Tanya Randhawa, a Grade 9 student at Seaquam Secondary, has been awarded the Young Conservationist Scholarship for demonstrating conservation excellence in completion of a six-month self-directed community conservation initiative.
Her project involved adopting the Pinewood Elementary rain garden in June 2022, with the assistance of Cougar Creek Streamkeeper Deborah Jones.
“My main goal for this project was to spread awareness and get younger children engaged with the green spaces around them, so I contacted principal Doukas at Pinewood Elementary to see how I might best engage with students there,” said Randhawa. “Ms. Doukas referred me to Elisa Melan, Grade 5 teacher and over the next few months, I delivered presentations to her class.”
Her first presentation to the students was an introduction to the rain garden, how it was planted and its basic anatomy.
“At this presentation, I asked students about activities they were interested in and any other questions they may have,” she said. “At my next presentation in December, I answered their questions and went into more detail about why rain gardens are important in a society where there is so much development and not nearly enough plants and open space.”
In January 2023, Randhawa, her brother and Jones planted a batch of daffodil bulbs to see how well they would grow, as the most common activity the students requested was to be able to plant something in the rain garden.
Randhawa hopes to be able to get involved in more hands-on activities with the kids after spring break, once the weather improves.
“The inspiration for my project came from a Think Global, Plan & Lead Local workshop, hosted by Youth4Action, that I was part of in March of 2022, as well as a school club at Seaquam, STEMastery,” she said. “In STEMastery, a group of high school students mentor students in grades five to seven in STEM related topics. I really enjoyed being a part of both these initiatives and thought my conservation project would be a great way of combining the things I had learned from them.
“I really hope that the Grade 5 students remember what they have learned from my work with them. I feel it is extremely important that we keep children engaged with these sorts of projects so they can build connections and understand that their future depends on the actions they take.”
After high school, she hopes to pursue a career in the medical field, while continuing to participate in conservation-related events and volunteering where she can. Her ultimate aim is to become a family doctor as she has a passion for connecting with people and problem solving.
