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. 

When I left high school I told myself university is where I would find a husband. Well, I have one year left of my bachelor’s degree with no husband in sight. 

I grew up always attending Catholic school, from elementary school through university.

Recently I was able to visit Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland, Ont. This site is a national shrine consecrated to the Canadian Martyrs, a group of eight Jesuits who lived in community with the Huron people and who were tortured and killed for their faith. 

I was surprised at how well Wim Wenders summarized the first five years of Pope Francis’  pontificate in his latest documentary, Pope Francis: A Man of His Word. In the end, it truly deepened my admiration for Pope Francis. 

This summer is going to be different than summers in the past. After graduating from Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College a few weeks ago, I have struggled to maintain a strong spiritual life without the regularity of a school and work schedule.