The Ontario Ranger Program made me come out of my quiet, shy shell because I was living with 20 other girls, and figured that I should show them my true self.  I am an independent person, and so building teamwork skills was a challenge for me.  But to be a successful team, you must gain your teammate’s trust and try to understand where they are coming from. 

These new skills have helped me since my summer as a Ranger. After the cancellation of the program back in September, I created a petition that has gotten some decent media attention. I completed a lot of telephone interviews with many reporters, something that terrified me before my experiences at Rangers. And at the January 4th rally at Queen's Park in support of the program, I made a speech to 200 people, something I couldn’t do before Rangers.  Being a Ranger taught me to stand up for what is right; I believe that this program should be preserved because it teaches young Ontarians who are shy to come out of their shells and get to know awesome co-workers and friends from all around the province. You just can’t do that with a home-based day program, where you aren't living with your team. This is just one of the reasons I believe the Ontario Ranger Program needs to be preserved.