I Tell Us About Who You Are

Tell us about who you are. How would your family, friends, and/or members of your community describe you? If possible, please include something about yourself that you are most proud of and why. (maximum 250 words)

I’m an idealist. I think everyone should be shown kindness, forgiven, comforted, be helped and shown generosity. I look for the good in everyone. I’m empathetic to others and their struggles because I recognise myself in others-- this makes me forgiving, understanding and compassionate. I can be calm and collected when helping someone with relationship advice, and am able to conciliate. I’m an introvert and keep to myself, but I am there for the people I’m close to. I can be fierce and defiant when fighting for someone I care about.

I believe that these are indispensable characteristics that fulfill a sense of purpose, promote positive relationships, and foster a safe environment for mistakes to be made and learned from. I believe kindness is a valuable trait because it fosters empathy and creates a connection between two people by encouraging us to see ourselves in others and recognise them as an equal. I value compassion because it is a comforting gesture from others that demonstrates desire to help and reminds a person that they have value and worth-- something that is easy to forget when facing difficulties such as bullying, disappointment or a low self-worth. Generosity is a valuable trait to me because it represents the faith that we have for a person and how we believe in them to make the best of a situation from the tools encouragement we give them. Forgiveness is important to me because everyone changes, and they reshape who they are every day and therefore should not be held to mistakes or poor choices made in the past. These values matter deeply to me because the kindness, compassion, generosity and forgiveness that I have received has changed my life significantly. It has allowed me to understand others, be appreciative of all efforts big and small and move forward from hardship. The impact of these values in my life motivates me contribute these values to others.

While I was a student, I worked an average of 16h a week, which has since increased to 28+h a week. This part time job has allowed me to become financially self-reliant by supporting myself instead of relying on my parents. I learned how to work hard for my goals and become financially savvy. I have been able to independently pay for a trip to Europe, purchase my first car and laptop, as well as save for the tuition costs of post secondary. I have learned to balance my life so that I could maintain a strong academic average, work my scheduled hours and still participate in social and extracurricular activities. I have also learned to manage my time while on the job; prioritizing tasks and budgeting time for each task so that I am efficiently using my time and getting the most amount of work done. I have also learned more about unions and the benefits they provide, such as paid leaves, health benefits and insurance, and the protection provided to the employees to ensure safe and reasonable working conditions. Since having this job, I have learned the importance of and how to file tax returns and insurance claims as well as what an RRSP is and how to read a pay-stub. In addition to the skills listed, working a part time job has also