TORONTO
Recently 12-year-old Bani Arora, a grade 7 student was selected as Legislative Page at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. This Legislative Page program is open to grade 7 and 8 
students with an interest in current affairs. Pages are expected to perform dozens of different things like delivering messages and water for the MPPs in the Chamber, taking classes in legislative process and math, and meeting with party leaders and the Speaker of the House. Their academic average should be 80 %, besides they need to be extroverted and have a prodigious appetite for hard work. They also have to study and learn the faces, names and the ridings the 107 MPPs represent.
Can-India caught up with this multi-faceted student who is currently enrolled in the IB Middle Years Program at William G Davis Senior Public School. When she isn’t studying, she plays the piano, clarinet and harmonium, and swims.
How long have you been interested in politics?
Since I was 9 years old, that was the first time I had been to Queens Park. If my parents hadn’t taken me to Queen’s Park then, I would’ve missed on that experience. New experiences are very important.
Do you have a good memory? How long did it take you to memorize the names of the House representatives?
My memory isn’t the best. I know that in India memorization is a popular technique used to study for exams. But I came to Canada when I was 2 years old, ever since I haven’t really needed memorization until this point. I wasn’t that good at first. I kept determined to memorize all the MPP’s one at a time and eventually achieved my goal. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it. It took my several small steps to real my goal of memorizing all the 107 MPP’s, I spent thirty productive minutes on it every day.
What is your day like? Are you a high achiever?
In the morning I wake up at 5 am, meet up with two of my friends at a subway station for 7 am. And in the evening at 6 all eleven of us take the subway together! We have to get dressed into our uniforms by 8.15 am for a group meeting.
We deliver important documents to the chamber, legislative building and Whitney block. Key documents are documents that are delivered in the chamber. Key documents are bills, motions, petitions and statements by ministries. When we are delivering these documents the camera is always on us!
Overall, I am learning tons every day and having fun at the same time. The MPP’s are hilarious! Their conversations are extremely witty. A lot of the times joke and look to see if we are laughing or not. We are treated like grade 10 or 11 students. They even give us chocolate at times!
Do you have a good work ethic?
I think of myself as someone with good work ethic. I complete tasks with speed and efficiency.
Who inspired you?
Growing up, I have had several people who inspired me and taught me to be a principled person.
•Girl Guides of Canada Promise
•Jagmeet Singh volunteering
•school teachers; encouraged my versatility (E-Arts Program and extra-curriculars)
•parents; gave me the kick-start and continuous support.
Do you read? What are your interests?
I like to horror and mystery. I read about everything, whether it’s the news about flight 370 or a fiction book like “The Hunger Games”. I did complete an online Event Planning course when I was in Grade 4. I like to plan events. I also made a painting for Jagmeet Singh. It is now hanging in his office at Queens Park. If I see, hear or read about something I find interesting, I research more about it, this helps to stay aware of what’s going on around me.
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