This is the fifth in our series of stories celebrating the outstanding accomplishments of youth in our community. These inspirational young adults are enriching our lives with their passion and commitment to the betterment of society.

Tessa Owens

When Tessa was in Grade 6, she wrote herself a letter promising to devote her life to environmental advocacy. Six years later, it’s evident she has remained true to her word.  In everything she does, Tessa strives to continue, in her own words, “helping to educate global citizens about ecological issues and helping conserve the environment in any way possible in order to ensure a future for coming generations”. Now entering her first year at Lester B. Pearson United World College, a 2 year pre-university college offering the International Baccalaureate , Tessa will continue her studies surrounded by students from all over the world.

Tessa was born in Boulder, Colorado and moved to Victoria with her family when she was very young. Her education began at St. Margaret’s School. Once middle school started in grade 6 she moved to St. Michaels University School. While she has excelled academically (97% average), her extracurricular activities and pursuits outside of school have enriched her education, as well as the education of those around her. At just 17, Tessa boasts a resume that belies her age.

Tessa has a sense of clarity and purpose in life. She has set a variety of achievable goals for her future. And she even started researching universities when she was in Grade 7. Tessa plans to complete post secondary education, focusing on political science, environmental science and international development, with a view to get “my dream job working within the United Nations Environmental Program by the time I am 35”.

Tessa credits her parents with helping her develop her connection to nature and love for the outdoors. She has enjoyed camping and hiking with her family for as long as she can remember. And she loves being near the water and cannot imagine living away from the ocean.

In 2012, Tessa traveled to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro as a youth representative of Canadian Civil Society. There, she participated with We Canada and contributed to a report called “The Future We Want”. Tessa was profoundly affected by the reaction of delegates when she told them she was Canadian. She says “To be honest, I was embarrassed to be Canadian”. I understand her response. Canada once held an impeccable reputation for being brokers of international deals on the environment. Sadly, Canada’s reputation is now  one of breakers of international deals.

Noting the tremendous impact it had on her, Tessa vividly recalls watching An Inconvenient Truth when she was in Grade 5 . After finishing grade 10, Tessa attended a Climate Reality Leader training event hosted by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore in Chicago, Illinois. She’s since given presentations on the causes and consequences of, as well as the solutions to, global warming; presenting to diverse audiences, including her school and a PowerShiftBC conference.

At the end of 2013, Tessa traveled to Antarctica as one of 72 students selected in the Students on Ice 2013/2014 scientific expedition. This 2 week expedition was a transformational experience for Tessa. It completely drained Tessa’s savings that she had been contributing to  since she was 7 years old, but “it was worth every penny”. The students were joined by world-renowned educators, professors, activists and historians who provided a very unique learning experience – one that Tessa will never forget.

In February 2014, Tessa was part of a group of students who organized the “Defend Our Future” day of action in British Columbia. Meetings were arranged across British Columbia with twenty Members of the Legislative Assembly. Tessa spoke in a highly intelligent, thoughtful and passionate way about the need to uphold and commit to meeting British Columbia’s legislated 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets. She firmly believes that we all need to hold the government accountable to the commitments that they have made.

At 17, I may not be old enough to vote, but I still feel it is of paramount importance to convey my dissatisfaction with our government’s blatant disregard for these legally binding targets.  Policy decisions made today will undoubtedly have an effect on my life—both in the short and the long-term—and with this at the forefront of my mind, I stand in defense of my future”

These are Tessa’s words. Words that I found to be so powerful that I embedded them at the start of my response to the 2014 Budget.

More recently, Tessa had another transformative experience in attending Unist’ot’en Camp of the Wet’suwet’en Peoples (Yinka Dini – People of this Earth) near Smithers, BC. The Unist’ot’en Clan is part of the hereditary chief system which has governed Wet’suwet’en lands for many centuries. The camp has been there for 5 years and its purpose is to occupy the land in the path of the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline.

For fun, Tessa enjoys weightlifting and says that she would like to compete in powerlifting some day. While she enjoys being with friends, she also values the time she spends alone in reflection. She is inspired by the likes of David and his daughter Severin Suzuki (whom she met at the conference in Rio), Bill McKibben and Elizabeth May.

I’m convinced that in the not too distant future there will be young men and women who will include Tessa on their list of people who have inspired them. In fact, she is already on my list. It’s youth like Tessa who fill me with optimism and a sense of hope for the future. If the six years since she wrote herself the letter are any indication, I can only imagine the impact Tessa will have on our society in the years ahead.

This is the fourth in our series of stories celebrating the outstanding accomplishments of youth in our community. These inspirational young adults are enriching our lives with their passion and commitment to the betterment of society.

Sky Losier

Sky is a born leader. His sense of responsibility, his unassuming personality and his infectious enthusiasm for all that he does inspire those around him.

Sky was unavailable for an interview when we first contacted him as he was working at the Gulf Islands Centre for Ecological Learning’s Environmental Leadership Apprenticeship Program. Of course, we weren’t surprised, so we arranged to meet him a short while later at the University of Victoria.  Sky was about to move into residence to begin his first year of undergraduate studies with the goal of majoring in Political Science and Environmental Studies.

Sky was born in Ontario and moved to Mayne Island (population ~1,000) with his family when he was 5 years old. There he began his schooling at Mayne Island School.  Sky’s family had initially only planned to live on Mayne Island for a few years while his mother practiced as the island doctor. But they soon fell in love with the beauty and serenity of the Gulf Islands which they now call home. Sky graduated with honours from Gulf Islands Secondary School (GISS) in 2014. There he was involved in numerous extra-curricular activities, including Leadership, Student Council, the Environmental Group and the School Planning Council.  Sky notes that Amy Cousins, the sponsor teacher for the school’s Environmental Group and Rob Griffith, the sponsor teacher for the school’s Leadership Group have been particularly inspirational to him.

While at school Sky has honed his leadership skills in numerous ways. He undertook an Independent Directed Study in Leadership, focusing on the fundamental skills that are required to become a successful leader and putting the knowledge to use. He was on the Varsity Rowing Team in high school, competing at a high level and mentoring novice rowers. He also participated in school and community theatre as a Stage Manager, Lighting Technician and Sound Technician.

Two significant life experiences preceded Sky’s passion for environmental and social activism. He and his father hiked the Juan de Fuca Trail and subsequently the West Coast Trail. These two adventures focused his passion for environmental stewardship and inspired him with an overwhelming responsibility to “do something as I want my grandkids to be able to see the same things I’ve seen.” His motivation comes from the notion that future generations might not be able to experience nature the same way he has. “I can’t NOT think about this” he says. And when asked what frustrates him, he quickly responded, “kids my age who don’t care.”

I’ve interacted with many thousands of students during my twenty five years as a university faculty member. Yet I cannot remember ever meeting a first year student who has had such a clear vision of his or her future career path. Sky knows exactly where he wants to be and exactly what he needs to do to get there. His life goal is to be a politician – he sees this as the only way to effect change. But first he plans to train as a lawyer specializing in aboriginal and environmental law.

Sky already has extensive political experience, both as a Member of the 85th British Columbia Youth Parliament (BCYP) and as Deputy Premier and Regional Secretary of the 22nd Vancouver Island Youth Parliament in 2014. For the upcoming 86th British Columbia Youth Parliament in December, Sky will serve as Provincial Secretary and Minister of the Island. He says he has learned much from Youth Parliament and is dedicated to fulfilling their motto, “Youth Serving Youth”. His Teacher at GISS, Dean Crouse, encouraged him to participate and his attendance was sponsored by Islands Trust. Sky is proud to be associated with BCYP, a non-partisan youth service organization that also runs a variety of community projects throughout the year.

Sky was one of the organizers for the “Defend Our Future” youth-lead event that took place earlier this year. Meetings were arranged across British Columbia with twenty Members of the Legislative Assembly. Sky attended the meeting at my Oak Bay-Gordon Head constituency office where he spoke eloquently and passionately about the need to uphold and commit to meeting British Columbia’s legislated 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets.

If you didn’t know that Sky had just graduated from high school, you would have never guessed it from simply chatting with him. His maturity, sense of purpose and commanding presence convey wisdom far beyond his years. He is committed to providing youth leadership through his skills in organization, team work, and communication. And he will continue to ensure that today’s decision makers understand the future consequences of their decisions on today’s youth — the decision makers of tomorrow. Undoubtedly, Sky will be one of them.

This is the third in our series of stories celebrating the outstanding accomplishments of youth in our community. These inspirational young adults are enriching our lives with their passion and commitment to the betterment of society.

Vicki Kleu

We arranged to meet Vicki at my neighbourhood Starbucks near the corner of Feltham and Shelbourne, literally steps from where we had set up office during the 2013 election campaign. It seemed like an appropriate location. Vicki knew it well as she had just graduated from nearby Lambrick Park Secondary School. But imagine my surprise as we stood in the lineup for coffee. Vicki pointed to the barista and said “there’s my mentor, Cheryl Nigh”. And so, our conversation began.

Vicki was born in Pretoria, South Africa and moved to Victoria with her family when she was 10. She sincerely appreciates the numerous opportunities that Canada has afforded her family. Many of us simply take these opportunities for granted. Vicki, on the other hand, recognizes how fortunate we are in Canada and is determined to take advantage of them. Her achievements are a testament to her success in this regard.

Vicki attended Hillcrest Elementary, Gordon Head Middle School and graduated from Lambrick Park Secondary in June. School principal Kevin Luchies describes Vicki as a “renaissance student” who is a “tireless volunteer” and “student leader” and “one of the kindest humans one could meet”. She has been active in school leadership since grade 5 and a powerful leader in student council over the past three years.

For the last few years Vicki has volunteered as a reading buddy for children at Hillcrest Elementary. She loves working with children and told us “little kids make me happy”. More generally, Vicki elaborated to say that when “other people are happy, I am happy”. When she was younger, her dream was to be a kindergarten teacher (or a ballerina). But now, after becoming fascinated by the wonders of science and deeply touched by a very young relative who suffered from cancer, she sees herself training to become a pediatrician — a pediatric oncologist or cardiologist to be exact.

It’s always fascinating to discover what inspires the remarkably talented youth that we’ve had the honour of profiling over the last few weeks. A consistent pattern has emerged: teachers, friends and family. And Vicki is no different. Whether it’s feeding the ducks at Beacon Hill park or getting together with relatives, Vicki loves to be with friends and family. And it’s pretty clear to us that her friends and family are also inspired by Vicki. Here’s just one example. Having watched several relatives struggle with, and thankfully beat, cancer, Vicki took it upon herself to head up a cancer campaign at Lambrick Park last year.

Vicki is articulate, joyful and enthusiastic about life in general. She loves ballet and dances twice a week at Stages Performing Arts School. She is passionate about science — a passion that blossomed through the nurturing of her mentor Cheryl Nigh. Vicki has been participating in school, regional and national science fairs since she was in grade 7. She’s won so many science fair awards over the years that just listing them takes up three pages on her resume! When you see the outcomes of her innovative and creative approach to scientific inquiry, it’s pretty obvious why.

In grade 9 Vicki’s national award-winning project was titled Reducing Arterial Turbulent Flow Through External Stents. By Grade 11, she had developed Fully Biodegradable Adsorbent Pads to Clean Small Scale Marine Oil Spills. These pads could hold 50 times their weight in motor oil and potentially allowed for up to 95% oil recovery. Her invention is patent pending and she’s working on developing a few more patents this year.

Back in May of last year, Victoria News published a feature story on Vicki’s success. But what many people don’t know is that Vicki and Cheryl Nigh managed to get her Grade 11 project in front of CBC’s Dragon’s Den. While they didn’t air the segment in which she made her pitch, she did manage to get an offer from Arlene Dickinson and Jim Treliving.

Through her science fair projects Vicki continually searches for practical solutions to important problems. Most recently, her attention turned to the very real threat of oil spills on our coastlines. In her fourth venture to the National Science Fair this year she, along with partner Austin Sawyer, expanded upon her Grade 11 efforts through the development of Fully Biodegradable Booms for Oil Spill Recovery and Containment. Once again Victoria News published feature story detailing her trip to the nationals earlier this year.

A short time after we’d met up with Vicki I went back to Starbucks to have a chat with Cheryl Nigh, Vicki’s inspirational science teacher and mentor for the past six years. I asked Cheryl to describe Vicki in three words. These were her choices —choices that precisely described our first impressions as well: “meticulous, compassionate, and dedicated”.

It’s Vicki and youth like her that inspire me with a sense of hope. We can take comfort in the fact that these amazing young adults are certainly up to the task of finding innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.

This is the second in our series of stories celebrating the outstanding accomplishments of youth in our community. These inspirational young adults are enriching our lives with their passion and commitment to the betterment of society.

Sean Waugh

Over the years, I’ve given numerous presentations at BC high schools about climate change and the question of intergenerational equity. But the email I received after my address to a Mount Douglas Secondary school wide assembly on Earth Day was unique. And that is what prompted us to contact Sean Waugh.

With about 1000 students in the room, it’s not unusual to find some who are more interested in surfing the internet or playing Candy Crush on their smart phones, frantically texting with their friends, or gossiping with their neighbour. But Sean was dumbfounded, “Do they not care about the future? There are more important things than texting every minute!” He wrote to apologize on behalf of the few inattentive students and to say thanks for “taking the time out of your day to reach out to our generation and try to guide us to make decisions long term that your generation possibly won’t be alive to see.”

After meeting Sean at our constituency office, it became clear to us that he is the kind of principled and disciplined young man that believes it is important to stand and speak up for what he believes in.

Sean moved to Victoria from Calgary with his mother in 2012 and attended Mount Douglas Secondary School for grades 11 and 12. He graduated this past June with an A average and accepted an entrance fellowship to attend the University of Victoria this September. The move from Calgary marked one of the more difficult times in his life, having to leave his friends and start afresh at a new school. But his strength of character — which he attributes to the inspiration of his mother, a single parent who raised Sean and his older brother while also taking care of her live-in elderly father afflicted with advanced Alzheimer’s disease — allowed him to thrive in his new environment.

Sports are an important part of Sean’s life and it is obvious he’s in top physical condition. He has excelled in track at the provincial level and was a star on the Mount Douglas Rams Football team and was selected to play on Team BC. This past season the Rams achieved incredible success with a third straight BC high school Triple-A championship. It was an exciting night at BC Place when the Rams pulled out a 32-27 victory over the Terry Fox Ravens from Port Coquitlam. The experience of being on the team has meant a lot to Sean. He credits it for helping him become disciplined in his academics.

Sean praised the Rams coaching staff for playing an influential role in his development. Growing up without a father figure, Sean noted that his coaches were instrumental in helping to fill that role through their mentoring and guidance. He was grateful to them for also providing him with ongoing encouragement to excel in academics as well as football.

Football coach Dave Wong described Sean as one of a very few true student-athletes — those who topped the class in both academics and sports. “Sean’s a competitor”, he told us, a “level-headed guy” with a wicked “dry sense of humour”. Coach Wong enjoyed having Sean on the team and noted that he was “very coachable” and “always listened”. He was one of only a few who spent many hours studying game videos of opposing teams to figure out what to expect in upcoming games. While Sean admits that mathematics is not his forte, English was one of his favourite subjects and he enjoys writing “Maybe I’ll write a book someday”.

Sean turned down scholarships from many Canadian and some U.S. universities in order to attend first year sciences at the University of Victoria this September. Although he doesn’t plan to play football next year, he hopes to take it up again in the future and in the meantime, “I’ll stay in shape and keep training”. As a former UVic rugby player, I spent a fair amount of time trying to convince him that his cornerback, punt return and wide receiver football skills would make him an outstanding outside back on the rugby field.

UVic appeals to Sean as he would like to become a physician and work in a hospital emergency room “where all the action is”. He’s already received his First Aid training and put that into practice as a first responder to a very serious Lochside Trail bike accident. After his undergraduate degree is complete, he hopes to enter UVic’s Island Medical Program, “established in 2004 as part of a unique provincial plan to increase the number of new physicians in British Columbia and encourage them to establish their practices in under-served areas of the province”.

Sean is passionate about life. He enjoys snowboarding, is certified in SCUBA and enjoys simple things, like playing with his dog, eating good food and being outdoors in special places like the Sooke Potholes with friends. He understands that success comes from discipline and hard work. When asked about why he wanted to go into medicine, he responded that he wanted to have an impact on people. In fact, prior to setting his sights on a career in medicine, Sean considered becoming an author, a comedian or a lawyer. It’s not surprising that Sean wants to dedicate his life to positively impacting the lives of others. After all, both his mother and his coaches have been inspirational and have had such a positive impact on him.

Sean Waugh is a competitor and a winner, in sports, in academics and in life. Thank you for enriching the lives of those around you. And thank you for the kind words you emailed me after I presented at Mount Douglas Secondary School.

This is the first in our series of stories celebrating the outstanding accomplishments of youth in our community. These inspirational young adults are enriching our lives with their passion and commitment to the betterment of society.

Alysha Rose

We knew that there was something rather remarkable about Alysha when she phoned up just before we were supposed to meet to say she would be a few minutes late. “I just rescued a crow with a broken wing and called the animal rehabilitation centre” she told us.

It was easy to spot Alysha as she approached the Broadmead Starbucks where we had arranged to have coffee. She was carrying a small yellow, cloth-covered basket containing an injured crow she’d already named “Cashew”.

At 17 years of age, Alysha’s accomplishments are impressive. Growing up in Saanichton, Alysha attended Keating Elementary, Bayside Middle and Stelly’s Secondary schools. She graduated from Stelly’s this past June and has accepted a prestigious $60,000 Schulich Leader scholarship to Dalhousie University where she will study Medical Sciences. Why medical sciences? Because in her own words “A doctor can do a lot with their hands, helping one person at a time, but they can also do a lot with their mind, pursuing scientific advancements capable of impacting entire populations”. Alysha wants to work with people in less fortunate parts of the world.

It is perhaps not surprising that she has such a clear vision of her future. Alysha spent the summer of 2013 volunteering in an orphanage in Fiji and as early as Grade 9 was recognized as one of Save-On-Foods Amazing Kids.

Alysha has made a significant and lasting contribution to her school community in starting the Best Buddies program when she was in grade 10/11 (she completed both in one year – while maintaining a 100% average). Best Buddies is a weekly lunchtime program with a goal of inclusivity and friendship for students of all abilities. “Everyone needs a community” she realized as she became aware of the isolation that students with disabilities often experience “No one deserves to be alone”. Participating in Best Buddies was “the best part of my week” at school. Working as a mentor to a younger student who will take over leadership of the program next year, Alysha told us of plans to develop Best Buddies to include activities outside of school.

Alysha’s passions include writing spoken word poetry, singing and public speaking. She finds fulfillment in helping others, and volunteering on projects that involve important work, such as fundraising for the aforementioned orphanage in Fiji.

Alysha and teacher Kate Reston co-founded the Model UN program at Stelly’s and at a conference at UVic in November 2013, Alysha was awarded “Best Delegate” and “Best Position Paper” honours for her role on the Security Council representing France. Her paper was on food scarcity and conflict. Alysha loved the Model UN experience, especially the opportunity to debate and learn valuable lessons in collaboration and cooperation with other youth. She spoke passionately about its value of assisting the participants to “learn to respect each others’ differences”.

For Alysha, human rights and social justice issues are of paramount importance. For her it is important to speak up for the “fundamental dignities for which we are all entitled” and to give everyone the opportunity to succeed. When asked what inspires her, she responded without hesitation, her teachers.

Alysha plans to become a physician and a scientist – to treat one person at a time in the developing world and conduct research in malaria and cancer. Her dream would be to be part of the development of a vaccine for malaria.

Whether it be quilting for a local hospital, running the Stelly’s Best Buddies program this summer or fundraising for the orphanage in Fiji, Alysha approaches everything she does with infectious optimism and enthusiasm.

We are inspired by Alysha and her determination to do her part to make the world a better place. We spent just one hour with her. But that hour has left its mark forever. And we are sure that Cashew the crow would also agree.