Hello! My name is Kandace and I am a new addition to the Youth Are Awesome Bloggers!
It is such an honor to be a part of a group of ambitious youths! After being happily accepted to join this wonderful community, I already had a wide range of blog post ideas I wanted to share. Even after scrambling down everything that popped into my head, I decided to make my first post something simple, yet memorable: an Introduction.
Behind every blog is a unique writer with an intricate past and lively stories. I can assure you that through future posts, you will get the bits and pieces of me that mostly make up my past, my personality, and outlook on life. But before we can get to that, it is never a bad idea to provide you all with some facts about myself. So without further ado, these are some things that make me, me!
1. My family and I immigrated to Canada when I was 6 years old.
With better opportunities for jobs and an education, we got on a plane from Cebu, Philippines and arrived in Calgary, Alberta on Family Day in February 2006. Truth be told, I was both fascinated and apprehensive of the snow that was lightly falling down around me. Having lived in a tropical country for so long, it was not easy to adapt to the chilling cold. But, with supportive friends and a close-knit family, I was able to revel in the unique Canadian way of life fast enough to have had been enrolled into an elementary school just 2 short weeks later!
2. The arts is a HUGE part of my life.
From a young age, ever since I could appreciate music, theater, and literature, I have been involved in many aspects regarding those. Whether it be through my high school choir, dressing up as an angel for Christmas shows in kindergarten, participating in school drama productions, taking up guitar lessons or spending copious hours reading, I absolutely love the arts. I strongly believe that the freedom of expression I am given through the arts is a key component to my identity. Everything I do in my life has somehow been influenced by music, performing or literature.
3. Travelling and the idea of being in new places over a certain extent of time is thrilling.
4 years after our big move to Canada, my family and I went back to the Philippines for vacation! During our trip, my mom, dad, aunt, grandma, and I went to the Underground River, which is 8.2 km long. With its lush greenery, turquoise waters, and stunning natural limestone formations, it is easily the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. It’s safe to say that here is where my wanderlust began and would continually grow. After that experience, my family has made it a key point in our lives to see what the world has to offer. I have been to fabulous countries like South Korea, Hong Kong, France, England, and Italy. In addition, we love to go hiking and see beautiful views that people would not normally see. Life is a huge adventure that never stops. No matter how big or small, local or global, there is something out there to admire.
4. My passion to volunteer and advocate for social causes began in grade 7.
In my first year of junior high, I had made a friend who was new to the school. Her confidence and outgoing personality was refreshing to me, but people often mistook it as arrogance. This was the catalyst that “justified” them to bully her by spreading rumors both online and offline. It was difficult to see my friend struggle, so along with my other friends, we knew we had to put an end to it. With our heads held high, we spoke to the principal about a proposition to dedicate one day to bullying awareness and prevention.
After much dedication and time put into our idea, our school celebrated both “Starve a Bully Day” and Pink Shirt Day on Wednesday, February 29, 2012. With my 3 best friends (including the one bullied), we spent the day presenting a PowerPoint on the causes, effects, and prevention of bullying. We distributed “Stop Bullying” bracelets and asked the students to sign petitions to stop bullying. With the great recognition given to our cause, my friend was never bullied again. Looking back at what my friends and I had done, I was inspired to help social causes and to start dedicating time to volunteering. Having had helped at the Mustard Seed, my church’s Vacation Bible School, and signing up to volunteer at Alberta Health Services and Partners for Mental Health, is the most rewarding feeling in the world. I will always tie back my volunteer experience and advocacy to the cause in grade 7.
5. I am an aspiring Psychologist and English teacher.
Stemming from my love for social causes and literature, I have made it a goal to succeed in my future university studies to become a Clinical Psychologist and English teacher. Mental health is such an important aspect, since I believe that the mental well-being of an individual is just as valuable as their physical one. Assisting others on their road to recovery from severe inner turmoil is a job that I would spend my whole life loving to its fullest potential. With the increasing need of English teachers in foreign countries to help children with their writing and reading skills, it would also make sense for me to choose this profession. The personal benefits and chance to travel makes it all the better!
I hope you were able to learn more about me through this introduction! I strive to connect with the youth of Calgary through my posts because we all have voices that need to be heard and appreciated.
“Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don’t be sorry.” – Jack Kerouac
Best wishes,
Kandace 🙂