15–20 Years Old (Senior)

Simon is a 19 year old boy who speaks six different languages including Kinyamulenge, Kirundi, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, English and French. His love for music and his strong leadership skills have led him to participate in many performances in his local community and school. He lists piano, guitar and vocals as his three interests. Living with his parents and younger siblings, Simon is relied upon for translation and, at times, decision making. Showing respect to your parents and not talking back are two important values Simon communicates during his videos. When using Facebook, Simon’s language of choice is Swahili. However, when speaking with friends in the Congo, he uses mainly Kinyamulenge with some French and English. Although he could complete school this year, he plans to do an additional year of Secondary school to improve his marks for university.

Rashida is a 16-year-old learner who is from Syria. She loves to read books and writing. Her favourite subject is Math. She has five brothers and three sisters, and she states that she is the fourth child in the family. She also explaines that she does not have any other relatives in Canada, it is just her immediate family who are in Canada. Rashida seems to have a good understanding of the situation in Syria. She shares traumatic experiences that she experienced in Syria, but she remains resilient and courageous, and desires to convey a message and express the struggle so others can understand the lived experiences of the Syrian people. In the future, Rashida wants to work in media. If she does not get to work in media, she would love to be an architect. Her favourite holiday celebration is Eid. She also expresses her gratitude for those who have helped her with her English skills.

Carissa is an 18-year-old international student, who was born in the Northwest of China in the city of Xinjiang. However, she currently calls Guangzhou her home. Before entering a pre-university Foundation programs to improve her English language proficiency, Carissa has spent three years studying in a high school in Vancouver, Canada. She speaks Mandarin and English, and is able to understand some Cantonese due to her experience of living in Guangdong province where Cantonese instead of Mandarin is commonly used. Learning English is of great significance to Carissa. In the video, Carissa mentions that English language proficiency is important to her not only for getting higher grades, but also to connect with people socially and emotionally. Her friendships with other students from China are also very important to her. Carissa loves physical activities such as basketball, swimming, tennis and badminton and being physically healthy is important to her.

Daisy is 18 years old and she was born in the Zhejiang province in China. She completed her first two years in a high school in the Zhejiang province before moving to Canada to study Grade 12. Daisy considers Mandarin and her local language from the Zhejiang province to be her first languages. She can also understand the dialect of Hangzhou as she lived there for 13 years. Daisy considers all her languages to be very important to her life. She uses Mandarin to connect with her Chinese friends, and she feels that she can express her feelings more easily through Mandarin. With her grandparents who do not know much Mandarin, she uses her local Zhejiang language. She also considers English to be very important for her academic life in Canada. In her leisure time, Daisy enjoys watching TV.