Congratulations to grade 11 student Jocelyn Wong, who was one of 22 students from across Canada to receive the prestigious Vimy Pilgrimage Award for 2023. Jocelyn received the award for her research project on the important contribution of nurses during the First World War. One lasting impression from her work was the “willingness of nurses to sacrifice their lives for soldiers they did not personally know.”
Jocelyn will be joining the other students in a 9 day program visiting significant First World War battlefields, cemeteries, and other historical sites in France and Belgium. Jocelyn is appreciative of the “opportunity to become more aware of Canada’s contribution to the First World War, and to pay her respects to Canadian soldiers and nurses who fought for her country.”
As an award winner, Jocelyn is required to research the contribution of specific soldiers. Her Chinese heritage inspired her to investigate the underappreciated Chinese Labour Corps. This was a group of approximately 81,000 Chinese-Canadian men who were recruited by Britain and sent to Europe to perform gruelling labour such as digging trenches, repairing roads, and delivering supplies. Due to censorship, their contributions were overlooked until recent research. Jocelyn hopes to broaden her perspective regarding the loyalty of Chinese-Canadian volunteers, despite the racist policies towards them at the time.