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Judy Leung (centre) was recently awarded a Student Citizenship Award from the Manitoba School Boards Association.

Judy Leung is not your typical high school student.

The Elmwood High School Grade 12 student maintains a demanding schedule that includes regular school, Chinese school, and volunteering seven days a week.

While many teenagers would complain about such a schedule, Leung, 17, is enjoying every minute of it.

"Sometimes my experiences happen accidentally and I wouldn’t really realize how an event or activity would affect or change me," says Leung, who also participates in the Indo China Chinese Pavilion during Folklorama.

Leung’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. She was one of six students from across the province who were recently awarded Student Citizenship Awards by the Manitoba School Boards Association.

The awards were given in recognition of the positive efforts of students to make their communities better.

Students were nominated for the awards by their local school boards. In addition to receiving a certificate of merit, each student received a $500 scholarship that was presented during the MSBA’s March 18 convention.

Leung has spent 60 hours as a Silverwing Ambassador at the James Armstrong Richardson International Airport and donated more than 460 hours as a volunteer at the Health Sciences Centre, mostly in an administrative capacity.

She chose HSC because she wants to eventually study medicine at the University of Manitoba and thought that volunteering there would give her an inside look at a medical facility.

"I was thinking of Concordia (Hospital), but I kind of wanted to get out of my area and extend my knowledge of the city," said Leung, who enjoyed her Saturday shift at the hospital so much that she also began volunteering on Sundays.

Sara Thurlbeck, a Grade 12 student at Westwood Collegiate, was also honoured by the association. Thurlbeck, 18, organized clothing drives at her school for Siloam Mission, and participated in a Rainbow Walk initiative at her church.

Her desire to make a difference came about as a result of a trip overseas. She says a two-week church mission to Peru in 2008 opened her eyes to the fact that there are many people in the world who need help, including some in her own backyard.

"Coming back I noticed that even though there was a lot of poverty in Peru, we had the same situation here," says Thurlbeck, who wants to study psychology at the University of Winnipeg.

"I knew from here on out I would have to be involved with different volunteering initiatives and that way I could continue to live out that volunteer lifestyle at home."

Thurlbeck won’t be spending much time at home this summer. She is planning to travel to Kenya for three weeks with the Me To We organization.

The teenager is organizing a fundraising concert at her school that is slated for April 11 at 7 p.m. and proceeds will be used to help cover her travel expenses.

"That way people who are donating and are interested will really get a full idea of what we’re doing there," Thurlbeck says.

For Leung, the desire to help others is a part of who she is.

"Volunteering is a lifestyle choice that I want to continue for the rest of my life," Leung says.

trevor.suffield@canstarnews.com