RHIANWYN HAGE

Rhianwyn was born in California and raised in Minnesota. Rhianwyn went to Nova Classical Academy. There she was involved in the National Honors Society as the president, as a leader in the environmental club and the Junior Environmental Protection Agency. Rhianwyn is currently attending the University of Minnesota where she is studying Classics and is on the Pre-Veterinary Track.

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Q: Tell us a few things about you! Your background, your childhood and early beginnings! 

I have always been passionate about animals and have wanted to be a vet since I was three. I filled my house with lots of pets. My parents selected a classical school for me where the curriculum was based on the Trivium and Quadrivium. I progressed through the schools of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. This gave me a good academic foundation and started my interest in the Latin language. My parents value travel, so from an early age I travelled the world. This gave me an appreciation for history, other cultures and animals around the world.

Q: What are some of the key challenges in your society currently?

In all levels of government from local to national, ethical visionary leadership is something we need to strive for.

Q: Share with us some of the hurdles that you had to overcome in your life so far? How did you handle them? 

The pandemic posed challenges as I was starting my high school career at the time. The lockdown made it difficult to gain experience, social connections and led to lower academic standards during online learning.

Q: Why is the role of a mentor important for you? 

The role of a mentor is important because they provide a role model for how to pursue your career. They show you what is possible and provide advice for professional development. They can also give you encouragement and direct you to new resources.

Q: Do you have a lesson that life has taught you and you would like to share? 

Continuing to pursue projects that you are passionate about will inspire those around you to help. Always ask people for help, usually just asking will make them want to help you. Lead by example- don't expect people to do things that you won't do yourself.

Q: Name a project, a foundation or a person in your country that you think is doing great work in helping improve other people's lives! 

Home for Life is a local animal rescue organisation that developed a large property for dogs and cats who cannot find homes elsewhere.

Q: What are some of the challenges that women in your country face and what efforts are being made towards gender equality?

The pandemic highlighted the fact that women continue to struggle with work-life balance. With kids at home doing online learning, mothers had to help and care for their kids more than ever while balancing work.

Q: Share with us a motto you live by.    

What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. - Jane Goodall

Q: If you had all the money needed to launch the project of your dreams, can you describe what you would do?  

My dream project is to create a free clinic and rescue organisation that finds animals internationally and helps place them in homes around the world. The clinics will be around different areas of the world and allow for employment for local people and internships for prospective vet students.

Q: How is technology utilised for social impact in your country? For example are there mobile apps that support gender equality, inclusion, understanding of cultures?

Technology helps connect people across time and distance.