What does it take to make a difference? I believe it takes imagination, determination and resilience in the face of adversity. The Currie Undergraduate Award exemplifies these attributes and I believe I would be an ideal recipient. Accepting the challenge and following through with drive and enthusiasm is how I live my life.
For the past 5 years, I have been a member of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. In that time. I have attained the senior squadron rank of Warrant Officer 2nd Class and I am the recipient of the Bronze Medal of Excellence as well as the Lord Strathcona Medal. As Warrant Officer, I am responsible to lead, train and encourage junior cadets. When I first joined cadets, I was driven by the possibility of becoming a pilot. While it is an extremely difficult path to take in the program and a physical and mental challenge to complete, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment in completing this objective. As a leader in my squadron, my personal goal is to ensure each and every one of my cadets has the support and encouragement to follow their dreams.
As Student Council President at my school, I work with the Council and student body to make the school experience as satisfying as it possibly can be. When I first thought about taking on this responsibility, my primary objectives were to make positive improvements and bring forth ideas that were new to the school. During the campaign experience, I made sure that I spoke to others about what they would like to see and began enlisting their support to achieve change that we wanted in our school. As a leader, I have been very successful in facilitating in my school but, most importantly, I have encouraged others to accept personal challenges and responsibilities. It has been so rewarding watching the younger students take these projects and see them through to completion. It is one thing to achieve a single goal, but it is far more important to create a sustainable culture of involvement and collaboration. This position has put me in the position as a role model and I take a great deal of pride in having been a positive influence on younger students. It will be wonderful to see what they go on to accomplish with their newly learned skills in the future.
On January 11, 2011, my family was devastated by a house fire that turned my world upside down and destroyed everything. It was very difficult for a while to find my bearings and put some normalcy back into my life as the event came just before my first exams and a hockey tournament the following weekend. The situation would have been much harder to overcome had it not been for the support and generosity of my family, friends, and community. Despite all that has happened, I have been able to overcome this obstacle to become