Throughout her time at Dr. G.W. Williams Secondary School, Grade 12 student Christina Paraskevopoulos has been a dedicated leader both within her school and throughout the wider York Region community.

Earlier this spring, Christina was recognized by Neighbourhood Network and Magna International for her volunteerism with a 2020 Give Back Award and, most recently, she has been singled out by the York Region District School Board (YRDSB) in their Celebrating Student Success program.

One of 16 students to receive such recognition in 2020, Christina is the lone recipient from Aurora, an honour she does not take lightly.

“The award means a lot,” says Christina. “I have had a lot of support from teachers and different students, and I am grateful to have had different opportunities to be able to help out in our community – throughout Aurora and in my school, specifically.”

The YRDSB's Celebrating Student Success program recognizes students for myriad accomplishments and achievements marked by upcoming grads.

“Recognizing the many wonderful and varied accomplishments of YRDSB students is important to our Board and to all of us who value student success in our school communities,” said Juanita Nathan, Chair of the YRDSB. “One way we recognize student excellence is through the annual Celebrating Student Success campaign, which highlights the achievements of students who are representative of the 128,000

students in our system achieving success every day with the support of YRDSB staff.”

Added Louise Sirisko, Director of Education: “They demonstrate leadership and qualities that all of us admire. Their accomplishments reflect persistence and hard work. They have achieved so much and we wish them continued success with the support of our devoted staff and our partnership with our families.”

Christina was nominated for the award by Williams guidance counsellor Mark Fuller, who helps spearhead the school's Peer Mentor program, of which Christina has been a leader.

She was recognized as a “consistent and important contributor to many community events, ranging from food drives to assisting at runs to support charitable causes.”

Her leadership role in continuing a school swabbing drive in aid of Canadian Blood Services' national bone marrow registry, which has helped more than 100 members of the Williams community sign up was also celebrated.

As a leader of the school's Me to We program, Christina was instrumental in collecting more than 1,300 books for organizations in need while also selling rafiki bracelets to raise money for mothers in Africa. Further efforts in a school food drive this past fall resulted in collecting more than 1,000 food items for the Aurora Food Pantry while also raising money for under-supported areas in Kenya through bake sales.

“I joined our peer mentor group in Grade 10,” says Christina. “I was first exposed to our peer mentor group in Grade 9 and I loved the impact they had on me; it definitely made school feel more welcoming and I wanted to be able to do the same thing for the new Grade 9s in the years after. When I joined, I stayed involved through the years and was able to become one of the head mentors this year. We helped organize our meetings and different initiatives we all take part in. One of my favourite initiatives I have been a part of through the years is the swabbing drive. Unfortunately, we weren't able to have it this year [due to school closures resulting from COVID-19], but it means a lot to me because I had an uncle pass away from blood cancer when I was very young and this has always been an initiative that is very important to me.

“For as long as I can remember, I have always loved helping others and helping out where I can do different things. I know I am thankful for everything I have in my life and I am very happy for a lot of things. Being able to take my time or any resources I may have and bring them to our community or to other people who may need some help or just to raise awareness for other important issues. It just means a lot to me and it means a lot to see how our volunteering effects these groups positively.”

As she prepares to finish Grade 12, Christina is looking forward to a post-secondary career at the University of Western Ontario for a combined degree in science and Honours Business Administration at the Ivey School of Business.

By Brock Weir