A Nanaimo high school student hopes to turn an international scholarship experience into skills for the rest of his life.
Samuel Zanbilowicz, going into his senior year at Dover Bay Secondary School, was the lone Canadian selected for the Bronfman Fellowship, which took him to such places as New York and Israel to learn about aspects of contemporary Jewish life.
The fellowship was from July 3 to Aug. 3. Zanbilowicz said the experience was 鈥渋ncredible鈥� and included discussions with Palestinian people.
鈥淲e did a lot of framing for the talks we would be doing about our own identity and seeing what our opinions are, before we interacted with Palestinians,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hen we spoke with different settlers in the West Bank, and then eventually talked to actual Palestinians and their perspectives. It was really incredible to hear about their own experiences, and how much they鈥檝e struggled with it.鈥�
Zanbilowicz said he was expecting to come back with a 鈥渉uge amount of knowledge and have some strong opinions,鈥� but the situation is difficult and multi-faceted. When doing advance research, impartial sources were seemingly non-existent, the student said, and the best way to get information was from speaking with Israelis and Palestinians, 鈥渆ven with their biases.鈥�
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 an issue of identity. The biggest piece is that it鈥檚 not something that can be sorted out with money or with time, it鈥檚 really fundamental to so many people,鈥� said Zanbilowicz. 鈥淏ecause there鈥檚 religion involved and ideologies and core fundamental beliefs in people, it鈥檚 such a heavy topic that it鈥檚 not really solvable with normal, easy solutions.鈥�
Zanbilowicz must now select a subject, further examine it and make a presentation to other fellowship members, and he and another student plan to work together on a handbook for people to learn more about the program.
After graduation, Zanbilowicz is eyeing 鈥減robably something in health care,鈥� and said his Bronfman experience will be beneficial. He gained a lot of interpersonal skills, being able to relate to people and hearing where they鈥檙e coming from.
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 going to be really useful, especially in health care, relating to patients and how I can understand how they鈥檙e feeling and make sure people are being heard no matter who they are 鈥� Arts is also something that I鈥檓 passionate about and writing and literature could be really interesting, to talk about politics or whatever is on my mind,鈥� said Zanbilowicz.
He said his biggest takeaway is learning that people must understand the world they鈥檙e in before influencing it.
鈥淎 lot of the people that I know around me try to do a lot of things to make change without fully understanding the situation they鈥檙e in鈥︹�� he said. 鈥淟earning about the Israel-Palestine conflict, it鈥檚 so difficult to make change and make impact if you don鈥檛 know the whole picture,鈥� said Zanbilowicz. 鈥淚 think my biggest takeaway would just be talking to people and getting as much information as you can before doing anything big.鈥�
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