Swimming -June 2000
I have always loved to swim, and I swam all the time when I was younger because my close aunt and uncle have a swimming pool. My mom said I was about 4 when I wanted to swim on my own without my parents holding me or being right next to me. Swimming was one of the first few things I have always been good at. I’m a fast swimmer and now I have my Bronze Cross, which is a level of lifeguard training which means I can be a swimming instructor or work as a lifeguard at a camp, which I’m planning on doing next summer! Learning to swim and being good at it gave me confidence, and made me proud of myself, as I still am.

Hockey -October 2007:

I started playing hockey the year after my brother did, and I remember watching his games and really wishing I could play too, but I didn’t know how to skate. I still really wanted to do it so I tried learning how to skate and then shortly after, I started to play hockey. I was in a younger age group than I should have been because I didn’t know how to play, and I got teased a lot for it. But, the good thing about me playing hockey is that, it was the first thing I had ever really set my mind to. I really wanted to play so I learned how to skate and practised all the time. I was determined to get better, and every time I had a good game or was doing better, I’d always be so proud of myself. Knowing that I can do anything if I put my mind to it, has really helped me push myself when doing other things.

Being Bullied -Grade 7-8 (Roughly September 2008- June 2010):

In grades 7 and 8, I was bullied a lot. I wasn’t beat up or anything, but it was verbal bullying. It started in grade 7 because of my older brother. Yes, you read right, my brother. He taunted me so much, and because he did it in front of all the people in his grade (grade 8) and then in front of everyone in my grade, everyone else thought it was okay to do the same. Everyone teased me. I was made fun of for anything and everything. Mostly about my appearance, but other things as well. I have never felt good enough all because of him, which is also why I don’t have a close relationship with my brother. He is the reason why I became shy and extremely self conscious. And trust me, even if it doesn’t seem like it, that is one of the biggest things that have impacted my life.

Friend Died -November 25th 2009:

My friend Krystianna died from Neuroblastoma (a type of cancer that forms in children) after fighting it for 8 years. This was huge for me, it was so hard and I just couldn’t get it through my head that she died. I had known her since before kindergarden, and she had always been so strong, I uess I never believed she would ever actually die. She was an inspiration because of how strong and brave she was, and that has kind of influenced me. Even though I didnt realize it at the time, her death brought a lot of me and my friends closer together -including Addison and I. That is one thing I am grateful for.

Shoplifting -June 2011:

This past June, I was shopping with a friend when she decided she wanted to steal a pair of headphones. She got caught, and was arrested, but because I was with her and didn’t stop her, I was arrested too. They called our parents and I’ve never felt so guilty in my life. This was important in my life because even thought I wasn’t the one that did it, I was punished. It taught me that life isn’t fair, and that I need to choose my friends better. I not friends with the girl anymore, and I’m happy about it. It is also important because now I know how horrible it feels to disappoint your parents and have them lose trust in you, so I will make sure never to do so again.

Camp Widjitiwin:

This year I did the SALT (Skills And Leadership Training) program at Camp Widjitiwin. This was very important to me, as I believe it changed me, for the better. I gained a huge amount of confidence there, and it helped me get over my stage fright, (which is also very important as I love acting). It also helped me because of how self conscious I was/still kind of am. Going to this program taught me how to be a better leader as well. I think I also gained a lot of independence, because of how I was away for 3 weeks and I didn’t know anyone there. I loved this camp so much, that I’m applying to work or volunteer there next year for the whole summer!