One Shawnigan student is taking it upon herself to become a future leader.

Kako K. has recently finished a long-term project for a Harvard University competition called China Thinks Big.

She first heard about the contest through the Harvard Center Shanghai, where she did summer seminars last year.

The competition runs over the span of six months, and draws more than a thousand entries. Contestants work on one of ten different issues, ranging from Sustainability to Education to Social Equality. Kako chose Ethical Reasoning, which asked: "How should we define and promote justice in today's society?"

The grade 11 student says she was drawn to this topic because, while ethical subjects don't always offer a clear solution, she wanted to be able to connect with people and talk directly about human relationships. "I'm pretty interested in International Relations, and also in media" she adds, which is part of why she chose to create her final project using stop motion animation.

Before getting to the finished product however, Kako had to work through three rounds of the competition, each involving research and essay writing. She got advice (via skype) from a mentor at Harvard throughout the process, and also offered her own feedback on the work of three other competitors.

The final product, a video composed of more than 10,000 still photos, won her a distinction for Outstanding Creativity in her category.

"The experience was pretty important for me" she says, knowing that the effort will most certainly pay dividends as she begins applying to universities and making her mark on the world.

– Jon Zacks

Watch Kako's video by clicking the link above this story.