Cate – Malawi Study Trip 2009

Cate is an Accounting and Management Technology student who originates from Haiti. She loves sports and is interested in biking and playing basketball. She is also interested in learning new languages and loves to discover new cultures. She likes to understand how other people perceive the world and how they might view things from a completely different perspective than hers. Furthermore, her personality is best described as calm and peaceful as she is a very kind and respectful person. Cate’sgreatest quality is keeping cool, calm and collected when facing challenges. She finds ways to overcome obstacles without stressing and is able to maintain her calm.

Additionally, when she found out about this project Cate knew it was a great opportunity to give back to the world, since sheknows how hard it is to be in a helpless situation: “When I was younger our house got burned and we lost everything in the fire, people helped us a lot to get through this situation…so, this is the chance I have to help others and give something back”.Cate hopes this experience will lead her to develop new skills such as improving her leadership and her capability to understandother people’s views. She believes that she is ready for what is to come due to the difficult situations she lived while living in Haiti.

Moreover, she is expecting this project to have an impact and create awareness at Vanier, and get people to take action by participating in programs like this one. She truly believes that if young people get involved and take action today, tomorrow they will not commit the same mistakes as the leaders that are in power now. “I think it is everybody’s duty to do something, because if everybody says ‘Oh, it’s someone else’s duty’, we will never get anything done…My final goal is to return the help that people once gave me. If I can use myskills to make somebody’s life better, I will definitely do it, people have given to me and so, I want to do the same for others”

Click on the link below to see more pictures of Cate

http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/international-education/projects/vefa/malawi/cate/index.html