2011 Scholarship Entry #53: Patrick Kozyra

Although there are many challenges facing our generation today a very important one is having a positive impact on youth in your community. Being in my low twenties I feel this is the perfect time to reach out and do all that I can to have the biggest impact on the youth of our community today. This is a challenge that we must deal with on a day to day basis to help the leaders of our community down the road develop into the best they can be. Even the most simple or basic of interactions can have great effects on the life of a child.

When I was a young boy I remember some very important events that helped me to become the man I am today. As a Canadian hockey player I would idolize the top major junior players playing in the WHL. Many of the local players from that league would come and volunteer with the children's teams, which in turn gave me goals of one day becoming like them. This dream was later realized when I was very fortunate to get into the WHL and do the same. During that time I was lucky enough to be able to attend minor hockey programs, public events and even school programs designed for having positive lessons for the youth of those communities. I felt as a role model for kids like I once was I could leave positive impacts and maybe help them to dream big and live a positive lifestyle. If such a small thing like skating with me at a young age could give me big dreams, I felt I could do the same for others.

Unfortunately your WHL career doesn't last forever, and along comes school! When it came time for me to decide what to go into, more great memories came to mind. I thought back years and remembered different encounters with both members of ambulance services as well as the local fire fighting services. Having a few trips in the ambulance myself I had always thought what a great job the EMT's and Paramedics were doing. They had left such a positive impact on me and I feel have such a great impact on the community. Growing up I would also often see firefighters volunteering at different events and felt these professions were the heroes of the community. I feel that in following this career path as an EMT Firefighter I can once again become a role model in the community and continue to leave positive impacts on the lives of others.

However my dreams are simple, I know first hand what the effects of a young minds role model can do for their life. My biggest hopes are that I can lead by example and that others will try the same.