Building skills and community

Guest written by Secondary School Co-op Student, Ella Larosa

My name is Ella Larosa. I am seventeen years old and currently attend Notre Dame High School. United Way has partnered with the Niagara Catholic District School board to provide me with an educational working opportunity. United Way is determined to aid those struggling with poverty, discrimination and inequity. With their help, I hope to better understand these challenges and contribute to their mission.

While I have set lofty goals for myself, I recognize that not everyone in our community shares the same opportunities as me. Where I might look at a door and see it opening to the next stage of my career, others might see a barrier. Everyone in Niagara should have the chance to strive for more, and to reach their goals.

I have recently started my grade twelve year and am on the verge of exploring new opportunities in university. With many life-altering decisions soon approaching, having a clear vision of my future is important now more than ever. I have always had a strong passion for writing and dreamt of becoming an author since I was little. As I’ve learned more about the various forms writing can take, my ambitions have expanded. I now aspire to be a novelist, journalist, screenwriter, editor and travel reporter. My desire to become a writer has never faltered but strengthened as I discover more potential career paths.

I intend to explore many different writing positions, as my ultimate goal is to study how society and individuals function to accurately portray human experiences to an audience. To accomplish these goals, I aim to attend Waterloo University for their creative and professional writing program with a co-op beginning in second year. As a prospective traveler, I will utilize that employment opportunity to work abroad; ideally in Italy. Despite being determined to see my ambitions come true, my future is far from clear.

While I have set lofty goals for myself, I recognize that not everyone in our community shares the same opportunities as me. Where I might look at a door and see it opening to the next stage of my career, others might see a barrier. Everyone in Niagara should have the chance to strive for more, and to reach their goals.

I’m excited to take the next steps towards my writing career and discover where I end up. This co-op placement brings me one step closer to achieving my goals, it gives me the opportunity to explore a new writing profession. During my time at United Way, I will investigate the connection between social challenges and the impacts of writing.

My objective throughout this semester is to use writing to spread awareness of the urgent issues that exist in Niagara. Poverty is often the connecting factor between various issues faced by people in our community; it can cause food insecurity, mental health struggles, isolation and addiction. I aspire to analyze the interrelation of these intense issues that impact people across Niagara. The opportunity to examine these issues from an up-close perspective is one of the many reasons I was initially attracted to United Way.

They understand that these issues are not singular, but complex and interwoven with one another. To resolve one struggle, we must combat them all. I am honoured and excited to be a part of this team, as I more accurately understand the impact we can make together.

United Way is a team of hardworking individuals partnered with supportive organizations and agencies that fight every day to improve living conditions in our community. They understand that these issues are not singular, but complex and interwoven with one another. To resolve one struggle, we must combat them all. I am honoured and excited to be a part of this team, as I more accurately understand the impact we can make together.