When she was in Grade 9, Cheyenne Henderson took a one-week trip that changed her life.
In February 2012, through the Society for Educational Visits and Exchanges (SEVEC), she stayed with a family in Sherbrook, Quebec.
鈥淚 was going into an unknown world, staying with unknown people, at an unknown person鈥檚 house for a week,鈥� explained the Grade 11 student from Jasper Junior/Senior High School.
That experience gave her a different outlook on Canada鈥檚 cultural differences, and caused her to reconsider her post-secondary plans. She shifted her focus from English to pursuing a career as a French immersion teacher, and with that shift in focus, she was able to pursue different exchanges through her school.
鈥淚t started off as a linguistic exchange to improve my French, and to accustom myself to a lifestyle in French, and it ended up changing my life in a way that I couldn鈥檛 have imagined,鈥� she said.
In November, Henderson was elected vice-president of SEVEC鈥檚 youth advisory committee. The position is an honour, considering more than 5,000 young people participate in the program each year, and the committee itself is made up of only 20 from across the country.
Henderson first joined the committee the same year she finished her exchange, after encouragement from Jasper Junior/Senior High School鈥檚 assistant principal Fred Kreiner.
With no real expectations of being selected, she wrote a 250-word essay describing her experiences with the program. Looking back, Henderson admits a lot of her motivations stemmed from the free Ottawa trip committee members get to take each year for the annual general meeting.
When she was selected, it totally surprised her, she admitted. But after spending time on the committee, she became even more impressed with and passionate about SEVEC. Part of it was the connections and friendships she made with other committee members, but more than that she grew to really appreciate the program itself.
鈥淪EVEC almost became a passion for me; it really became something I thought was useful to youth. We connect youth all over the country. And, you know, living in someone else鈥檚 house for a week is very intimidating, but through SEVEC we make it easier for students,鈥� she explained.
This year her two-year term on the committee was set to finish, but Henderson wasn鈥檛 quite ready for that.
鈥淚 figured I didn鈥檛 want it to be my last year; I didn鈥檛 want to leave,鈥� she said.
At the committee鈥檚 annual general meeting in Ottawa this November, Henderson, gunning for vice president, took on every responsibility she could.
On the group鈥檚 advocacy day, she met with members of the Canadian government to promote the program. She said rubbing shoulders with MPs in parliament鈥檚 back rooms 鈥渨as probably the coolest thing that鈥檚 ever happened to me.鈥�
She was especially star struck, she said, at a meeting with the Honorable Laurie Hawn, a representative from Edmonton.
鈥淚t was definitely something that was shocking. I was thinking 鈥榳ow you鈥檙e actually representing my part of the country. I鈥檓 meeting you and I can thank you for everything you do.鈥� It was pretty cool.鈥�
Trevor Nichols
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