year.

Helena, who is in the 12th grade at Mount Saint Agnes Academy, said she had her mind set on a career in psychiatry.

"Until last year I wanted to be a doctor, but I looked at some other associated fields and I liked psychiatry because I like to work with people,'' she explained.

She added that she planned to return to Canada after high school to attend the University of Toronto.

But Helena pointed out that she was not all work and no play and one of her favourite activities is swimming. Although she did not learn how to swim until she was nine, she went on to become a competitive swimmer.

" I went through all the lessons and did courses on how to race competitively,'' Helena recalled. "I swam for my school and although I did not participate this year, I hope to start up again soon.'' Helena said she also enjoyed playing volleyball and had also been a lifeguard.

Describing herself as outgoing, Helena said she spent the summer at the beach because she was not allowed to work on the Island.

During the summer break, she also had the opportunity to go on a trip with Young Life, an organisation for Christian young people, to a camp in Virginia.

Helena said she considered her father as her role model.

"He has done everything for me,'' she explained. "He moved to Bermuda on a job contract to put me through school and so I can go to college.'' Taking nothing for granted, Helena said she believed the problem with today's youth was that they were bored and were growing up too fast.

"Kids are growing up a lot faster than they should be,'' she noted. "At 16 and 17 they are drinking at bars and smoking.

"It seems to be concentrated here (in Bermuda) with the drugs maybe because of the size of the Island. Kids here are really bored and have nothing else really to do.'' Helena said she believed there was enough space in Bermuda for a fun park or some kind of entertainment centre to give the youth something to do.

But she said she wished she could change the size of Bermuda.

"I guess that's not something I can change,'' she conceded, "but I'm not used to the size of the Island. Every day you see the same people over and over again.'' Helena said she really wanted to visit New York City because it was supposed to be "the biggest of the biggest cities''.

"I grew up in Toronto which is a big city,'' she added, "but New York is said to be the biggest of the big cities and I would like to see what it's like.'' INTERVIEW BY KRISTY WARREN HELENA DEZOYSA