By Andrea Peacock/News staff
A recent graduate of Stelly’s Secondary School was awarded the Trevor Linden Community Spirit Scholarship. Melissa Lyon, 18, is an active volunteer in the community whose goal is to become a teacher and positively influence the lives of people with disabilities.
The Trevor Linden Scholarship is awarded to students with outstanding leadership abilities and has made exemplary contributions to the enrichment of lives in the community.
This was only one of 11 scholarships Lyon won in 2014.
Many of Lyon’s community involvements are related to teaching, which she calls her passion.
Four years ago, Lyon started an online primary learning club, which involves online tutoring via webcam. She calls this one of her biggest accomplishments.
With some guidance from her mother who is a teacher, Lyon creates lessons for math and reading.
“It’s very fun for me, because I like teaching [and] I’m really good at technology,” said Lyon.
She currently has one student, whom she has tutored since the student was in kindergarten and who is now going into Grade 4.
“I like teaching kids,” said Lyon. “I have a big passion for learning.”
Lyon said she wants to gain as much experience teaching as she can before starting her career. Lyon is also a tutor for the Tools for Success program at the University of Victoria, in partnership with the Victoria Epilepsy and Parkinson’s Centre. It is a tutoring program for kids who have epilepsy.
Stefani Lowes, tutor with the Epilepsy Centre at UVic, worked with Lyon during this past school year.
“She was always very positive and happy,” said Lowes. “She brought a wonderful energy to the group.”
Having epilepsy and cerebral palsy herself, Lyon said she has been misjudged throughout her whole life. She wants to change the way society sees people with disabilities.
One way she does this is by her involvement as an ambassador and public speaker for the United Way and the Victoria Epilepsy and Parkinson’s Centre.
“I want to be a strong advocate for people who have disabilities,” said Lyon.
Lyon will be attending Camosun College in September and hopes to transfer to the University of Victoria to become a teacher, or specifically a special needs teacher.
