Student’s film leads to opportunity
Ashort film Ottawa student Alexandra Pipe prepared on the effects of water pollution earned her a scholarship to study environment issues in Central America.
The Grade 11 student at Elmwood School was awarded a Global Citizen Scholarship by EF Educational Tours to attend the 10-day Global Student Leaders Summit in April in Costa Rica.
Alexandra is one of 10 Canadians to win the scholarship and she will join 10 American high school students at the summit.
The students will examine Costa Rica’s rich and diverse ecosystems and study its environmental policy initiatives.
The participants also will celebrate Earth Day and hear speeches by former U.S. vice-president Al Gore, former Costa Rican president Dr. Oscar Arias, a 1987 Nobel Peace Prize winner, and environmental advocate Severn Cullis-Suzuki, daughter of Canada’s David Suzuki.
Organizers, who received hundreds of applicants from students across North America, provide flights and accommodation for the students.
“I did the film because I have seen pollution in the lakes around the cottage that I went to,” said Alexandra, 16.
“I was interested in that and seeing how it affected everything around it and how in some places it is worse than here and that we have to do something about it.”
Alexandra said she has always been interested in environmental issues and is considering working in that area sometime in the future.
“I always enjoyed learning about the environment and animals and I’ve been a vegetarian for a long time.
“I feel we can all do a little to clean up our environment. It’s not always easy to do, but I think by educating people more it will make our earth a little more sustainable,” she said.
Alexandra is looking forward to travelling to Costa Rica, a country she has never visited and to meeting Gore and Cullis-Suzuki, the featured speakers.
“If I get a chance to meet them, I will say they have inspired many people to start global change and sustainability.
“And they have inspired me to at least to do better in the world. I want to come back with ideas and ways to better improve myself and my community,” she said.