Scholarship Essay Entry – Jesse S.

Healthy Kids, Healthy Future
I had plans on living the high life; having a huge office, driving a car that turned heads, and being a businessman like you see in the movies. After one semester of business school things really changed. Not only did I realize that math was not a strong skill for me, I realized that I had zero ambition to sit behind a desk no matter what my salary was. At this point I was confused at where my educational journey was going and unsure of what to do next.  All that I was sure of was that I needed to be active and work with people.

I have always been into sports and lived an active lifestyle. Healthy living was a life skill that was passed down from my parents and is still very important to me today. After registering in university and learning the statistics of child obesity I was shocked to learn that healthy living is becoming a thing of the past in Canada. While working with children over the past few years I have noticed a decline in the participation of sports and fewer children enjoy spending time outside; it seems as if they would rather sit in front of a television or play the latest video games. Research suggests that this lack of exercise is directly related with the child obesity epidemic in Canada. I think this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed and yet feel little had been done to make the necessary changes. I feel it is important to make these changes in children's lives now before it is too late.

After completing my undergraduate degree in the Faculty of Physical Education at the University of Alberta this winter I plan on starting my Masters in Health Promotion, more specifically Children's Health Promotion, in the fall. My ambition is to make healthy choices by children first nature. Ultimately I hope to start a nationwide campaign to promote healthy living. I plan on visiting schools all over Canada and encouraging students and teachers to start making the necessary life changes now. I want to help children learn to appreciate their bodies at an early age so that they will look after them later in their lives. If this campaign can help teach children to make their own healthy choices, then they will hopefully continue to live healthy lifestyles into the future. In a perfect world these children will grow up and pass these healthy habits onto their children and so begins a cycle of healthy living. Someone needs to start this cycle and I am hopeful my campaign can be the building blocks to a healthier Canada.

Although everyone has a dream in life, I feel those who want to accomplish their dreams need to have a plan to pursue them. With the help of my educational accomplishments, employment opportunities and volunteer activities I am hopeful I will have necessary skills required to make my dreams a reality.