17th birthdays aren’t that exciting, which I now know. At 16 you can finally drive, 18 you’re legal but 17 is this awkward year where you’re not quite an adult but also don’t qualify as a kid anymore. There are expectations set out as you prepare for adulthood and for some who are graduating like…
To most violinists, buying a violin made by Stradivari, Guarneri, Guadagnini, or Amati is an absolute dream. To luthiers, producing an instrument to the likes of those great makers is a life-long venture. And Joseph Nagyvary made that venture a little bit easier. Joseph Nagyvary was a chemist. Born in 1934 in Szeged, Hungary, he…
I discovered American poet Nash Consing purely by chance. Scrolling through my Instagram feed on a late May evening nearly two years ago, I came across a collaboration between Nash and fellow Instagram poet, Alexa (@ar_poems). I subsequently followed Consing’s account, and perhaps it was the mix of writing and aesthetics that drew me in…
Standing at just barely 5 feet tall, Jessica Vu is a force to be reckoned with. A grade 11 student at Lester B Pearson high school, she is currently the female with the most YVC hours in Calgary, and recently received the World Changer Award, for having volunteered 1000 (or more) hours with Youth Volunteer…
On Thursday, December 1, I got the wonderful opportunity to go and see Theatre Calgary’s production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. I recommend that you go and see this as soon as possible, it’s really worth it! The next day, I was lucky enough to talk with the star of this amazing production, Stephen…
I’m happy to have been the Life Junior Editor since last summer, but I’m even more proud to announce Youth Are Awesome’s new Life Editor who will be taking up my position. Overcoming Failure: You Can Do It! was Hafsah Syed‘s entry into YAA and since then, she has been known for her articles about self-improvement,…
As you may have read, I enjoyed a terrific first concert at the Kensington Sinfonia past Sunday. One of the program pieces featured the 6th winner of the KS Annual Student Concerto Competition, oboist Cameron Wong playing Albinoni’s Concerto for Oboe in D minor, Op.9, No. 2. Having only played the oboe for 4 years,…
Introducing: Hafsah Syed, April 2016 Blogger of the Month! Not too long ago, I had the enlightening opportunity to get to know outstanding Youth Are Awesome blogger Hafsah Syed. (actually, we chatted on her 17th birthday!) We sat down at Good Earth Coffeehouse, and didn’t end up eating or drinking anything, but I still learned…
Religion has always been a fundamental aspect of identity, community and worldview. It has formed nations and destroyed them. It has driven people to explore new lands and also to close their borders. Religious beliefs, or even lack thereof, ultimately shapes our understanding of those around us, our interaction with others and ultimately the entire…
“People who are bisexual have to live with the knowledge that they could lose everyone they care about with just two words.” My initial research into what it meant to identify as being bisexual held terrifying promises such as these. Words that I initially dismissed as untrue or perhaps an exaggeration. When I first came…
I was raised in a conservative home, with high expectations and little room for error. Although I rarely did what I was told, I forged a somewhat approvable path of relative achievement. I respected myself and despite my short dress phase, mostly my clothing reflected the seriousness to which I approached life. I began experimenting…
This Saturday, the Calgary Boys’ Choir presents “Sharing Peace” to highlight international issues of disparity and inequality worldwide as we enter the season of giving. Earlier this week I had the privilege of being able to speak with Choir Director, Paul Grindlay. Paul has been with the Calgary Boys’ Choir since 2004 and this year…
Waffles, coffee, friends, and good conversation. Aren’t those some of the cardinal joys in life? I got all of these things and more when I met with fellow blogger and Media, Science, and Technology Editor Danielle this past Sunday at the relatively-new Buttermilk Fine Waffles. Being a student of Western, I have often heard tales…
I was hoping to write this before classes had even started, but as you can tell I have procrastinated once again with my posts on YAA. 61 days have passed since the first day of school and now here I am, writing an open letter to myself before being bombarded with the stress of January…
I’m proud to announce that Ronica Li is November’s Blogger of the Month! She was recognized for regularly posting high quality articles and always having a willingness to help out. I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with her and get to learn more about her. Besides being a part of YAA, she’s also involved in…