Spotlight on Logan MacDonald

Logan MacDonald, a 16-year-old high school student currently attending Millwood High School, is the recipient of this year’s VP, Digital Technologies Award from Junior Achievement Nova Scotia. This is an international program designed to help inspire high school students to understand the role of business in our society by creating an enterprise of their own. The 2020 award was sponsored by Digital Nova Scotia and earns Logan a $500 scholarship toward his future academic studies. Logan showcased his talents while serving as the VP of Digital Technologies for his school’s company: Travelling Sails. Logan and his team successfully published a book called 52 Nova Scotian Adventures which was featured on Global News. While the majority of the company’s time was spent creating the book, Logan took on the additional task of creating an e-commerce platform where he custom-coded the Travelling Sails website, helping to secure an additional $500 in online sales. Logan aspires to complete a Bachelor of Computer Science degree, in hopes of securing employment within the digital technology field. “Then I will be able to pursue my passion for a living, which I believe is the ultimate goal for any job,” he explains. Logan says that his dream job is to be a developer for Google. He senses the importance of organizational culture and says that being employed with a company like Google would allow for him to be surrounded by others that share the same passion for technology. “With the largest search engine and many diverse online applications, Google constantly helps to make the internet a better place,” Logan says. “By having a real, tangible impact on others' daily lives, web developing for Google would be a dream come true.”Logan would like to encourage other young people interested in coding and digital technology to pursue opportunities similar to his. “What interests me most about web development and digital technology is how you can bring to life anything you can think of—if you can name it, you can create it,” says Logan. “The sky's the limit, and any passion, interest, or business you may have, you can develop for that. Not only can web development help you put yourself or your organization out there, but a website makes it real. Your idea is taken from just a thought in your mind to a tangible place that anyone interested can view, share, and explore.” He suggests that starting slow and mastering the foundational concepts before broadening your skillset is very valuable. Logan also learned that coding can be very time consuming and he suggests finding a healthy balance between time spent coding and other activities. Aside from coding and digital technology, Logan also enjoys rock climbing, volunteering at the IWK Health Centre and a number of other extracurricular activities. Logan values his education and schooling; he’s also a member of Millwood High School’s student council and a member of the school’s health action team. Digital Nova Scotia is proud to sponsor an initiative like the Junior Achievement Awards that promotes, supports and develops young people with an interest in working in tech!