Hello! Weyt-k!

My name is April Bailey and I am from Victoria, BC on Lekwungen Territory.  I grew up there and attended the University of Victoria, completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2012.  I double majored in Environmental Studies and Geography because I am passionate about the environment and I wanted to learn how to make a difference in the environmental movement.  In the summers I planted trees to pay for my tuition – now I have planted over 400,000 trees in my life!  After my initial degree I decided to go traveling to different countries to learn about other cultures and in the process hopefully become more mature and wise.  I traveled on and off for almost 5 years, including riding my bicycle from Canada to Belize, and have now visited 15 countries and learned an incredible amount about myself and the world.

During my time in Cambodia, I had the opportunity to teach English for 3 weeks at an orphanage just outside of Siem Reap.  This experience really shifted my perspectives and I realized how fortunate I was to be from Canada and grow up with a public education.  There are many places in the world where education is not a priority, and this hugely impacts the children and future generations of that country.  While I realized I did not have much impact while in Cambodia, I wanted to become an educator in Canada where I felt I could make a difference in those children’s lives.

I am now a 1st year Bachelor of Education student at Thompson Rivers University.  I am so excited to be able to pursue my dreams of becoming an educator and working with children every day.  I am still passionate about the environment and I hope to be able to incorporate outside play and education with my students.

I am a female who identifies with she/her pronouns.  My 2 children and I live in Kamloops, BC.

I am a third generation Canadian of settler-European heritage.  My grandparents immigrated to Vancouver Island in the 1950s from Western Europe (England, Scotland, and Malta).  My parents continue to live and work in their home community on the Island.