PinChau from Taiwan

The Chinese proverb had it right, they said: "Having read thousands of books is nothing comparable to having travelled thousands of miles" and regardless of my passion for reading, the journey I went through and the experience I gained in the four years of studying in Yale is truly priceless. I came to Abbotsford in the summer of 2018 when the national day had just ended and BC was still immersed in the pathos of celebration. My first summer in Canada was spent in the summer camps and activities at the Abbotsford Youth centre; I was amazed by the friendliness of the staff and other students who supported me and helped me to improve my speaking and listening skills. I took a leadership class in the Youth centre where I interacted with students and took part in group activities. I learned a lot about how Canadians interact with each other during the course and it has prepared me with the confidence to join Yale Secondary. On the first day of school, I was timid in the hallway that was flooded with people and stressed in the social study class. My English wasn't good and the amount of information I have to understand and the digest was so much that I did not enjoy school. As time progressed, I made some of my very first friends in class and I joined the Key Club. I am particularly thankful to the good friends I met in the Key club; they taught me how to cope with all sorts of conflicts in my life whether it be my conflicts with my classmates or my inner cultural conflict that I struggled with. Studying in Canada gives me the opportunity to explore my interest and develop my personality in a stress-free environment. I joined the Olympic Swimming club in October 2018; we practised swimming in the Mouat Recreation centre twice a week. I learned many different styles of swimming and diving. My passion for swimming has developed and will be part of my lifetime exercise. My other hobby is classical guitar. I was educated in guitar at Abbotsford community music school. The classical guitar leads me to the world of classic music, where I learned to play pieces like Bach, Wagner and Chopin. The activities enrich my life. In 2021, I took part in the Yale youth Parliament where I debated and discussed current political events with like-minded people. I was able to find many of my closest friends; the number of people who are passionate about social topics was mind-blowing and I was glad to meet these people. Youth parliament demonstrate the best part of the Canadian education system which is the diversity and well-roundedness of its students. The international program has been very helpful, in the past 4 years, I always look forward to the international student field trip every semester. The pizza lunch every month is also an event that I find very supportive. I enjoy interacting with international students from all over the world. I found every conversation with them enriching and vivifying. These will become memorable moments in my life. 

Activities

  • A participant at Olympic Swim Club(October 2018-March 2020)
  • A participant in the school Choir(September 2019-present day)
  • A staff member at the school cafe(September 2021 to January 2022)
  • A volunteer at the Mennonite Central Committee thrift store(January 2021-June 2021)
  • Yale youth Parliament (April 2021-present day)
  • A participant in Abbotsford Modeled United Nations(November 6, 2021)
  • Learning Guitar at Abbotsford Community music school(September 2018-present day)
  • Learning Piano at Abbotsford Community music school(January 2019- April 2019) Yale Key club(September 2018-present day)
  • Peer Tutor for the Yale Homework Club(Febuary 2022-present day) 

Post Secondary Plans

I received the offering from the University of Toronto St. George Campus's physical science program, Scabarrough Campus's Biology program, Mississauga campus's economic program and both the biology and physics programs at the University of Waterloo. On the western side, I was accepted into the Biology programs at the University of Alberta and the engineering science program at Simon Fraser University. I plan to go to SFU's engineering program. After finishing SFU's engineering program, I will find a job supporting myself while I pursue my master's degree. My optimal goal is to go after a doctorate degree in the field of philosophy and take up the profession of writing.