Legacy

Legacy can mean a lot of different things from your own family last name, to a legacy left behind in a sport like hockey - just like Wayne Gretzky breaking records in the NHL.

In life it is important to leave a mark in your life time. Maybe it is a story that would be carried down from generation to generation, or a song that was your life’s soundtrack. For me I believe that carrying a family last name is the best thing you can possibly do. The last name from your family has stories that you may never be aware of until a stranger who saw your last name somewhere in history sees it now on a pamphlet from a hockey game that your brother left. When I hear my last name I carry such pride that in this one life time I was given the chance to carry it.

I remember in elementary school some kid didn't think my name was cool and he bullied me for it until I hit him. I remember just standing over him and I looked at him in the eyes and said, “ Thunderchief is my last name and I would not have it any other way. You can call it what you want, but the history behind my name has great respect whether it is from other tribes telling story about Thunderchief ending wars, to hearing a white man tell a story about my brother hitting a kid center ice (and incidentally making him quit hockey) which gave him the name 'Thunder'". Ever since that day I have carried the word Thunderchief with a meaning that I continue to create. I am still making and leaving my own mark in this life - a legacy for myself.

I could tell you stories that were passed down from my grandfather who has passed, but that I still remember. His legacy was as a working man whose heart was with the rodeo. Then the legacy transforms to my father telling me his own choice that he started playing hockey, but turned it down to live taking care of the farm ranch, but he had a rodeo buckle under his belt that he won back to back times. Having a legacy is a great pride that should never be forgotten.

- I have chosen this picture because it shows a legacy that I have left playing hockey with my family number and last name on a hockey jersey that I earned.

Dierks Bentley - My last name -  I have put a link to a song entitled, "My Last Name". In the song the singer Dierks Bently talk about how proud he his to have his last name and what it have been made into.

-Nakoda Thunderchief

Knowing

Passion is something we all need in order to keep going in life. For me, my passions or things I consider most sacred are my family, friends, culture and education. My family and friends are the reason why I am who I am to this day. They help me through hard times and remind me of who I am in case I may have forgotten. My culture is something I am also very passionate about because it is a big part of who I am, and who my people are. When I am attending or helping out at a ceremony or at the Sundance, that is when I really feel at home. People like to be racist towards my culture and my people which is something  we -as in my people- struggle with. Education is something we stress on our youth because in today's society, education is power and that's what we need to succeed.

My family and friends give me the passion and courage to move further and continue my education. They remind me of what I am capable of and what education can do for me and my people in the long run. My people have always been the reason why I try as hard as I can because I know we are more capable than we are seen to be. Just knowing what or who you are passionate about, helps drive you to places you wouldn’t have gone to on your own. Passion gives us the hope and courage we need in order to make help ourselves see who we really are and what we are capable of. All we need is to know what or who does that for us.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/loisgeller/2013/09/27/the-power-of-passion/#44198719643b

"The Power of Passion| article.

-Nola Shade

Worst Day of My Life

When I was younger, I felt like I had a lot of problems. I was too scared to tell anyone how I really felt. I was scared that they were just going to tell me that I was being soft. One time while I was at my grandparent’s house for the night, my grandma noticed that I was acting different than normal. She looked at me and said, “Kyle, how is everything?” I gave her the same reply that I normally gave her that I was “Ok”. After a while when it was just the two of us, I broke out into tears and told her everything that was going on in my life. I expected her to give me the same answer that everyone else gave me - just suck it up. Instead, she looked at me and gave me a little grin. She told me that everything was going to be okay and comforted me and told me that if I ever needed someone to talk to who I wouldn’t feel judged by, that I could always talk to her. After that night, I started talking to her all the time and she kept her promise and continued to comfort me for a little less than three years.

One night, the house phone rang and all I remember hearing was the door to the house swinging open and slamming shut. My brother and I walked into my mom’s room and asked her what happened. She told us, while trying to hold in her tears, that our Grandma passed away. I was nine at the time, so I didn't know how to take it. All I remember was our last conversation about what we normally talked about - how I was doing in school. Looking back on it now, I should have been asking her how she was doing instead of focusing on myself. She always put me first over herself and I will bring that to my children because that's what she taught me. She also gave me hope in the way that since her death I don't hold in how I really feel because it would be more painful than telling the people who are there for me. I also gained courage from all those times when she told me to push myself and to stop staying in my shell because I was a shy kid when I was younger. I always remembered what she told me and as I grew up, and I became more social, all thanks to my grandma.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IHUMr1JS_c

This was one of my grandma's favorite songs and when I hear it I think about her.

-Kyle Schreiber

Life

We started to cry on the day we were born, and stopped crying after we felt the warmth from our mother besides us. We were growing up day by day. We went to school, made friends, and learned to communicate with others, which made us feel like everything around us was going smooth, like nothing bad would ever happen. We had a place to live, a place to learn, a place to play, and especially a place to whisper to ourselves - our own room. The more we grow the more we learn, and also the more we realize. When we reach the world outside we finally realize that the world isn't as easy as we thought. As teenagers, we feel annoyed by everything, stressed from our family, our work, and from the people around us. Everything around is frustrating. At the time we realize that nothing on earth is perfect. We realize that our ‘luxury’ birthday presents (gaming PC, smart phone, PS4, a bike, or a lot of pretty clothes, etc…) from our beloved parents are earned from their sweat, blood and tears. However, now somewhere in the house, there are the arguments between us and our parents because of our stubborn heads, and childish ways. Or now we might be asking ourselves "how is that stranger doing?" ...that person who we used to think would be our best friend forever. We had a good life in the early years, and now it is the time to learn and to face the reality: our parents divorce, we fight with classmates, we are judged by others, we fail a class, we do drugs, etc. All kinds of things can make us feel down and depressed, and that’s why we have to become stronger and become a fighter in life. We may make mistakes, but there is nothing to be worried about, because we can learn and move forward. Also, we have to learn that the most important thing is to hold back our anger and stay calm in every situation. We can enjoy our imperfect life every single moment, even though it may be full of hardships, and turn it into a perfectly imperfect life.

This photo is showing a pawn, which represents our early life and the king represents what we would deserve after the hardship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbZSe6N_BXs

I love this song because of the instruments. It is very catchy and sounds happy...like that perfectly imperfect life.  

-Nghi Nguyen

Passion and Courage

The passion I have for basketball is what motivates me. I believe that I can excel in anything if I can play my favourite sport in the process. If you have something that drives and motivates you, then keep it. This is a trait/skill that you would want to keep for the rest of your life because it helps you improve yourself. Ever since I held a basketball in my hand in grade seven, I started to motivate myself to get better each day and I put in the work and time to do so. It took six years for me to get this good and to be able to play for an amazing sports program at Catholic Central High School. The people around me and the sport have influenced life since grade seven in such a positive way. I've met tons of new people through the sport, who still encourage me to get better. These are people who have trained me, been my coach, or people that I play basketball with, that have made me successful to this day. I wouldn’t be at this level without them in my life, encouraging me to want something better. The next chapter in my life that I am hoping for, is to play post-secondary basketball and even acquire more knowledge and skills about the game I worship so much. If you have something that motivates you to do your best everyday and you are willing to improve yourself for the greater good then keep that something close to your heart and someday you will achieve greatness.

In the photo, I can say that this was the best year I had in basketball. I won awards, met new people and can say that I definitely got better. I was selected to play in the all-star game before zones started and at the time, I felt so accomplished due to the fact that I improved greatly. Players and coaches on different teams started to recognize who I was and how good I was. I would say I’m always going to love basketball until I die.

-Nate Moreira

The List Goes On...

I was born in Abbotsford BC along with my twin sister Alyssa. Our father left before we were born, but we had an amazing step dad fill that emotional gap. We moved to Chilliwack BC, only 30 minutes away from where we were born, so my parents could find better jobs, and they did. My mother had 3 more kids. The 3rd child was 3 years apart from Alyssa and I, the 4th was 4 years apart, and the 5th was 6 years apart.

We grew up in Chilliwack. Alyssa and I attended Vedder Elementary and Tyson Elementary. My 3 other siblings only went to Tyson Elementary. We all grew up with amazing/sad memories, countless friends and loving animals. Every time my family would go on trips to our favorite resort, Kimberley BC, we would always listen to Linkin Park because it was our favorite family song, it explained us. My favourite memory one was a time 7 years ago. It was a rainy Saturday night and my father went to work his night shift. Before he left, he was standing in front of the front door going through his phone when my little brother Conner started running down the stairs, he wanted to give our father a hug before he left, as he was working 12 hours. As he was running down the last step he turned wrong and... well you know the rest. He ended up slicing his knee directly open. An irrevocable memory, I won’t go into depth. It was a long night in the hospital and that’s all I have to say for that gruesome experience.

2011, our family packed our stuff and moved to Lethbridge, AB. We decided to move because my parents were laid off because it was hard for them to make it on time for work. It was hard finding a babysitter to babysit 5 kids, especially since we were all under the age of 10. That being said, moving to Lethbridge was a rough situation I had to accept. Leaving all our broken and loving memories was difficult. The first year I had sleep paralysis almost every night, it happens to me every time we move to a new home. The next 2 following years was difficult, but not too hard for me to handle...but I still fell through the cracks of intelligence and ended up in K&E for 3 years until grade 9. It wasn’t hard, and that bothered me. I knew if it was easy for me than it would be nothing to others, but that wasn’t the only emotional trauma I went through. On June 11th, 2016. My best friend passed away. I was working when the principle and my teacher came into my work. They told me it was best if they explain what was going on in private. I left my shift early and got into the car with them and they told me what happened the night before - she was run over. She had slept underneath a truck because a man had been following her the whole time she was walking home and she was too scared to go any further, fearing he was already there, so she stayed under a truck. The man who owned the truck was going to work that early morning and she was still under the truck, not knowing what was coming next. I don’t want to go into description because I’m still emotionally traumatized to this day, but you should already understand what happened. All I will say is, I had to see a counselor the rest of that year.

It was summer going into grade 10 and I decided to switch schools. I attended Catholic Central High, and the first year went pretty smooth other than my emotions, but they later became jubilant, in which case I took my emotions by hand and became querulous until I felt nothing but happiness and sang that entire night. I got pretty high grades for going into full mainstream 3 hours a class. The following year was the same and for grade 12… well let’s just say that’s present.

Throughout the years I’ve lived I've experienced hate and anger, wealth and poverty, but I wouldn’t trade this life for anyone’s. You may not realize it when you’re little, but you will realize eventually that our parents are the most important people in our lives. They gave up their years to build us instead of themselves. They sacrificed everything for us. They love and put us before themselves. My life is full of crazy emotions. The list goes on, and I would live through it everyday if it meant my family were by my side.

Kimberly, British Columbia ( Our vacation resort )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVTXPUF4Oz4

( This link contrasts with my story because going on family trips it would bring peace to our mind when we listened to it. It is our symbol of reassurance that we are in not just good hands, but God's hands )

-Julia Komm

My Flaws and Passion

I still remember that day when my friend stared at me and she said, “Your eyes are small.” That was the first time I realized that I might not look good enough, and I started to care about what other people think about my exterior. I started to lose weight, do my makeup, and even got a cosmetic surgery when I was 16, because I wanted to use those tools to hide my imperfections. However, every time when others complimented my looks, I didn’t think those compliments for me, because all my beauty is artificial. As time passed by and I’m grew up, I recognized that everyone is beautiful in their own way, and nobody’s perfect. In the process of discovering my own beauty, I found my passion in makeup. I love to make myself look better, and I have a sense of achievement every time I see the transformation happening on my face. My definition of passion, is “something I would love to do every single day”, and I believe that I have passion in makeup artistry. Once I found the direction, my view of my future is not blurry anymore, it became more and more clear, because my passion is motivating me to move forward. I have no regrets for every decision I made, although in hindsight that surgery now seems unnecessary. Every move I made, helped me regain my confidence, and helped me find my passion, but most importantly, I learned how to accept my flaws and vulnerability.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWASeaYuHZo

"Scars to Your Beautiful" is a song I was listening to. The lyrics encouraged me and it helped me went through that period of time.

-Bella (Jiajie) He

I Need Help, I Need Guidance, I Need Love

I can imagine myself working in the psychological/medical field as a registered psychiatric nurse. In recent years I have discovered that I have a deep sense of empathy, especially for those who have suffered psychological trauma or those who struggle with addiction. Though it may not seem like it, but I have been there at least once in my life and I’m struggling with my own problems. I’m completely content with listening to others and their problems, in order to set them on the right path. I plan on using my underlying gift of empathy to give someone who is lost, a sense of direction, a sense of purpose, a reason to keep going in life. The problem is that first I have to overcome my own problems and I keep hurting myself because I don’t have the courage to do so. I’ve been so caught up in other people's problems that I’ve been ignoring my feelings which I’ve just been bottling up all the time. Because of this I suffer from severe mood swings even though I’m well past the stage of adolescence where such a thing is prevalent. One minute I can be utterly depressed and in another I’m in a fury, insulting my family, destroying various items, and a few times I’ve even turned to alcohol and cigarettes. With this I realized that in paying full attention to others and not caring for myself, I’m only hurting myself and throwing myself down a spiral of self-destruction. I am fully aware that I lack the courage to face my repressed memories and bottled-up feelings and lack hope for my future because if I can’t care for myself, what chance do I have of caring for someone else? In the end my mind is rattled with doubts and fears that I’ll never succeed in my pursuit for my dream career, or that I’m not cut out for my ideal job. In order for me to achieve that courage and hope I need to face my inner demons, I need help, I need guidance, I need love.

https://www.learning-mind.com/bottled-up-emotions/

The reason I chose this list/article is because I match every single item on the list.

-Aidin Eagle Child

To Overcome Our Fears

When I was a little kid I was terrified of roller coasters. I would not get on them and just the thought of them freaked me out. Then eventually my parents convinced me to get on one and ever since then I couldn’t wait to ride them again. Then I realized that fear was the only thing that was holding me back from experiencing the fun I had been missing out on. Fear is the thing that dominates us and holds us back from achieving our true potential, whether that's something you’ve always wanted to try or the career you’ve always dreamed of having. Sometimes we just have to overcome our fears and follow our dreams. I always used to fear the thought of failing and if I was really choosing the right career path, but then I realized that I’m going to fail no matter what I do and that’s okay, because if you don’t fail you can’t learn and better yourself. Just like Elon Musk once said: “It’s only a failure if you don’t learn anything from it”. Failure is something that we should should embrace rather than fear. This is why it’s important to follow your dreams and never give up because you feel as if it won't work out or things get too difficult, but in reality life isn’t always easy and sometimes you just have to have the courage to overcome the difficulties life will throw your way. If you are truly passionate about something you will not give up, and you should never give up on your dreams because they are the true key to happiness. In my opinion you're not successful if you aren't truly happy and passionate about what you do.      

I chose this link because it describes the things that most people allow to set them back and some of the issues I know have set me back at one point or another.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/18/the-10-biggest-fears-holding-you-back-from-success.html

-Ethan Bourgeois

Someone is Always Watching

In my eyes my grandpa is a hero and he's also my family's hero. If anyone had a problem he would listen, he would be there on a troubling day just so they had someone to talk to. I don't know him as much as I would like to, but I can't change what happened, he passed away 15 years ago. I've always heard good things about him; he was the family stone, helping everyone in his sight. My mom would tell me that after she and my father separated she would still ask for m grandpa's help, and not once did he say no as it filled him with joy. As we both grow older I stayed healthy and he started to have health problems, but through all the hard times somehow he would still put others first and made sure that everyone smiled once through the day and most of the time it would come from him making jokes or funny faces. Through his tough times he taught me a very big lesson that we should help people no matter what others say because one good act can make the biggest difference in the world. I don't know if the lesson went on to the rest of my family, but I hope it did because if one little act can change the world, imagine what 8 or 10 little acts can do to the world.


When it was getting closer for him to meet the big man in the sky he showed his gratitude to all of those who stayed by his side, and to his family. He also showed lots of love, and the pain never stopped him from making someone smile. As I grow up I've always heard stories about him and how people could rely on him as he told you the truth and always knew the right thing to do. I’ve always wanted to be like him where people could rely on me, but for now I think it’s too much weight  on my shoulders to consider this for a big group of people. I would like to see my grandpa again and the hope that I will one day brings me the courage I need to get through the rest of my life. As I was growing up I always heard about this awesome person and all the wonderful things he did, but all I can remember is him always sitting in a chair rocking back and forth and even that is a cloudy memory. As I hear more and more about him, I became more sad that this awesome person did so much and yet I remember so little about him. I still look up at the sky hoping that my grandpa is looking over me watching and helping me make the right choice. I never had the courage to talk about my grandpa until I was told how proud he would be to hear my words, and that finally gave me the courage to talk about him.

I chose this song because it helps me remember that I will see my grandpa and I can tell him my life story and how importation family is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWfFm-fsXIc

-Mason Araki

Learning to Love Our Failures

In life we must be willing to fail and be embarrassed because failing can sometimes lead us to success. We all hate failing and being embarrassed because no one likes being made fun of or feeling less than others. I personally have never liked failing or being embarrassed because it always made me feel less than other people and in a way not as good as other people. Even doing the smallest thing I sometimes felt like people would be judging me which would lead me to feel embarrassed and made fun of. It has taken me a very long time from caring about what others say and think about me, to not really caring about what others have to say about my failures in life. I have come to realize that no matter who you are we all will fail at some point in our lives and will learn to overcome it. Anyone who is successful has failed to get to where they are today, and from failing and being judged by others they still have managed to follow their dreams. So why should we have to feel embarrassed by our failures when everyone else is failing at some point too and are going to feel the same way as you? Instead, why don’t we embrace our failures because our failures are what make us who we are. In the end we don’t lose anything from failing, but instead we gain knowledge and learn from our failures so why not embrace them? We just need to have hope and courage to continue after these failures in our lives.


-Keara Clark

Take a Risk and One Day You Will Succeed

When you have the courage to take a risk you are more likely to succeed at something you love. If you love what you do, you work ten times harder to get better and go higher in the profession or sport you love. You wake up excited to do what you love to do. If you hate going to work or hate something that you are forced to do, you slack off and do a poor job. For me, I love doing sports, especially hockey. I love to wake up every morning excited to go to the rink and I always try to get better in order to achieve the next level. If I hated the sport and was forced into something I didn't love I simply wouldn’t try and therefore wouldn’t succeed. Elite athletes all over the world have the courage to leave home at a young age to try to become successful in their chosen sport. For me, I haven't left home yet, but next year I hope to go out of province to pursue hockey and hopefully one day play in Division 1. Some people are scared of a challenge, but that's when I thrive. I need a challenge to make me love it, if it was easy everyone would be successful and hard work wouldn’t pay off. It is proven that hard work pays off and some people are scared of putting in the effort.

My pursuit of hockey has required me to do off season training. This summer my dead lift max was 275 pounds and my goal was to work extremely hard to dead lift 415 pounds by the end of the summer.  Dedicated to working hard, I achieved that goal. I always had the courage and never gave up. Some people are scared of working that hard because it is too tough for them. I love the process of pursuing a goal. I love the feeling that I accomplished something that very few kids my age do. Other people might not set their goals the same way I do, but I know when you have courage and dedication you can thrive at whatever you choose.  While some may be scared of taking on this type of weight lifting challenge because they might be sore the next day or that they don't want to wake up at 5am four to five times a week to go to the gym, I know that hard work pays off. If you don’t have the courage you won't thrive in a sport that many people love. It is proven that the people who work the hardest are more likely to achieve their goals.

-Tyler Davidson

Follow Your Dreams

When it comes to school work I have always been a huge procrastinator because it was so difficult for me and took so much time. I would always rather be listening to music, dancing or hanging out with my family. Growing up with my brothers and sisters I always felt a little bit of pressure. When my siblings went to school, they got straight A’s and took all dash one classes. For me it was different, school was very hard and I would be lucky if I achieved a 70% on a test. This has always made me doubt myself and believe I could not do it. Now that I am coming to the end of my high school years, I worry that I won’t be able to do the things I want in the future. The career I would like to attain is either an LPN nurse or an ultrasound tech, with those I will need higher marks to be accepted into the programs. There is an option for me to complete upgrading at the Lethbridge College in hopes that I will achieve the mark I need and be accepted into the program I choose. So, it is time for me to stop procrastinating, to take charge and be responsible enough to not shy away from things just because they are difficult. Instead, I need to rise to the occasion and put my best effort in. I have found a couple of quotes that I will try to always remember to live by. The first is by Steve Jobs who said, “Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith” The other quote is from Albert Einstein he says, “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal. Not to people or things”. This last quote rings true with the new world of social media and the way things have changed over the years.

-By Tavia Goebelhardt

Importance of Becoming a Better Person

We all want to become a better person. It’s hard going through day by day just trying and nothing is working. I need to become a better person for myself and others. Becoming a better person is great for others, myself, and the environment around me. I have an online friend named Robert who have been good friends for years. Robert had bought Black Ops 4 on his account and that was exciting. I had recently also met another friend named Jacob online and he didn’t pre-order Black Ops 4 because he was very poor, so I felt bad for him. I feel horrible to say it, but at the time I said that he could have my Robert's account, so I gave him the information. Jacob was so happy that he could get the game for free, and I was happy for him yet a part of me was feeling so horrible. A week went by and my mom came home from work and I was crying about talking my best friend's account. My mom had told me “give the account back” and I have never said "okay" as fast as in my entire life. I felt so ashamed for taking his account and I felt even worse when I confirmed with my mom that I did the wrong thing. I realize now that I need to become a better person; I don’t want to be that scum who takes friend's accounts. Hope and courage is important to remember when I feel like something is wrong and I shouldn’t do it. I know now to respect others and to not take items, I feel like I still have so much to learn in order to become a much better person still. I will work on it!

-Taylon Geisel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dCQv3Oa2xY

The Importance, and Challenges of Passion

Passion is an incredibly important trait to have. When one is passionate about what they do, they do it better, and truly enjoy themselves. This is a thing that many struggle to achieve, primarily because passion doesn’t always pay enough. Artists of all kinds seem to have the most issue with this, as it is difficult to get anywhere near a consistent income. Painters, even when famous, don’t make nearly enough while alive to sustain themselves. It takes an enormous amount of courage to follow your passion in these cases, as failure is more likely than not. One must also have hope, hope that they truly can succeed. Without hope, there would be no point to following your passion. There is an article attached that explains the flaws in working for pure passion, and offers solutions using what they call The Hollywood Principle. The Hollywood Principle as they describe it is “no matter how passionate you are about something, nobody cares about it simply because you do” click here to read further.

With the article in mind, one of the glaring hole in the solutions provided, is art. Art definitely follows The Hollywood Principle, and this idea is more punishing for the artist than others. This is what my biggest challenge is for following my passion. I am a storyteller. For years and years I have been coming up with hundreds of thousands of stories for movies, games, TV shows, books, and nearly every other form of entertainment you could think of. I have every single one of them rattling around in my head somewhere, waiting to be put out somewhere. I think of each of these stories as my children, and I truly want to see them flourish. This is my passion, but storytelling won’t pay the bills. Unless I truly get lucky, and manage to tell my stories on my own, I will never get to a point where I can truly make a living off of what I love. I am afraid of The Hollywood Principle, because I don’t know if I can make people care. I think this is what scares any artist who wants to do what they love, whether it be a musician, a painter, or even a writer. We’re so scared that we are willing to put our passion aside to survive, going into careers where we don’t feel fulfilled. I want to follow my passion, and do what I love, but I don’t know if it’s feasible, and I don’t want to regret following my passion.

-Chris Andrews

Soccer has been in my life since I was really little. My brothers played it constantly and I just knew it was going to be my sport. My mom put me in soccer when I was four years old and I played for the Timbits team which was super easy because we just ran and kicked a ball for thirty minutes. When I was seven I was finally able to try out for a competitive team. It took a lot of courage for little seven year old me to show the coaches that I was good. I remember that day it was the most nerve racking, stressful days I have had. My hands were sweaty, my heart was pumping so fast that I could hear it beating. My brother gave me hope and said that if I did not make the team there were always other teams that would want me. I finally got out on the field and saw all these girls who were just staring at me. I almost lost hope and wanted to walk off that field. My brother was just sitting there watching me and I felt like I needed to prove to him that I could do it. It takes a lot of courage to step up and confront something, but with the help and support of someone it makes the situation a lot easier. If it wasn’t for my brother supporting me and pushing me out of my comfort zone I would not be playing soccer today. My brother never lost hope in me, even if I did, he was always there.

I am still so passionate about soccer that nothing else matters. The soccer center is like my second home because I am there everyday whether it is watching a game, playing a game, or even just practicing. I can always count on soccer to give me hope when I am going through a rough time. It calms me and makes me feel happy; I feel relieved from all my stress when I’m there. Everyone has different things that give them hope and courage and mine is soccer. Before every game when I am feeling nervous or anxious I look to social media. Instagram is where I can let my nerves calm down and I can feel less anxious. There are so many videos of my favorite soccer team which is the USWNT it motivates me to play well and gives me hope that we will win our game. I feel hopeful when my favorite player Tobin Heath posts on her Instagram or Twitter because she motivates me to be the best I can be. She shows her strengths and strategies on how she became such an amazing player. I look up to Tobin Heath, as she gives me courage and strength even if I am just looking or listening to her through a screen I am glad we have social media. Without social media it would be hard for me to be motivated when I have a game because if I have no one around me like my brother who lives in Calgary who do I look up to? With social media I can easily YouTube your favorite player and watch their games or listen to an interview over and over again.

-Chanda Heavy Runner

It is very important for people to be able to accept their “flaws and imperfections”. Everybody is beautiful in their own way. There are a bunch of us in this world who pick out all of the small things about ourselves that we feel self-conscious about. This brings down our self esteem and we start to feel less of ourselves, like we are worthless. That can lead to not feeling good enough for anyone and then we start to seclude ourselves from everyone around us. I don't think anyone should pick at themselves like that because it’s just fine to not be “perfect” like a model or barbie doll. All these little things that we dislike about ourselves shouldn’t matter because in other people’s eyes I doubt they see us the way we see ourselves. We shouldn’t hide who we are, instead we should embrace it. As a society we should not let these imperfections change us; we need to learn how to love ourselves more. We were put in this world for a reason and we aren't here forever, so why do we let the little things we think about ourselves get us down. A diamond with a flaw is worth more than a pebble without imperfections. Sometimes we strive so hard for perfection that we forget that imperfection is happiness. Even imperfection itself may have its ideal or perfect state. We are our own kind of perfect.

-Jessie Hirsch

I have hope that in the future we can live in peace without the fear of terrorism and war. Every year it seems like more and more terrorist attacks happen. In today’s society, we live in fear that if we go to a public event like a charity fundraiser or a concert we could be injured or killed in a terrorist attack. This is a problem that occurs  throughout many countries around the world. Many attacks like the 911 attack on the Twin Towers and the Boston Bombing have caused significant disarray on our society. The main reason for this is due to the war that is currently happening between the U.N and multiple groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Qaeda. I have a fear that future generations will have to live in fear every day, and eventually it will not be safe to be outside due to ongoing war that may occur in our own country. Today, we have borders, police, military, and multiple other securities that try to protect us as best as possible from letting terrorists into our country. We are all dealing with this problem together, and we can not push it aside and let someone take care of it for us. We are not losing the war by any means, but we certainly are nowhere near winning it as the war has been going on for a long time and is still happening today. I hope that in the near future, we can all realize that we are responsible and only we can take action. If we can end the war and have both sides equal so their is no more argument between the U.N and the terrorist organizations, hopefully we will one day be able to live without the fear that an attack may happen to us or the people we know.

-Logan Huss

Moving On

How can one person be willing to fail or be embarrassed? Who wants to fail? Nobody wants to fail or be embarrassed, but sometimes it can help yourself and other people. For myself, when I see other people try new things and sometimes fail, I tell myself “Why not try?” Being able to fail is a part of human nature, it is a part of who we are. Knowing there are other people who can fail and be embarrassed can tell you, you are not alone. If you fail, there are millions of people who are the same.

I sometimes struggle with the willingness to failing and being embarrassed. It hurts to fail but in the long run we can learn and grow from it. I’ve failed at many things and I have come to realize its okay. Back then, in the moment, I was ashamed; I was sad and angry at myself because I said "why me?" "Why does this happen to me?" I know now that I am not alone and that being willing to try and fail can go a long way in life and maybe other people’s lives. The most successful people in the world have gone through failure and embarrassment. The people we look up to have gone through that. Failing does not define who we are, it’s about having the courage and hope to push through it and strive to be better in life. Personally, I have tried new things like a new sport or putting myself out there for people to see and I have come to terms with being willing to be embarrassed and fail. It helps me grow as a person and helps me learn new things about myself. We can only succeed through failure. It’s about moving on from what we did, to what we will do in the future.

-Andrew Kashman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9zjMTtf4o0

The link is to the video "Why I Teach My Children To Fail" by Jim Harshaw.

Colourful Passion

Something I am passionate about is art. I love looking at art, I love buying art, but mostly I love making art. For me, art is a get away from the outside world. I’ll plug my headphones in, listen to some music, and let the world fade away, while I wind up creating a new piece. Art is a way I can express myself, a way in which I can push forward when I have a bad day. Just recently one of my pieces got put into a gallery, in a viewing where everyone can see it. To me, I am glad that I was finally able to express myself, and put my hard work out there. Sometimes the difficulties I face are my imperfections and self-criticism that my art isn’t perfect. I think many artists face the same challenge. I usually just push past my negative criticism and accept that art is art. No matter the shape, size, medium, neat or messy it’s beautiful in its own way.

-Emily Kerber

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/hope-and-courage

The above link will take you to some very inspirational pieces of writing...