Author

Vanessa Baioni

Today we’re featuring an excerpt from Samantha, an elementary student from Ontario who recently earned her Character Playbook certification. Samantha shares how the lessons she learned from Character Playbook will help her build better relationships and strengthen her emotional intelligence now and in the future. Congratulations to Samantha for being one of our scholarship recipients! 

Student: Samantha

Teacher: Miss MacSporran

School: St. Denis Catholic Elementary School

Territory: Ontario

“To introduce myself, I am Samantha Magpayo. I have a passion for makeup and I also enjoy learning new things, like cooking. Throughout the years, I have had endless of dream jobs. To mention a few, I would like to be either a doctor, a dermatologist, a lawyer, a nurse, a plastic surgeon, a pharmacist, a cardiothoracic surgeon, or a neurosurgeon. I know all of these jobs are very competitive, but I have always wanted to help individuals, families and the whole community.

Knowing that these jobs require professionalism, discipline, passion, compassion, a strong work ethic and a good interpersonal relationship, I always make an effort to ensure that I will maintain and continue growing with these very important and intrinsic values. Although, as for now, I am aspiring to be a pharmacist and to own a pharmacy, as well as have my own company, particularly a cosmetic company similar to MAC and Tarte Cosmetics.

In preparation for my dreams, I am currently student senate at my elementary school while maintaining consistent good, if not excellent grades, a healthy and active lifestyle, and a social life. I am presently involved in the Filipino Canadian Association of Niagara (FCAN) and extracurricular sports, like soccer and baseball. I am hoping to have a summer job so that I can be more responsible and to improve my critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as to be more financially savvy.

My dream is to attend the University of Toronto for my formal training as a pharmacist. With my formal training, it will also help me create natural makeup products for the business I desire to have and hopefully, I will finish an MBA (Master of Business Administration).

One of the reasons why I want to have a business is to eventually have a work/life balance for myself and for my family. Another reason why I want to have a business is so that I can pass it on to my kids and help them learn how to manage a business early. I would love to be able to help other people, especially the less fortunate ones through different missions. I also aspire to have a more meaningful life and to thrive; likewise, to help other people to thrive as well.

I am hoping that I can visit many places (like Greece, Punta Cana, Slovenia, Hong Kong, etc.) to learn different cultures, lifestyles, languages, and to see many beautiful attractions and enjoy different cuisines.

What I have learned in this EVERFI course is to manage my emotions and strengthen my emotional intelligence to maintain healthy and more meaningful relationships. This helped me learn to step in for people who are being verbally and physically bullied and to also analyze influences, especially since I am going into grade 9 this fall.

This also helped me learn that there are two different sides of each story and that there are miscommunications. As for the future, this will help me resolve conflicts and be more resilient in difficult times. It will also definitely help me to effectively communicate with family, friends, clients, and co-workers.

I would like to give a huge thank you to EVERFI for helping me learn to maintain healthy relationships and to manage my emotions, have the right mentality and attitude to be a successful individual as a whole, as it will definitely help me reach my dreams for the future.”