Two Langley students have taken home the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh award.
Lieut. Gov. Judith Guichon presented 44 youth from across B.C., including Langley teens Deepishwar Mangat and Sanjana Saravanan, with the prestigious silver level Duke of Edinburgh award at a ceremony held in Vancouver June 25.
“Youth who achieve the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award demonstrate a commitment to leadership and self-discovery. Participating youth don’t work towards a cash prize, but rather the intrinsic value of challenging themselves by setting goals and then achieving them,” said Sushil Saini, executive director of the BC & Yukon division.
To earn the silver award, candidates must work actively in the four sections of the award program: service to community, development of a skill, physical recreation, and an adventurous journey in nature, working consistently over a minimum of one year.
Sanjana is a Grade 12 International Baccalaureate student attending R.E. Mountain Secondary.
“The Duke of Edinburgh award has been a part of my life for the past four years and I owe it to Ravi Safaya. He is the organizer and leader of YLSBC (Youth Leadership Society of BC). This non profit organization strives to create and shape upcoming leaders through programs such as the Duke of Edinburgh award, public speaking skills, odyssey of the mind etc.," said Sanjana, who delivered a speech on behalf of the winners at the ceremony.
Deepishwar graduated from Mountain Secondary this year in the IB program.
"I have lived all over the world in places such as Dubai, Holland, Glasgow, Trinidad and Tobago and my home town of Chandigarh in India. As a child I moved around a lot ,due to my father's occupation and I loved every bit of it. Since I moved to Canada, however, I have fallen in love with this place as well," said Deepishwar.
"There are so many opportunities for teenagers such as myself. One of those opportunities is army cadets. I am currently a senior at 2277 Seaforth Highlanders of Canada here in Langley. The officers at my corps helped me and guided me on how to go about completing this award."
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a self-development leadership program, available to young people ages 14-24. Achievement is awarded at bronze, silver and gold levels and the award earns the youth two high school credits. To learn more go to dukeofed.org/bc