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 many other extracurricular activities. Just to name a few, she’s in piano, violin, orchestra, debate, as well as being in French Immersion at Branton Junior High. Did I mention that she’s just in Grade 7? Needless to say, she’s leads a busy life, and she admits it can get stressful and overwhelming at times. However, she still finds time to have fun like singing songs from Les Misérables with her friend while walking down the halls, even though people think they’re weird. (For the record, I don’t think it’s weird.)
Witty, but also insightful, she has written about complicated issues like mental health and homelessness. She draws her inspiration for her writing from volunteering and helping out in the community is something that makes her truly happy. I think it’s impressive that she’s already involved in so many different areas early on. That will give her a lot of time to explore her passions and to grow as an individual. Without further ado, here’s what she had to say.
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Why did you join Youth Are Awesome? How has it helped you?
“I thought I would feel a sense of accomplishment and it was a really cool way to share my writing with others. I heard of it through Youth Volunteer Corps when they said they were recruiting for committees. It has helped me with building commitment and improving my writing skills.”
Do you tell your friends or teachers about your writing?
“I told my ELA teacher about it and she started reading everything and I was terrified, but she liked my metaphor post because we were also doing metaphors in class.”
You did an interview with Michelle Minke, Artistic Director of the Cowtown Opera, what was that like?
“It was really cool because I went to see one of their shows in the library. I went up to one of the performers and I was like I’m from YAA and I interviewed Michelle and they recognized me!”
What is the blog post you are most proud of writing and why?
“Because mental health matters, and you matter even more. I spent a lot of time writing it. Last year I was bullied pretty badly, and over the summer I was pretty stressed out. In September, I was doing about 12 extracurriculars a week which is not good for your stress levels. There was a period of time where I really did not get out of bed in the morning, because I felt like there was no reason to. Not one of my finer moments with life. But I talked to some people and it really helped and I’m better now.”
For people who suffer from mental illness, what do you recommend they do?
“To talk to someone. I thought that no one would care and that my issues didn’t matter. Actually, one of the Summer Team Leaders helped me so much with it.”
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“Just by caring, by understanding, offering a hug, or sending a short message, you can change someone’s world. You don’t need to do anything more than that. Just show them that you care.” – From Because mental health matters, and you matter even more.
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Why do you volunteer?
“At first, I joined because it looks really good on a university application or a job application. But then I started volunteering because it’s actually really fun and I’ve been telling all my friends to join. One of my friends who I was just with, she’s going to her first volunteering event today. It’s like watching a child grow up.”
As a youth, do you ever feel like you are undervalued or that your voice isn’t heard?
“A lot. For example in the past election, I was so invested in it. I had so many debates with my friends, who got really annoyed with me, but I feel like there are so many issues that youth really care about it that we don’t get to directly make an impact towards. It sucks.”
What kinds of issues?
“Voting in elections. I just feel like as youth, a lot of adults think you don’t have fully developed brains. It’s important to show that we care and we have thought out our stances on these issues and know what we’re saying.”
Who are your role models?
“I really look up to my sister. She had to skip a lot of extracurriculars in junior high to take care of me and I really admire her for that. She inspires me to do a lot. Like she inspired me to join Cross Country, and it’s weird because I’m not athletic at all. She’s also the reason I play piano and guitar.”
What’s your favorite book?
“You can’t ask that, that’s the most stressful question you can ask someone! Growing up, I liked reading the Harry Potter series. One time, I read the whole Harry Potter series in 2 days. I’m reading The Girl and the Train right now and I’m really enjoying it.”
What is it about?
“A female on a public transportation device.” (She was being sarcastic) “It’s like a thriller type book, it’s like Gone Girl. I’m halfway through it and so basically she gets accused of a murder, so I can very much relate to it.”
What do you want to do when you’re older?
“I’ve always leaned towards law. I’m really interested in human rights law and I’m trying to do things that will help me get there. My mom works with City of Calgary, so she comes and tells me all these stories about crime. I just really enjoy hearing about crime. I like the idea that the world can be completely fair, even though I know that’s not true, I think law contributes to that.”
Even if you go into law, would you still continue music?
“If I can, then yes. I would get a very good guitar and like a Stradivarius violin. And I would annoy everyone at my law firm.”
Besides what you want to do in terms of a career, what is something else you really want to do in the future?
“I want to volunteer until I’m too old and they kick me out of Youth Central. I really want to go to Vienna, because the town’s flooded as my friend so articulately puts it. But in all seriousness, it’s a such a beautiful place and there’s so much musical history.”
What advice would you give to other youth?
“While it’s important to think about the decisions you’re making, don’t overthink them because they will stress you out. It’s not good for the mind.”
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I think that’s a good message to end on. Even though Ronica admits that she’s guilty of overthinking stuff herself, I think it’s something we’ve all experienced at some point. Sometimes it’s good just to go with the flow and accept that life will come with its fair share of challenges and rewards. I had a great time getting to know a little more about her and the journey she’s on. I have faith that being Blogger of the Month is just one of the many great things that she’ll accomplish in the future.
