My Life Goals
Growing up I have felt that I’ve lived the life of an average Canadian kid. I loved playing and watching hockey, always rooting, and will always be rooting, for the Leafs. It’s a love-hate relationship, sometimes. I listened to my parents, and did the best I could in school. Like others, I wanted to shoot hoops and hang out with my friends instead of always studying for a big test. Or I would be consumed with gaming on my phone, when I should be doing something important, like writing this essay to apply for a scholarship. (My high score on Bouncy Hoops is 368, by the way).
In many ways, I’m your typical teenager. However, if there is one way in which I may be distinguished from my peers, it is my profound love of history. My passion for history has led to many remarkable opportunities for me. It took me across the Atlantic Ocean to Vimy, France to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. It also helped me get involved with my community by going to the Legion, and participating in the Sam Sharpe Gala. You may already know that Sam Sharpe had raised the 116th Battalion out of Uxbridge during the First World War. I also participated in the Vimy 100 walkathon.
Two years ago, when I was a naive Grade 10 student learning to survive in the halls of Uxbridge Secondary School (USS), I heard an announcement over the public address system. It said, “[T]o all students interested in World War I and World War II history, there is a meeting in the library at lunch.” I had always been interested in the World Wars, especially since my Great Grandfather fought in the Second World War. Thinking that this was perhaps a history club, I decided to check it out. I wasn’t very involved in the school at the time, so I thought that this was a great way to meet others who shared my love of history. What I didn’t know is that this “meeting” would be the catalyst for one of the best moments that I’ve had in my lifetime.
Walking into the library I sat down and the teacher, Mrs. MacDonald, told all of us gathered that day that this wasn’t just a meeting. She told us that she and the school board had put together a trip that would take fifty-four students to attend the commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April of 2017. Immediately I knew that I wanted to go on the trip.
Well, the promise of the trip soon came to a halt. That year there was a strike that had us out of school for six weeks. Planning meetings about the trip stopped and I was despondent thinking that the trip had been cancelled. It wasn’t until October of the following year that I heard about another meeting regarding the trip planned to pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. This would be an amazing opportunity to honour the thousands of Canadians left behind on foreign soil.
A parents’ meeting was held on October 14, 2015. I remember the date vividly because it was Game 5 of the American League Divisional Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers. I watched Jose Bautista - also known as Joey Bats - hit his 3-run bomb deep into the stands, and then ran to USS. Out of breath yet still pumped up about the Jays, I learned that the trip was still on, and that night I was fortunate enough to secure my spot on the trip. (Update, 510 is my new high score on Bouncy Hoops. Still not bragging).
Over the next year, we did many activities throughout the community. We went to visit the Uxbridge Legion, where we had the honour of meeting some of the Veterans and listened to their stories. They would be accompanying us on our trip to France. We did a walkathon to raise money for the trip, where we learned about different soldiers who fought in the Great War, some of whom had attended USS themselves. The Vimy 100 group hosted the Remembrance Day Assembly for our school. Each student who had committed to the trip made a poster to describe what the soldiers' sacrifices meant to them. We then lined the halls, holding up our expressions of gratitude as the Veterans walked by us to the Assembly. I had chills watching the Vets read our statements.
We also held the Sam Sharpe Gala at the school in April of 2016. Over 200 people attended the gala, where students presented monologues to try and bring to life the feeling of having been a soldier in the First World War. Many were no older than I am now. Many were younger still.
Every Friday the Sam Sharpe club met in the library to plan for the trip and to gather research about the veterans who fought in the battle of Vimy Ridge. Each student would have to represent a veteran when they were overseas. All of it was done to raise money for the trip. When the trip finally came, it felt like a lifetime had passed since that first lunch meeting.
The trip was nothing short of amazing. You simply can’t prepare yourself for how much seeing those battlefields will affect you. The most significant event for me was going to the Dieppe beaches, where my great grandfather, Bill Orser, fought in the Second World War. August 19, 2017 - a day before my 18th birthday - will be the 75th Anniversary of the Allied Forces’ raid on Dieppe. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to retrace my great grandfather’s footsteps by stepping onto the beaches of Dieppe. I am the first of my family to have had that privilege.
This trip to Vimy, Dieppe, Somme and other battlefields cemented my choice to study history in University. I always knew that I wanted to do something that involved history or sports when I grew up. In truth, I aspired to be a T-Rex when I was a child, but the closest scientists have come to recreating dinosaurs is engineering a chicken to grow a dinosaur’s snout. This actually happened - I’m not making this up! So, unless a real life Jurassic Park happens, I’ll gladly stick with history.
Over the years, I have learned about how certain events have changed the course of history, and that is what interests me the most about the subject. I’m amazed that one small ripple in the pond that is the history of the world might have meant the present day could be so different. What if young Adolf Hitler were accepted into the Vienna School of Art? Would there have been another catalyst for the Second World War? Would my great grandfather have been spared the horrors of war?
Or what if the meteor that killed the dinosaurs had completely missed the earth? How might things have been different? I might be a T-Rex right now if that had happened! We still don’t know if this theory of historical change is completely true. Another component of history is testing theories and thinking critically to piece together stories based on evidence. These are just some of the reasons that I love reading, thinking about, and exploring history, and why is such an important area to study.
I also have a practical side, thankfully. Could I get a job with a history degree? Maybe, but it is pretty much unlikely. That led me to consider something else I love just as much as history: sports. Growing up I played hockey, baseball, soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. You name it, I probably played it. Anyone who watches sports with me knows that I can get emotional. For example, I cried when the Leafs blew their 4-1 lead in Game 7 of the 2013 playoffs against the Boston Bruins. So, I began to research how I could bring together my love for history and sports.
It was after talking to some people that my mom knew that I was introduced to the profession of sports law. A sports lawyer can either work for a firm and become a sports agent, or work for an organization/team. In that second setting, the job is to make sure that all the team’s contracts are on solid legal ground and that they comply with provincial and federal law.
I also have learned that law schools will generally only consider people who already have one degree under their belt. I decided that the two best subjects for me to take in school is a major in history, with a minor in law. Following that, I plan to apply to law school to become a sports lawyer. What is even better is that Ryerson is getting a Law School in 2020, a year before I finish my undergraduate degree. I could potentially stay at Ryerson and continue my studies.
With these components coming together, I hope that I can provide the best opportunities for myself, my family, and my community. The community of Uxbridge has done nothing but give me full support throughout my life growing up there. By going to University and getting a degree, I will be able to give back to the community in which I have spent my whole life. For example, if the trips abroad to France to honour our soldiers continue, I will be glad to contribute my time and money to support them. I am certain that other important opportunities to give back will present themselves to me, and I will take them up eagerly.
As for my family, I promised I would take my Dad to Disney once I signed a client to their first big contract (I’m thinking big). However, the most important thing that I can do for my family is to continue their legacy of community service, and to learn more about my family history. The best way I feel that I can achieve this is to take my family to France, walk again in my great grandfather’s footsteps, and hold close the value of freedom we enjoy born of sacrifice made for others.