The CNIB National Youth Council believes in recognizing youth with sight loss. That's why it created the Leadership Award to celebrate people going above and beyond to make a difference in their community.
Maggie Ingleson is this year’s National Youth Council Leadership Award recipient. Maggie is a second-year student at the University of Waterloo studying psychology with the goal of being admitted into law school. She is a member of the sight loss community, which has fueled many of her volunteering endeavours and intentions for the future. 
CNIB National Youth Council Vice-Chair Emilee Schevers caught up with Maggie about what it means to be a leader and why it’s important to get involved in your community.
Emilee: How do you define leadership?
Maggie:A leader is not just someone who revolutionized the world or who substantially changed the trajectory of the human race; it is anyone who stands up and speaks out. When we recognize that a leader is someone who breaks from the herd, we begin to acknowledge that many of us are leaders in our own way.
Emilee: Why is it important for you to be involved in your community?
Maggie:There are many reasons why I have prioritized working within the sight loss community. It would be easy to say it is because of my own experience, which is certainly part of it. However, much of my involvement stems from this need to support others as I am made aware of their struggles that I often also face and the solutions present that are actually effective.
Emilee: What are you most proud of?
Maggie: What I am most proud of is the fact that I never give up on working to be better. At times, it often feels that my career goals or academic pursuits are unattainable or that I am not achieving anything of impact. I am glad I have made the effort to challenge myself with tasks such as moving away from home, working at a summer camp and other undertakings that seemed impossible; otherwise I would have no idea just how competent I could be in these settings. I am glad that I can push myself and be satisfied with any result as long as I am learning and benefiting from the experience.
Emilee: If you could give one piece of advice to youth, what would it be?
Maggie: My hope is that other young people learn that it is completely acceptable to perform small acts of service, to progress society forward by minuscule increments and that this work is still of great importance. It is not about inspiration but exemplifying that being a leader is not unattainable; it is the simple act of speaking up and striving for something, no matter what that may be.