Julia Parenteau is proud of her accomplishments. A Grade 11 student at Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School, she is the school’s student council president and the student trustee of the Sudbury Catholic School District Board.
“I was never athletically inclined in school and was primarily focused on maintaining a high academic average,” Julia said. “However, I felt as though I was capable of leaving a larger impact. I’m someone who constantly wants to better herself and the community around her. By slowly breaking out of my shell, I began to get involved in student politics through student council and the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s student senate.”
Parenteau takes inspiration from looking at herself in the past, and imagining herself in the future. “When I look back on everything I’ve accomplished, I also look back on my young aspiring self who continues to be the reason I do the things I do,” she said. “Every step forward I take today in my journey through high school is walked on a path that my ninth grade self only dreamed of being on. Everything I do is done with the intention of not only making the girl I was three years ago proud, but also who I was everyday that followed proud.
“Every new day is an opportunity to achieve something for ourselves, and what inspires me to do so is my past and my future. I’ll continue to move with ambition towards creating a version of myself so bright that even the person I am now won’t be able to recognize.”
Asked what she considers her greatest success, Julia is quick to answer: time management.
“I consider my greatest success to be maintaining balance within my life. My ability to manage what I’ve achieved wouldn’t be possible without being able to balance all the responsibilities,” Julia said. “Along with planning activities as student council president, fulfilling my responsibilities as student trustee, and maintaining high academics, I also recognize the importance of sustaining my social life and my part-time job.
“Finding harmony in all of the above is crucial to me in order to stay afloat. Having a good balance between everything’s an achievement that I once overlooked, but now have come to celebrate and focus on more.”
When it comes to volunteering, Julia said she does it because she loves it.
“I love the feeling I get,” she said. “For example, when I volunteer with my local church, I enjoy seeing the lovely faces of the grandparents who know me for reading during the mass. And when I volunteer for sporting events at my school, I love that my teachers are able to rely on me to fulfill a role they needed help with. I do it for the feeling I get from being recognized by someone who I possibly wouldn’t have met otherwise if I hadn’t volunteered for certain events. Meeting such a wide range of people has helped me become a part of even more opportunities then I could imagine, and I owe it all to simply getting out there and volunteering wherever I could.”
And as for that drive to get out there and pitch in for her school, her church or her community, Julia credits her parents.
“In the event that I am someday fortunate enough to become a parent, I want to raise my children exactly how my parents raised me. I truly believe that I wouldn’t be who I am today without their unconditional support and love,” she said. “My parents never forced their ideals on me, or tried to box me into a life they thought was best. They allowed me to have my own personal motivation that eventually got me on the path I walk on today. I am grateful for how my parents’ first concern for me has always been my happiness and safety. I’ve been able to break through every personal boundary by not being pressured into fulfilling dreams that aren’t mine.”
Regarding her future, Julia is focused and looks forward to a career in the trades.
“After attending the Jill of All Trades event for women held at Cambrian College, I have definitely been inspired to pursue a career in the trades,” she said. “I’m drawn to the vast possibilities offered by the trades for my post-secondary education as I am more of a hands-on person and captivated by the practical applications in the various fields. My knack for problem-solving and preference for creating tangible solutions fuels my desire to pursue a trade, but the decision on which field to specialize in remains an unknown for me.
“However, I am excited and continuing on my journey of learning and taking advice from the experienced women in trades in hopes of finalizing my own decision.”
Julia Parenteau’s words of inspiration:
“In a world where limitations often seem like they are set in stone, it’s important to remember that barriers are often illusions made by the insecurities of ourselves and others. Life challenges might appear insurmountable, but they are the stepping stones to greatness. The potential within each and every person stretches far beyond what we perceive as limits. Embrace challenges, persevere through difficulties, and venture into the unknown — for within those challenges lies the opportunity to realize that every seemingly impossible barrier is just a milestone waiting to be conquered.”
“The sky was never the limit.”
James Stewart is a writer in North Bay. Inspire is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
