Inspiring Futures: AboutFace Scholarship Program

Before I participated in AboutFace programs such as Family Day and Camp Trailblazers, I was just an average kid, going to school, hanging out with my friends, and completing my homework. The only thing that made me stand out from the world was my Apert Syndrome. While I, myself, have not had to deal with staring, teasing, and bullying like I know many kids with facial differences do, I still feel a sense inside me that I should use my career to educate people.

I want to educate people about facial differences and many other minority groups who have had to deal with hard times in the past just because they have a facial difference, they follow a different religion, or are raised within a different culture. To me, multiculturalism is what defines Canada on the world stage. Our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms signals to the world that we are proud of being a multicultural country. However, what we have today does not change the past and the horrible events that have targeted specific ethnicities/religions. What if there was a future genocide that targeted people just because they have a facial difference? I know that I do not want an event like that to happen, and from my education, I also know that a person’s hate or fear of a certain ethnicity or culture comes from a lack of education. This creates a connection with my future career plan to become a teacher. As a teacher, I will educate students about the horrible events and other difficulties that many different cultures and religions have had to face in the history of the world.

At Camp Trailblazers, I have heard many stories from my AboutFace friends about the struggles they have faced because of their facial difference. These stories make me realize that theyall started because of an intolerant person who did not fully understand what it means to have a facial difference. I am just one person, but this scholarship has the potential to help me pursue my teaching career plans, and as a teacher, I would be sure to stress the importance of tolerance and how intolerance has led to many problems throughout history and in the present time. With this scholarship, I would be using my teaching lessons to educate the children of the future on the importance of being tolerant and respectful to one another, regardless of facial appearance, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. Stereotypes exist because of intolerance, and my education would benefit from this AboutFace Scholarship.

Thank you for your support of AboutFace, it helps students like me embark on a career path to help change the world.

- Jade