2015 Adventure in Citizenship student Nina Lam's "The Power of Freedom" essay is chosen as the Best Written Essay by the Adventure in Citizenship Program Committee this year. Nina Lam is from Winnipeg, Manitoba sponsored by the Rotary Club of Fort Garry, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Please see her awarded essay in below. 

 
The Power of Freedom
 
As a child, reading was one of my favourite pastimes. I fondly remember entertaining myself with nothing but a book and my imagination; flipping from one page to the next would enthrall me. I especially loved photography books, because they would transport me into a world much more interesting than my bedroom. One of the most enchanting books I've ever read was one that highlighted the beauty of Canadian landscapes. As I scrutinized each detail and traced my fingers across each page, I could imagine a glacial breeze nipping my cheeks as I trekked up the Whistler mountains; I could hear the thunderous tides crash against the rocks as my feet dangled in the waters of the Bay of Fundy; I could savour a strip of caribou meat in the midst of the harsh Nunavut winds.
 
However, my real adventure to Canada started long before I was born. I am a second-generation Canadian, and my home in Winnipeg is the result of a fear so irrepressible that it drove my parents from their country to seek a better future. They came from a country that has not only faced oppression, but has forced oppression upon its people: Vietnam.
 
In Vietnam, freedom did not and does not exist. As a Canadian, I am able to find appreciation for the freedoms that are guaranteed to us in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: freedom of expression, religion, and association, among others. However, as a Canadian who can trace her roots back to Vietnamese ancestry, I constantly remind myself that I am as fortunate as I am only because of my geographical situation.
 
If I go on a protest march in Canada, I will not get gassed by police.
If I sing a song that criticizes the government in Canada, I will not be arrested.
If I wear a shirt with a political reference on it in Canada, I will not get executed.
 
The privilege of freedom that I enjoy as a Canadian citizen has fueled my passion for human rights, and I strongly believe that it characterizes the true meaning of citizenship. Although it can easily be taken for granted, and it may not be recognized as having an impact on trivial activities such as reading and singing, the Charter plays an imperative role in every Canadian's life. It defines the rights that every citizen of our country is entitled to – it acts as the umbrella when torrents of inequality, persecution, and censorship try to fall upon us.
 
When my parents obtained their citizenship in Canada, it not only changed their status; it changed their lives, and also mine. It was the day they snapped the shackles chained to their eyes, mouths, hands, and feet that had held them back from simply living for so long.
 
In Canada, citizenship is power. It is the power to choose how to worship my faith; it is the power to mark an 'X' on a voting ballot; it is the power to object to an authority figure when you think they are wrong.
 
As a nation, we are powerful. If we put our minds to something, it is achievable. But it is only possible because we have the freedom to pursue it.
 
My name is Nina Lam. I am a Canadian citizen. I am powerful.
 
I am free.