Hey! My name is Asalah, I’m a Gr 11 student at Langley Fine Arts School where I major in photography.
I was born in Cairo, Egypt, but moved to Canada when I was one and a half. My mother is from England and my father is from Egypt. I always say my voice is half and half, I have a touch of an English accent with a bit of Canadian as well which makes me pronounce some words funny. I have travelled to Egypt twice since I was born, and have been in all three pyramids! Travelling is something I want to do a lot more as I believe it’s an opportunity to learn so much.
I am passionate about photography, social justice, advocating for human & animal rights. This passion for social justice has lead me to do lots of public speaking in schools and at events & conferences (which never gets less scary). I believe youth have a huge ability to make a difference and use their voice for causes and issues they are passionate about. I find joy in being involved in as many things as I can, in and outside of school. I have just taken on the roll of running the Green Team at school as well as a Mindfulness Club, which are two subjects I am so passionate about. I enjoy being a part of the school community because it gives me a chance to make a difference with likeminded people. Outside of school I am involved with the organization WE which lead me to travel all around Canada speaking at their inspiring event called WE Day & I am on the Speakers Bureau for Plan Canada, working on achieving gender equality.
Though I absolutely love being involved with so many things, sometimes it can be challenging. Finding a balance of taking care of my school priorities, health and keeping myself busy is something I am always improving.
I value going out in nature and spending as much time outdoors as possible. This means that I am almost always either on a bike ride, on a hike or with my horse. Being around nature and mountains fills me with joy. Most of the time when I go outside I am not alone, I am in the wonderful company of my mother. She is my adventure buddy that I do so much with. When I’m not outside, in school, or working on projects I also love baking. I am vegan, which means I don’t eat dairy, meat or eggs, so I love experimenting and trying new recipes (my favourite one being cinnamon rolls)!
I am very excited to be a part of Butterfly effect and to connect with wonderful people around the world. I hope to create a photography project that helps to change people’s perspective and asks questions in a positive way, because I believe photography and film have the power to create a huge difference in the world.
Hi, this is Simone, I love the things you have done for the environment and would love to talk about it with you. I would love to be able to collaborate together on different strategies for this and for others across the world. Id love to take photos with you to help show others of what else is out there in this beautiful world. I love the outdoors as well and believe that lots of what people do not know can be told through the environment. I think being able to travel and see places all around the world can really open up people eyes. I think videos and peoples stories really show this. Id love to explore this with you and others.