Looking after a "little sister" through the Big Brothers Big Sisters in Chilliwack reaffirmed for Kelsey Ablitt that she wanted to devote her life to education.
For the past year, the Chilliwack secondary senior hung out with a Grade 7 Chilliwack Middle school student once a week, for an hour. They would usually spend that time chatting, which taught Ablitt how to quickly find common ground with a stranger.
"It's nice knowing that you're there for someone else, and they enjoy the time with you," said Ablitt. "Just knowing you matter to someone."
Ablitt loves school, and gets as involved as she can. She was one of the key student planners for the mass Hello, Good-Bye reunion at CSS in March. She was on the student graduation committee, participated in student council, and planned a long list of school events through a leadership class.
The CSS reunion was especially interesting for the history buff, who completed an Advanced Placement history course in Grade 11 and would like to teach past events to future generations.
"I like seeing how things that happened hundreds of years ago still affect us today, and all the different world religions, and the wars, and how things are started, and the changing of the geography of Europe all the time, and the development," she said. "I find it so fascinating to see how far we've come in a short period of time."
She's starting at University of the Fraser Valley this September, pursuing a B.A. in education. She'll teach high school, or maybe Grade 3 – a "good age" and one of her favourite years, she says.
"I like school, and I like the idea that you can influence someone with their learning, and what they aspire to be, by being a teacher. There are so many teachers that I look up to, and it would be cool to be someone like them," she said.
The upbeat student has kept her feet on the ground. She has maintained her honour roll status, all the while holding several part-time jobs, giving her a strong start to her future at UFV and in the community.