Gemma Crouch

What education have you taken?

I attended high school in Rivers and am currently in my second year in the Bachelor of Arts program at Brandon University.

What accomplishments are you proud of?

I am proud of:

• being nominated for the Young Women of Distinction honour in Brandon
• teaching English in Peru through the Students Without Borders program last summer
• my World University Service of Canada (WUSC) volunteering
• my involvement with Girl Guides
• helping teach dance
• travelling to Mexico with Guiding as well as to Toronto for the Youth Summit and to Edmonton for Rural Matters Conference.
• being a member of our High School Soccer team at Provincials
• being awarded the Chief Commissioner’s Gold Award and the Commonwealth Award
• belong to the Leo Club.

Tell me about yourself.

I was born in England and went to Secondary School here in Canada. I am now a Permanent Resident and love travelling. I am going back to Peru for four months this summer because I had such a great time last summer. I have an awesome family and great friends and I am very lucky to have so much support from them.

How did you become interested in your field of study?

English was always a strong subject for me and I love writing. I do lots of volunteer private tutoring for the Latin community in Brandon since I speak some Spanish and I love teaching so I think it’s the right field for me. And history is fascinating.

What is your philosophy in life?

Don’t be afraid to take new opportunities that come your way because there is always so much more to learn. Never regret something that made you smile and be the change you want to see in the future. Work hard and play hard.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

I hope to travel the world engaging in Humanitarian efforts supporting myself by teaching English and hopefully becoming fluent in Spanish and maybe Portuguese! Then perhaps I will write a novel about it!

Nominator’s commendation:

“Gemma is currently completing her second year in the Bachelor of Arts Program with a major in English. She is involved with Girl Guides Canada acting as a Guider and, in turn, as a role model for many young women. Gemma is also an active member of the Brandon University World University Service of Canada Club (WUSC) assisting with the planning and implementation of a number of humanitarian events on campus. Some of these events include the Text Book Drives for Better Lives, HIV/AIDS Vigil and Band-AIDS Fundraiser for WUSC’s Bike for AIDS campaign, numerous Fair Trade Awareness campaigns on campus, and many others. As a successful applicant to WUSC’s Students Without Borders Program, Gemma travelled to Peru where she volunteered as an English teacher for three months. Due to her dedication and love for the students there, Gemma was offered a position teaching again this summer in a university setting. Because of her knowledge of the Spanish language, Gemma is also a volunteer English tutor for members of the Brandon community whose first language is Spanish. On top of all of her volunteer contributions, Gemma was awarded the Winnifred Harvey Scholarship in English which is awarded upon recommendation of the English Faculty. Gemma truly has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know and truly touches the lives of those she encounters.”