WINNIPEG — Bethel Tekleyohans is a student on the go. Graduating this year from Kildonan-East Collegiate her plate is full with numerous volunteer activities. An area she feels very passionate about.
At school, she’s involved in the Best Buddies program where she assists students with physical and mental challenges by providing support, encouragement or even friendship to them.
Her love of helping kids started at a young age. When she was in middle school there was a visit from the Movement Centre of Manitoba’s executive director Margy Nelson.
“I was asked to go over to Bethel’s school and do a presentation to the students on charitable organizations in the neighbourhood,” said Nelson. “I went out and spoke to a group of kids, and I thought I’ll bring some information, and clip my card which had my email.”
The next day Nelson received an email from a then grade eight student, Bethel who was asking about volunteering.
That began a long relationship that is still going strong.
“I just think it’s a wonderful opportunity and you learn so many new things and I feel like whatever you give back you receive back the same thing,” said Tekleyohans.
“It’s just a wonderful experience I like volunteering it’s really rewarding.”
Bethel also keeps busy as an ambassador for the Foundation for Student Science and Technology (FSST) where the group helps organize science based events for students that are interested.
“I also get to network with students across Canada, we get to skype them,” said Bethel. “I met a girl from Quebec, she goes to University in Montreal and you get to learn about different science careers and different paths to take.”
Bethel also tutors other students at Frontier College, all the while keeping up excellent grades in her own classroom.
As a child of parents that immigrated to Canada, Bethel also sees a future trip to their home country of Ethiopia where she’s anxious to pay it forward.
“Something like an orphanage, or a shelter something to help out or some way to create jobs for students,” said Bethel.
“Something that would benefit families or any kind of program, anything developing like that because I really want to give back.”
And the odds are, she’ll definitely make that happen.
Bethel will attend the University of Manitoba in the fall with her focus in the faculty of science.