WHITBY -- When we met with Sanya Manchada to ask her 10 questions she was just able to squeeze the interview into her busy schedule between a science lab and a math test. And school is not the only thing that keeps her busy. Sanya is a Grade 12 student at Anderson C.V.I. who was recently awarded the YMCA Peace Medallion for Durham Region for her involvement with a multitude of causes and fundraising efforts. She has been part of many groups including the HIV/AIDS Committee, Amnesty International and the Gay-Straight Alliance. She is also the co-editor of her school newspaper and student council president.
1. What is a day in your life like
I get up in the mornings, go to school and at around lunch-time I go to some meeting about one of the volunteer things I do. We organize something or talk about some event that is going to come up and we talk about who is going to do what so we can get it all together. Then, it's school again. And then I go home, do my homework and do a bit more volunteer stuff that I can relate to what we did at school. Then sleep (laughs)
2. Why do you get involved with the causes you work with
I think it's really important for everyone to realize we're not alone in the world and we have to help other people. Just because something doesn't affect you, doesn't mean it won't affect someone you know or a friend of a friend, or someone that your parents know. It's important for us to realize as people, as humans, we have a duty to help others because that's one of the few things that make us who we are. So it's really important for everyone to do the best we can to help others.
3. How do you balance it all
I keep an agenda and I actually use it, unlike most people my age. I just do my best to take one day at a time and try to plan as much as I can so that I can get everything done and still stay on top of school and volunteer stuff, as well as going out with my friends and making sure they're all right.
4. What is your favourite volunteer activity
I don't really have one because I think every cause is important and to say one cause needs more attention isn't always right. I know there are more urgent causes and then there are causes that happen over the long term but everything is important. And anything we do for any cause is important to chip away at it.
5. What has been your biggest challenge throughout your volunteer experiences
I think for every volunteer event I've helped run I think it's really hard when you are actually the person being in charge of leading the whole group because leading itself is hard. You have to make sure you have the respect of everyone involved, that everyone is actually committed enough to do what they said they were going to so everything is coming together well. Because if one person on the team isn't pulling their own weight it kind of falls apart so you have to make sure everything is being done properly. Like last year I helped organize the HIV/AIDS carnival at my school and it was really hard because we didn't have a lot of people running it and people left all the time so we didn't always have commitment. It was difficult to get things together and keep it all together. Keeping a team together is the hardest thing.
6. What do you do in your spare time
I like to write. I write fiction, mostly fantasy and I sing and I read a lot. I just try to enjoy myself, keep it slow and relaxed because the rest of my life is all fast-paced and everything. It's nice to get alone time.
7. What would you tell other youth to encourage them to get involved
I think it's important that everyone needs to find something they're passionate about whether it directly helps someone like volunteering or if it's going to be a more indirect way of helping someone like being a teacher or writing a book about self-confidence. It's important to find some way to contribute to society so we can make our own path. It's really important for everyone to find a passion so they can make their own life better, make their life fuller and help everyone around them.
8. What was it like to win this award
It was very nerve-wracking and kind of scary because I've never won anything that big before. I was nervous about it and I really didn't think that we needed the ceremony because it was fun, but I'm just not the kind of person who does ceremonies and dressing up. But there were a lot of people who worked hard for it and I really appreciated all that they did. We had nice speakers and my friends were there and some of my teachers, so it was really fun.
9. What's next for you
I hope to go to university next, probably in the science and psychology side of things. I hope to go to Queen's or McMaster.
10. Why have you chosen science
Well, I want to keep helping people and I've been told I am good at listening and helping people work through things so I am thinking of going into psychiatry. That way, I can continue to help people more on a one-on-one basis so that I can get more out of it personally as well and kind of help myself grow and keep growing throughout my life.