A Cold Lake student will be among those on the Education Minister’s Youth Council.
Cold Lake High School Grade 12 student Patricia Feng is one of 32 junior and senior high representatives from across the province that were chosen.
While the prospect is a nerve-wracking experience, Feng is excited to participate.
“Coming from Cold Lake, it’s not a super big town obviously and you don’t necessarily feel like your opinions are heard. It’s really cool for me to come from a small town, still have my voice heard, and get that opportunity for my opinion to be listened to and be able to pitch it to them,” she explained.
Once chosen, students spend 10 months of the school year on the council. They provide their perspectives on educational issues, and come from diverse backgrounds and perspectives from across Alberta.
A major topic Feng wants to discuss is diversity and inclusion.
“For me, I’m a visible minority and Cold Lake isn’t necessarily the most diverse place to be, but I think if we can implement policies, even in our schools, or teach in the curriculum, just to get the message out that it’s okay to be different. Obviously, I was different growing up and there wasn’t a whole lot of identification in school. There wasn’t someone I was in school with that was like, ‘oh, that’s someone I could be just because they looked like me.’ So just having that, you can still do this no matter what, but what I think is one of the most crucial core things is that I want to have the ability to talk about it.”
Feng originally heard about the opportunity after a classmate was chosen a few years ago, and decided to pursue it this time around.
During the application process, Feng didn’t let the possibility of not succeeding stop her.
“I was really nervous. I didn’t necessarily think I was going to get it. I thought the worst thing that happens is I don’t get in, but I don’t think that should stop anyone. So I thought I’d try, and if I didn’t get it that’s okay, but I was very fortunate and it did work out,” she expressed.
It was a lengthy process from beginning to end, Feng said, and the interview portion was particularly daunting, as she had never done one previously.
“I was really nervous about what type of questions they would ask, and how to prepare. That in itself was a learning experience.”
At Cold Lake High School, Feng is the current prime minister for the student council. She’s involved with the environment club, book club, and is also a member of the curling team.
Feng has high hopes for when she’s finished in high school. Her dream is to one day work in international relations in the United Nations.
“This council experience is definitely going to help with that. I get to hear different perspectives from all across the province, and just being in that environment where you’re… challenged to think what could be better, what changes should be made, and what things should stay the same is just that kind of stimulating environment that will be good,” she exclaimed.
Even if she hadn’t been chosen to be part of the youth council, Feng stressed that importance of taking the time to learn more even if you aren’t confident you’ll make it.
“I actually learned a lot just applying, which is really good because now I’m applying for scholarships and universities. The application is definitely something that could help you later in life, talking to teachers that can give you references, and even just taking a step back and evaluating yourself and what you value in life. What type of changes do you want to see in your education and community? That reflecting moment was very important to me to think about.”
The first meeting of the youth council is from Oct. 25 to 28 in Edmonton.
