Tomorrow Berkeley Institute head boy Aden Peets will graduate from high school.

The day after graduation, he will be on a flight to China to represent Bermuda at the Global Young Leaders Conference.

"I was getting my stuff together and I realised the day I was supposed to be in China was my graduation day," said Mr. Peets, who will leave on Wednesday.

Mr. Peets was nominated for the Conference by Deputy Principal Sandra Burrows along with several other students for strong leadership qualities and great academic achievements. While he had the opportunity to visit conferences in the Unites States or Europe, Mr. Peets chose China.

"I chose to go to China because I felt it would be a better cultural decision," said Mr. Peets. "It was further away, and I might never be able to go again.

"I'm looking forward to meeting different people from different countries, working with them, seeing how their minds work."

As part of the nine-day conference, Mr. Peets, 17, will meet with leaders and newsmakers in a variety of fields, as well as being involved in crisis simulation, in which he will work with a team to solve a simulated national crisis. He will also be discussing the leadership style of one of his favourite figures, Nelson Mandela.

"I chose Nelson Mandela because he has done so much for his race and his people as a whole," said Mr. Peets.

Along with the leadership activities, Mr. Peets will be representing Bermuda in a cultural exchange with other students from around the world. Mr. Peets said that he is already planning his presentation, which will touch on Bermuda's holidays and activities.

"I was going to bring an actual Gombey costume, but I couldn't fit it in my baggage," said Mr. Peets, who instead settled on bringing pictures.

Once the conference is complete, the students are invited to view the country.

"We have the choice to check out the business side, the horticultural side, or the technological side," said Mr. Peets. "I chose the technical side because it's closer to what I want to do."

After college, Mr. Peets said that he's interested in becoming a foley artist developing sound effects for film. While he hopes to find his way to the National Film and Television School in England, his first step in higher education will take him to St. Lawrence College to study Digital Arts for Musicians.

Mr. Peets credits music with helping him achieve his goals.

"It's taught me how to focus, and not to be afraid to try something new," said Mr. Peets. "Everybody says that I can play all the instruments. I touch on a bit of everything."

So far, the only negative experience from his involvement in the conference has been the vaccinations required to make the trip.

"We're jumping from place to place near the coast, but then I'm going on the bullet train and we don't know where exactly we're going yet, so I had to get the Malaria vaccination and everything," said Mr. Peets.

Despite the pills and the shots, it's an adventure that everyone should try and take, he said.

"People need to expand their knowledge and take a look at the mindset of different cultures," said Mr. Peets. "Be open minded instead of being afraid of different cultures in the world."