Hello Reader,

It's almost back to school time! Boost Academy of Excellence has been selected as a vendor to the Durham District School Board, to train high school students on workplace readiness - business etiquette, the art of conversation, social skills, communication, and more.

This news comes on the back of a busy year: I've been called in to train at the University of Toronto, Humber College, Sheridan College, and, most recently, a private school here in Ontario. Across all of them, faculty are telling me the same thing - they're worried about their students' confidence, business acumen, social skills, and their ability to succeed once they land a job.

Here's a look at that work in action:

​Middle School Workplace Etiquette & Confidence Workshop | The Unwritten Rules​

In this workshop, students learned the essential social and professional skills that too often go untaught: confident greetings, active listening, small talk, and digital etiquette. These are the "unwritten rules" that help people trust you, like you, and want to work with you - skills that matter far beyond the classroom, from family dinners to job interviews. What students learned:

→ Confident body language
→ Proper greetings, handshakes, and introductions
→ Active listening & conversation skills
→ Small talk strategies for shy students
→ Eye contact techniques (and strategies for those who struggle with eye contact)
→ Digital etiquette & when to put the phone away
​
This workshop is part of our mission at Boost Academy of Excellence to prepare students with real-world skills - the kind that build confidence, strengthen relationships, and open doors.

Here's that same thinking applied a few years later, with students getting ready to graduate.

​Sheridan College - Networking for Graduating Designers​
Before the summer, I led a networking workshop for graduating interaction design students at Sheridan College, built around one core idea: preparation is key. We covered how to set a real networking goal instead of a vague wish, how to approach potential employers and mentors authentically, and how to work with your personality type instead of against it.

Speaking of graduates stepping into the workforce - I want to hear from the other side of the table too.

A Question For You All: Feedback on Hiring Interns

I'm building something for the next cohort of U of T economics students - and I need your internship stories. The intern who blew you away, the internship that went horribly (and what would have set it up better for all), or the advice you wish you'd gotten on day one yourself when you were an intern.

Two ways to share: hit reply on this email, or drop a comment on this Instagram video where I'm asking the same question. Your story might just end up in the training session.

And speaking of getting a foot in the door...

From Boosted: A Foot in the Door

In case you missed it last week - Analisa Allen messaged me on LinkedIn because she recognized my last name, she remembered a girl with the same surname from a hospital room in Trinidad, decades ago, and figured it couldn't be a coincidence. She was right.

That connection turned into this episode. Analisa moved to Canada from Trinidad and Tobago in 2018 and rebuilt her career from scratch, including taking a role well beneath her experience level on purpose, just to get a foot in the door. We talk about the moment a hiring manager recognized her name and background and decided to bet on her before the interview even started, and what it's actually like to answer "where are you from?" at work, sometimes as genuine curiosity, sometimes as something else entirely.

Know a school, college, or organization that could use this kind of training? Send them my way - or forward this email.

Warm regards,

Trina Boos
Founder & CEO
Boost Academy of Excellence
​boostacademyofexcellence.com​