearbook, which will showcase the impressive growth in their skills this year. GREAT WORK, EVERYONE! Click...