Our impressive alumna Lauren Koek is passionate about making a positive change in the world and believes that advocating about human rights issues through law will help her achieve this goal. Here’s what she has to say: Brain Power has absolutely shaped me into who I am today. Dr Karine Rashkovsky has not only helped me improve my writing skills and my public speaking skills but has also taught me life skills (how to communicate with people, how to act professionally and the...

Andreea Murariu won 2nd place in Queen’s University’s prestigious QGEM Essay Contest!  The QGEM is part of Queen’s iGEM team (International Genetically Engineered Machine), who “culture bacteria to re-engineer biology for new applications in medicine, the environment, and more.” Andreea has been a Brain Power student for many years and recently completed Senior 2 Language Arts — a course that rigorously prepared Andreea’s knockout essay-writing skills! She thanked Dr. Karine Rashkovsky for direction and support throughout: Dear Karine,  I got 2nd place on that essay contest (the...

Check out some of our recent alumni success stories and testimonials! Brain Power alumna Danielle Tsirulnikov will be starting her Masters of Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto this fall. She just finished her Bachelor of Health Sciences at McMaster University. She worked on a senior project course on virtual reality and its application to laboratory education at universities. Danielle also worked with an orthopaedic surgeon in developing an app for medical students to prepare them for the ortho section on their boards exam. Danielle says: I loved...

Elizabeth (Summer Language Arts 3-4, above left) and Alfie (Entrance Exam Prep, above right) are both reading classic childrens’ books with animals as the main characters.  Elizabeth is following the hardships of the rabbits searching for a new home in Watership Down by Richard Adams. Alfie is reading about the adventures of Mrs. Frisby, a widowed field mouse, and her alliance with a group of former laboratory rats in Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien. Ilana (Intermediate 2 – above left) and Jennifer (Public Speaking alumna – above...

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...