Asia Ley - "Forgotten Treasures"

2020 Sable Island Friends Scholarship Honourable Mention - Asia Ley
Reflective Statement
My grandfather is an interesting man who has had many careers from a butcher, mover, antique dealer, and his most interesting job, lighthouse tender on Atlantic Canada’s Sable Island. His stories are sometimes filled with events from his moving days in Ontario or picking old barns and basements looking for treasures but when he sat down and told me of his time on “Sable” he spoke with a passion that I rarely see in anybody. It became apparent very quickly that my grandfather has a special place saved in his heart for Sable Island and the time he spent there as a teenager. His passion for the island has inspired me to learn more about this crescent-shaped sand bar and the horses, seals, birds, and people that have called it home.
My plans include attaining an engineering degree from Dalhousie University. I have yet to decide which field of engineering I will pursue but I hope to engage my degree with the same passion my grandfather displays when talking about Sable Island. Inspiration comes from many places, for me, it comes from an old man that lights up when he thinks about living on an isolated island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean seventy-one years ago. I hope the Friends of Sable Island enjoy my presentation and will consider me a candidate for one of your generous scholarships that will be well appreciated and given to a friend of a friend of Sable Island.