Every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together
– Paul Ryan
Me and most of my friends during Highschool. My friend group is incredibly diverse. Every year, Me, and my friends that I met locally, always try to make transfer students and immigrating students feel welcome. Considering that a majority of my friend group came from immigrant families, we thought that this action was a given. We bring them to places that we thought they would like, introduce authentic food, and do random sports. We try to keep in contact with our friends that eventually go back to their home country, making sure that we don’t lose that connection. This is one part of what I consider my community. Diverse, unique, and welcoming.
Vancouver, Canada, is the first place that I’ve been to outside of my home country, Philippines. Immigrating here with my family was a difficult but fun journey. When I moved here, I was amazed by the beauty of the place. I loved the scenery, the culture, and the people. I felt that almost everyone was welcoming. I often bike with friends and some people I met during my biking trips. These people introduced me to places I otherwise wouldn’t be able to go to by myself. Vancouver has a lot of bikers, and they contribute to creating a fun, and enjoyable community.
During high school, I have been a part of a handful of clubs. The most profound club that I have been in was the Robotics club. This community allowed me to express my desire to innovate and to collaborate. In the First Robotics Competition, I met a lot of like-minded people. These included the people I worked with and competed against. We participated in 2 competitions during my high school year, both of which are regional events. I am incredibly thankful for this community, the people, my teammates, and my mentors, as they allowed me to flourish in this environment. An innovative, and creative community.
One of the most important things to me, is family. In what I consider my community, family is in the center. Both my parents have been around to support me in everything that I do. The same can be said for my close relatives. Moving to Vancouver, what I consider family expanded. The immigrant community has become a part of my close family. Although not blood-related, the help they have provided to aid us settle is a lot. For this reason, I consider this action as one of the main attributes of my community. A warm, and helpful, community.