Jasmine at Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France. Photo Taken by Holly Ghandhi.

Written By: Jasmine Wong

This past spring, I had the incredible privilege of representing our school as a recipient of the Vimy Pilgrimage Award 2026, a program that took 20 students and five chaperones across Belgium and France to walk in the footsteps of First World War soldiers.

Before this trip, the First World War was something that many other students and I had only learned from textbooks. We knew the dates, the battles, and the numbers. But standing in the actual trenches, walking through the ceremonies, and attending a Last Post and the Vimy Ridge Day ceremony all transformed history into something more personal.

A part of this trip that made history so much more meaningful was the focus on the individual stories. As part of this program, I researched soldier Leslie Howard Miller and read his personal war diary. I was grateful to have the opportunity to write a biography and also a poem reflecting on his life. This helped me feel that I truly knew him in some way. Rather than knowing him as just a statistic, I got to know him as a person.

Jasmine Wong presenting her soldier presentation on Leslie Howard Miller. Photo Taken by Holly Ghandhi.

This program also opened my eyes to stories that are often left out in history, including contributions of Chinese Canadians and also women on the front lines.

Another opportunity that I was honoured to have was the laying of the wreath for the Last Post Ceremony at Menin Gate. Through this, I was able to reflect and focus on the reasons for commemoration. It raises an important question: how should we remember the First World War?

With no more living veterans to share the story of the First World War, the only true way to keep this story alive is to share it. Rather than glorifying “high” moments of war, such as the Battle of Vimy Ridge, this experience taught me that it is better to acknowledge Vimy as a key moment in Canadian history and to honour those who died, for whatever reason they enlisted.

If you have a passion for history and want to share it with your community, I strongly encourage you to apply for the Vimy Pilgrimage Award program, which is open to anyone with a passion for history. This nine-day experience gave me friendships, new perspectives, and memories that I will carry for the rest of my life.

The last page of the First World War will never be written, and it is up to our generation and the ones after to keep turning them.