by Steph Troughton
When last summer's B.C. teachers' strike stopped students from attending summer school, Grade 12 North Delta student Tejas Saggi and his friends were desperate to find another activity.
Saggi was planning to get ahead by taking Math 12 over the summer to get it "out of the way" before the new school year started.
The absence of academic activity motivated the 16-year-old and some fellow Grade 12 students to organize a youth conference aimed at high school students hoping to learn more about careers they want to pursue.
On March 14 at Douglas College in New Westminster, the student-inspired one-day conference Youth Achieving Success will bring together eight panelists who will speak about their careers in everything from law and finance to policing and game design. Secondary school conference attendees will also be able to partake in a number of workshops scheduled throughout the day.
"We know electronic arts, for example, is huge in Vancouver," said Saggi.
Those who attend will also have a chance to win a scholarship for their post-secondary studies. The conference executive committee will provide all attendees with a link where they can find out more about applying for the award. Those in greatest financial need will be given priority, said Saggi. A winner will be announced on the website approximately two months after the conference.
Hoping to pursue a law career after graduation, Saggi said he and his committee members are convinced their conference will be a success as some of the inquiries they have received have come from first- and second-year university students struggling with the question of what subject(s) to major in.
"The information that is out there doesn't give you a sense of what people do on a day-to-day basis," Saggi said.
To learn more about the conference or register ($20 per person) for the event, visit www.yasconference.org