issue 28// vol 47 life & style // no. 21

Twelve years led to this graduation

>» The importance of putting yourself out there

Craig Allan
Business Manager

 

i June 2009, I graduated from high
school. As I sat in the audience of the
Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver, with my
diploma in hand while watching all the
other kids get their diplomas, there was
only one thing on my mind: it’s all downhill
from here.

School was never easy for me; I could
never get high marks, I was in essentials
math classes, and no matter how hard I
tried, I always seemed to get just C’s. When
I sat there on graduation day, seeing all my
peers (many with gold tassels and different
sashes indicating excellence around their
necks) | felt defeated. I thought, “No one
will ever want me. I am doomed to be
destitute on the street.”

I went to Douglas College in the fall of
2009, mostly because | didn’t want to get
a job. I took history classes because I was
always good at that and after my first few
classes I was averaging A’s and B’s. But even
then, I could not see any work value I had
to offer the world.

By 20n, I had completed all the classes
I was interested in taking. I got a job, and I
didn’t know what I wanted to do with work,
so I left school. By 2015, I was doing great.

I was ina job I liked, working at Target
Canada, and a job I didn’t like. I was about
to quit that job (to work at Target more
frequently) when the news came down that

all Target Canada stores were closing. Now,
not only did I still feel like I didn’t belong,
but even the places that wanted me were
getting shut down.

With no plan for the future, I went
back to Douglas informed that I could
get a certificate if I took a few classes. I
figured I had nothing better to do, so I
applied. I got that certificate in June of
2016, which also came with a ceremony.
Despite the many years removed, my
feelings of not being marketable or
desirable for a job hung strong.

I thought since I was so undesirable
I should just work and maybe something
good will happen to me. After all, my
parents never really went to post-secondary
and they managed to find well-paying
jobs. If they could do it, so could I. I was
blind to the fact that the world my parents
grew up in no longer existed. People in my
generation need higher education if they
want a chance at a halfway decent life.

In 2019, I decided to be proactive. Even
if I didn’t have an idea of what occupation
I wanted, I decided I should still get a
degree anyway—working two jobs, six
days a week, and not even making enough
money to cover half the average rent in
the lower mainland was not sustainable. |
took one class in the summer with a plan
to save up enough to attend classes ona
more full-time basis in 2020. January 2020
comes around, and I officially went back to
school. I planned to get my first 60 credits

at Douglas and then go to Simon Fraser
University in the hopes of graduating with
an english-history double major degree.
My plan slowed a bit by the coronavirus
pandemic, but so far, the plan is working
even better than | expected.

Unlike before, where I just kept my
head down and did the work, I decided this
time I would put myself out there. I joined
the school’s paper and met great people
who showed me that I do have value and |
have something to offer the world. I] went
to conferences, staff parties, and for the
first time, I felt like I belonged somewhere,
which gave me more confidence and
helped me get through the difficult classes.
And hey, now because of my new job, for
the first time I have a level of financial
security of knowing that I will be making a

Life advice on unusual things

» Maybe these will help, maybe they won't!

Morgan Hannah
Life & Style Editor

 

W: seem to be living in the generation
of life hacks, self-help, self-discovery,

and all kinds of random advice, so in the
spirit of offering my own advice, here are a
few tidbits to share with you, dear reader!

If you paint your nails just a little
outside the line frequently, this is a hack
for you! Just the other day, I painted my
nails (or more accurately, my fingers) a
beautiful bright red, and instead of trying
to remove the extra polish with a Q-tip
dipped in polish remover (we all know
that would end in tragedy...) or by picking
away at the polish, I decided to just leave it
be. It'll fall off on its own naturally, right?
Then I moved on to moisturizing my hair,
and while combing through my hair with
my fingers covered in leave-in conditioner,
I noticed how the skin around my nails
seemed to be cleaning up nicely without
scratching or mucking up my polish! Who
knew!

Starting and ending your day with 10
to 15 minutes of yoga puts you in a better
mood and opens your body to receive the
day ahead, or, in the case of evening yoga, a
restful night’s sleep! I know that yoga twice
a day might seem like kind of a stretch,
but you are putting in the hard work for
your body in the long run—I promise. As
a bonus, you'll improve your flexibility and
organ health by participating in daily yoga,
too! And you'll feel better about yourself for

taking the time for you.

When you wake up in the morning,
before you do anything else, start your
day with two small glasses of water. “Why
wouldn't I just have one bigger glass?” you
ask. Well, if you're anything like me (and
a good number of people apparently),
ensuring you drink enough water
throughout the day is a more challenging
thing than it seems. So, the smaller glass
will encourage you to drink all the water—
and drink it more quickly! Then, repeat
with the second glass!

Next, consider getting high (marijuana
only—nothing serious here people!)
midway through the day to achieve
“drymouth’ and require another glass of
water. Repeat the same process from up
above and congratulations! You've now just
drank two of the six daily recommended
glasses of water!

Try not to plan anything for a month,
instead experience everything “on the fly”
as often as possible! That way, you'll never
be disappointed, and you'll always come
across as that spontaneous and super fun
person everyone wants to hang around!

If this doesn’t work for your lifestyle, try
planning everything to a “T” for the next
whole month and become that uber-
organized person everyone admires.

Once again, these are all fun little
advice tidbits to add to your day to see if
you find any improvement or habitual
changes that lead to more enjoyment or
better health.

 

certain amount of money every month!

In June 2021, I will receive a diploma
in general studies (if I passed a challenging
Statistics class—fingers crossed). This
time, the ceremony will be different.
Replacing the in-person ceremony (due
to the pandemic) will be a box mailed to
me with my diploma inside. Replacing
the in-person ceremony will be a sunny
disposition instead of the feelings of
uselessness and dread that I have suffered
through for the last 12 years; I now see my
future with more joy and promise. I don’t
know what the future will hold for me,
but what I do know is that my outlook is
bright; my potential realized. I go forward
with confidence and enthusiasm about the
path that lies ahead.

  

Photo by Nhi ‘Jenny' Vo