Drug-free teen keeps busy in small community
Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services
Paulatuk (Feb 05/01) - Esther Wolki may live in an isolated community, but if you sit down to chat with this young dreamer it becomes evident that she has a bright and exciting future ahead of her.
The 15-year-old has a passion for arts and crafts, ancient greek mythology, cute Edmonton boys -- and she despises drugs and alcohol.
Because of her anti-drug and alcohol attitude, Wolki recently won a trip to see an Edmonton Oilers hockey game, thanks to the RCMP's Onside drug awareness program. It was her reward for designing a poster which portrayed the devastating effects of substance abuse.
Living in such a small community, Wolki witnesses her peers abusing alcohol and drugs all the time. It makes her mad and fills her with sadness at the same time.
"It's just really bad for you. I can't even be near smoke, it gives me headaches. I have friends that sometimes drink and do drugs and I try to tell them if they ever want to quit I can help them stop."
Wolki does her best to stay away from her friends when they use drugs and alcohol. She spends a great deal of time sewing and designing clothes, she has read countless stories on Greek mythology and she enjoys watching her favourite television show, Dragon Ball-Z, with her family and friends.
At Angik School, Wolki is one of the highest achievers, naming math and language arts as her favourite subjects. But when it comes to thinking about what she wants to do after high school, Wolki can't decide between teaching ancient Greek history or becoming a fashion designer or RCMP officer.
"I have a lot of things I want to do ... but I think what I want to do most is tell stories about Greek mythology
But Wolki isn't spending too much time worrying about a career just yet. For now, she's dreaming about all of the cute boys she saw in Edmonton.
"There's more there than I have ever seen here - they're way better (in Edmonton)," she said, giggling.
