Scholarship Essay Entry – Teri T.

Three summers ago, I walked into a job interview at an organization called Shining Mountains Living Community Services with no idea what to expect. After my two hour interview, I still wasn't quite sure what to expect, other than I was now equipped with the knowledge that I was hired as a summer student at a not-for-profit organization focusing on assisting aboriginal people who are at high risk of homelessness, abuse, violence, drug and alcohol addiction and illnesses such as HIV/AIDS.

I have learned more in the past three summers working for Shining Mountains than I have in the rest of my years spent in a classroom combined. I have learned about struggle and hardship. Friendship and loyalty. I have learned about humour and hope. Loss and despair. Family and acceptance. The darkness of prejudice and the light in understanding. Most importantly, I have learned to fight fiercely for what I believe in, and I believe in equality for all, regardless of social standing.

I have worked in close partnership with people who struggle from a variety of hardships, and it truly breaks my heart to see how they are repeatedly left out in the cold, both literally and symbolically. Many of these people are ignored by the services they often need most - one teenage girl disclosed that she was unable to get decent legal support after being repeatedly sexually abused over a number of years due to her financial situation and the color of her skin. To me, this is blaringly unacceptable.

I am currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program at the University of Calgary through the Arts and Sciences Honours Academy, a competitive-entrance, interdisciplinary honours program for twenty-five students. I feel that in order to change the world, we must start with the smallest unit - the individual, which lead me to choose psychology for my undergraduate study. This year, I will apply to law school. After I graduate with my Bachelor of Laws, I hope to work in the human rights sector to provide legally sound advice in a language that is easy to understand to anyone who needs it, regardless of who they are. I want to bring justice to the too many marginalized people in our local communities who are often left behind, despite their needing our assistance most desperately.