Photo Supplied by Kesley Rowe
Abishek Bhandari is a grade 12 student at St. Joseph’s Catholic Secondary School with a very wide array of interests and ambitions that he has been committed to since the start of his high school career. He’s interested in the debate and trivia clubs, anything that challenges his brain and forces him to think or recall memories. Critical thinking is his strong suit and will prove to be a very positive trait in the future.
Abishek was born on April 7, 2004, in Nepal. His parents were Bhutan refugees, and he lived in a refugee camp for the first five years of his life before moving to Halifax. “[Living in Halifax] was fun,” he said, “everything was nearby and I lived near a mall.” He then moved to Windsor in the eighth grade and attended L.A. Desmarais Catholic Elementary School. When Abishek got to St. Joe’s in grade 9, the first club he joined was the debate team. He finds this subject particularly interesting because he believes debate is an important skill to have later in life. Between then and now, he has joined the fandom club, the trivia team, and the environmental club.
He has recently become interested in self-improvement - whether it be mentally or physically. “I have come to terms with my flaws and my shortcomings. [I’ve learned to] respect myself more and not let people use me,” Abishek says. The fear of hurting others’ feelings by speaking up held him back from saying how he truly felt. Still, he overcame this fear throughout the years, and he could be honest about his feelings - even if it was not easy for others to hear. Overall, he has begun taking his mental health more seriously. Taking time to relax and discuss his feelings instead of bottling them up helped him achieve mental stability, which allowed him to better himself in the long run.
In post-education, Abishek hopes to pursue a career in either financial economics or computer science - Going to either the University of Waterloo for their powerful computer science programs, Western University due to their good economics program and “decent computer science programs,” or Dalhousie University because of it being located in Halifax. He dreams of joining organizations like the Red Cross and going to countries struck by disaster to help out the wounded. Fulfilling this dream would give him the power to save many lives, something that he finds very important due to his willingness to help anyone he can to his fullest potential when needed.
Besides educational interests, accomplishments, and desires, Abishek’s interests revolve around art (which he enjoys the most because of his love of drawing), broadway, video games, and programming.
All these interests and ambitions show that Abishek is a very well-rounded individual. With realistic goals and lots of experience, he will build a powerful resume that is bound to bring him success in the life he will lead in the future.