Sophia Short is about to get the chance of her life to date. The 15-year-old Homelinks student will be Creston’s only representative in a group of B.C. students who will travel to Beijing, China, for a weeklong international student summer camp.
The camp will include about 50 B.C. students, seven of which are School District No. 8 (Kootenay Lake) students. A total of 23 countries will be represented. Local teacher Chris Brauer will be among the teacher-chaperones for the B.C. group.
Sophia said she first learned about the educational camp when she got an email from her vice-principal at Homelinks.
“I had to write about why I would be a good candidate,” she said.
That was in February and in April she got an email that she had been shortlisted for an interview. For her interview in Nelson she created a PowerPoint presentation about how globalization can help break down stereotypes.
“By the time I got home to Creston I had an email waiting that said I had been selected to go,” she said.
Bright and self-confident, Sophia doesn’t appear daunted that she will be travelling to an unfamiliar country with students she doesn’t know. She plans to create a video documentary of her experience, to show at her school and to other community groups.
“I want to go to film school when I graduate, so this will be a great asset on my resumé,” she said.
To help prepare for the trip, she plans to take a digital photography course at College of the Rockies.
Students leave for Beijing on July 12, with a flight change in Tokyo on the way. They return on July 21.
Tours to a number of Chinese historical and cultural sites are scheduled, including a visit to the Great Wall of China.
“I am fascinated with Chinese culture and it’s one of the world’s oldest civilizations, so this is a great educational opportunity,” Sophia said.
Sophia said she will raise the requisite $2,000 with the help of her mother, Deborah, and her classmates, who are helping out with a car wash that will be held on May 11 at Classic Glass.