BRAMPTON - Central Peel Secondary School student Ritika Kalia is described as a gifted, creative, funny and empathetic person. The Grade 10 student maintains a 90 per cent academic average while remaining extremely involved in the community inside and outside her school. As an elementary school student, she coordinated fundraising to buy school supplies for women in Afghanistan; helped solve problems between students as a peer mediator; helped organize assemblies on bullying, Black History Month and South Asian Month; wrote for the school newspaper; raised awareness about different cultures through the Multicultural Club; donated toys and food for Christmas charities; worked on the yearbook; and sang in the choir. In Grade 9, she participated in the Vow Of Silence- an effort to raise money and awareness for the less fortunate children in society whose voices are not being heard. Ritika managed to raise more than $200 and donated it to Free the Children. The money was used to build clean water sanitation for a village, provide the opportunity for a child to go to school and buy health care supplies. This year, the teenager participated the Gulu Walk, an international event to raise awareness and funds for the children affected by civil war in Uganda. She attended an HIV/AIDS conference and joined with schoolmates to make a presentation on the issue to students at Central Peel. She is part of Central Peel's Diversity Club, which promotes diversity and multiculturalism. Ritika is also a member of the World Issues Club and serves as a representative on the Student Activity Council (SAC). In the future, Ritika hopes to travel to a developing country on an aid mission.
Print this article
Email this article
