by Kayla Miller
Kayla recently won first place the essay below, in her high school Techsploration competition. With her permission, her essay is being reprinted this week for the High Tides Blog post.
“I’m not going to limit myself just because people can’t accept the fact that I can do something else,” (Dolly Parton, 2010). Hello, my name is Kayla Miller, I am a grade nine student attending Hants North Rural High School and I would like to express why I believe I am a good candidate for my school's Techsploration team. I choose the quote above not only because I think it represents the idea around Techsploration but because I think Dolly Parton is great inspiration to women and girls all across the globe. She didn’t have it easy growing up but now she is a very successful singer, she shows me and many other people that your path is chosen by you, not by what people expect of you.
I have been playing school volleyball for three years now, two out of those three years I have been my team captain, as well as assistant captain for my club team in the 2022-23 season. I include this because I think it shows my skills in leadership, and my ability to work as a team. I’ve always been able to work well with others and I’m open minded, allowing me to take other ideas into consideration and follow through with a final product that works for everyone. In saying that, I have also been known to be very opinionated, and I will stand up for myself, others and what I believe in any chance I get. I strongly believe in equality and Techsploration gives me an opportunity to put those beliefs to use and help promote women everywhere.
2019, marked thirty years since the Montreal Massacre. I remember sitting in my nans living room while she told me about this tragedy, and that's when I realized I wanted to make a difference. On December 6th, 1989, a man armed with a semi-automatic weapon entered a Mechanical engineering class at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal. He proceeded to open fire on only the women in the room, killing fourteen of the young women attending that class, and wounding thirteen others, (“Q&A: Ecole Polytechnique Tragedy (Montreal Massacre)”. In a suicide note, the shooter blamed feminists for ruining his life, and listed other, well-known women he would have killed if he had not run out of time. Even now just writing about this angers me, I think that anyone should have the right to work in occupations they so wish, without dealing with harassment or discrimination. Techsploration opened my eyes and helped me learn that I can help change this problem instead of sitting around and waiting for someone else to.
Techsploration gives me the opportunity to explore trades and if it's something I would be interested in. I really look forward to meeting some of the amazing role models and take inspiration from them as I continue to advance in highschool and figure out my path. I wouldn’t be as strong minded as I am today without my mom. Over the past few years specifically she's really inspired me, even just from sitting in my room and listening to her stand up to and for her work colleagues. I will forever be grateful for her as she showed me not to accept the bare minimum and never let anyone push me around.
In conclusion, I do really appreciate the opportunity to be a part of this program. Between my leadership skills and my passion to stand up for what I believe in, I believe I would be a good addition to my team. I really hope to make a difference and push for a bigger and brighter future, so generations of girls to come don’t have to fear pursuing the career they are most passionate in.
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