I grew up far away from my current home in Vancouver. My parents, Mauro and Gertrude Dsouza, made their home in Bangalore, India, and my childhood was filled with storybooks, swimming pools, piano classes and ballet lessons. Not to forget about school! 

“Hi, my name is Gabriela Pariseau and I am an American pro-life Catholic.”

Scrolling through my Facebook the past two months as the terrible scandals in the Catholic Church unraveled, my news feed was filled with commentary both disturbing and sad.

In my short lifetime, I have already seen three popes preside as the head of our Church. 

Whenever someone asks me what I study in school, my heart always sinks a bit. 

Two years ago, I started volunteering at my church’s youth group. My role was to teach the students, mentor them and listen to them. 

When I was five and people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said I wanted to be the first female prime minister of Canada. 

This summer is a time of change in my life as I move from high school to university. It is also the end of my time as a Youth Speak News reporter. As I begin my new journey in life, it it a good time to reflect on what this past year has meant to me.

I was watching a comedy special by Chris D’Elia the other day where he joked about marriage and it really got me thinking. 

If anyone had asked me last summer about my plans after graduation, I would have said that I was going to move to the U.S. to complete a one-year postgraduate fellowship with a giant media company.