Heather Ritchie, UNBC Graduate 2013

A group of twenty youths from across the country made their way to their seats in a meeting room of a small University in Canada’s capital city. The room was suddenly overcome with a sense of emotional weight and apprehension as Naser al Raas entered the room, personally escorted by the secretary general of Amnesty International Canada.

Naser al Raas is a Canadian citizen who was detained and tortured in Bahrain for thirty days during a trip to visit his family in March 2011, and now here he was meeting with the participants of Amnesty International’s annual Human Rights College located in Ottawa. This was the first time I had ever been able to meet with a prisoner of conscience and no lesson could have prepared me for it. This powerful experience was one of many that made up my position as a planning committee member for the Human Rights College. I sought out this opportunity in order compliment my education and to increase my networks for when my university life had ended but I left with so much more.

This position was available to me because of the dedication and leadership skills I had previously shown during my involvement with the local Amnesty International chapter in Prince George and the networks I had already made. In this position I had the opportunity to plan workshops and meet dedicated and influential citizens from across the country. As an undergraduate student it is important to be involved with as many opportunities as possible because soon your degree will be complete and it will become more important than ever to stay engaged in the world around you. Your university education is valuable but some of the most important lessons you will learn can only be taught outside of the class room.