About ME
Against The Odds
Six key life events
- Growing Up in a Low SES group
- A Positive Inspiration
- University Degree
- First Full Time Job
- Back to School
- Living My Dream
1.Growing Up in a Low SES group
One of my defining moments in life was when I realized that I had grown upbelow the poverty line in poverty. My mom was a single mother who raised two boys. She never obtained a post-secondary degree or diploma until after my father had left. After my dad left, my mom raised my brother and I while attending college, to be able to better support our family in the long run. I believe that being exposed to these circumstances at such a young age, has given me the tenacity I carry with me today. During my younger years my mother often stressed the importance of getting an education, as with an education, positive opportunities in life increased. Growing up in this environment, I decided at a young age that I did not want to live in poverty when I was older.
2. A Positive Inspiration
The second event in my life included more of a sequence of people who helped me develop personally. One of the first people to give me such inspiration was my first soccer coach. His name was Louey. Louey taught me to play soccer and through soccer, my self-confidence rose. I morphed from a shy, quiet boy to an individual who was energetic and outgoing. The next step in the right direction was from my high school gym teacher, Mr. Linden. Throughout the years in high school, I lost focus on what was important in life and drifted away from academics. Mr. Linden was tough on me when I acted foolishly and through tough love, he reminded me that school is important and that in life, you make choices that you’ll have to live with for the remainder of your life.
3.University Degree
Getting into university was a major defining factor in my life. I graduated high school during the double cohort year. For those of you that do not remember, OAC and grade 12 students all graduated in the same year. Due to this, the competition to get accepted into any university was fierce. Fortunately, York University accepted me into their Kinesiology program, and at this moment I knew that failure was not an option and that I would have to do whatever it took to succeed. During my schooling, I worked too much as I was working almost full time to be able to pay for my studies. One thing I remember succinctly is that I would solely work, go to the gym, study, and attend classes. During this phase of my life, I had the energy for everything and by the time my studies ended, I had successfully paid for my entire post-secondary education and I even had money left in the bank to invest in a property.
4. First Full Time Job
Sourced from: https://www.google.ca/search?q=CBSA&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQ_vensvLUAhWCyT4KHVa2B64Q_AUIDCgD&biw=1366&bih=638#imgrc=3jMbplGlqCw9HM: (Fun Fact: This was one of my bosses)
The next phase of my life was landing a full-time job. I graduated in 2008, during the recession, where jobs were extremely hard to obtain. When I was in 3rd and 4th-year university, I worked as a Student Border Service Officer. The training was intense and the job was highly demanding. In 2008, I was offered a full-time position with the condition that I successfully complete a few months at the National Training Centre and that I pass all the mandatory tests. During my time at the border, I learned a lot about life, working, and creating a future for myself. One friend/colleague told me about a course, to become an instructor at the border, that was very difficult to get accepted into and from which one of his students had dropped out. My friend advised me to apply that day. From then on, I took the course and began teaching my peers. The lessons I had learned through this part of my career are irreplaceable. As during this time, I felt that there was something inside of me seeking more, but I could not put my finger on it. With this desire, I saved my money and prepared for my next step in life.
5. Back to School
With the money I had saved from my job, I decided to go back to school and obtain my Bachelor of Education from OISE. Although after working for almost 8 years I was extremely scared of leaving the comfort of the life I knew, to pursue my passion, I took a leave of absence from work to follow my passion of teaching others. My time completing my B.Ed. flew by. During my practicum, I stressed about being the best teacher I could be. I spent many nights trying to perfect my lessons and learning how to utilize different teaching strategies. The transition from being a Border Service Officer to becoming a teacher was very difficult but necessary. I took a big risk in returning to school to become a teacher in an oversaturated market, however, after I graduated from OISE, I successfully gained employment as a teacher in Toronto.
6. Living my Dream
I loved doing anything physical growing up. Gym class was the only time where I felt comfortable in my own skin. While other students could really shine academically in the classroom, I would shine in the gym. In the space of the gym, I could excel and all of my troubles would seem to disappear. Through my trials and tribulations, I found myself with the opportunity to live out one of my dreams: to become a gym teacher. The correct terminology is a Health and Physical Education teacher. This year I lived out my dream, as I landed a contract for Health and Physical Education. It is hard to express with words how amazing my journey has been and how happy I am during this stage of my life. Living out a dream does not come without risks and for me, some extremely low points in life. I question how happy I would be if I did not at least chase my dream.
Autobiography
My journey started in Fredericton, New Brunswick where I was born. I was born prematurely by over two months. After about three years I was moved to Mississauga where I grew up. During my childhood, I was driven by my passion for soccer as after learning how to play soccer, my confidence in physical activities grew. With this, I played competitive soccer for most of my life. Now, I can play almost any sport with ease and confidence because I had worked on developing my abilities as an athlete over the years. As I completed this assignment I realized how the odds were not in my favour for most of my life. The lesson to be learned from this was: numbers are just numbers. Do not allow your fears and statistics to dictate your life. When I started high school, I was small for my age so I started to workout. As I grew into my body and realized how much I love to use my body every way I can. The passion for physical movement is what drives me. In my life, I always strive to learn new things whether it be physically or mentally stimulating. My latest adventure is obtaining my Professional Master of Education. Aside from the academics, some of my hobbies include: scuba diving, motorcycle riding, playing/watching soccer, going to the beach, completing renovations, eating at a variety of restaurants, and walking my dog.
Throughout my life, education has been a pillar of stability. I completed my Bachelor’s degree from York University in Kinesiology. After an 8 year hiatus, I returned to the University of Toronto to complete my Bachelor of Education. Two years after my B.Ed., and have also completed 6 additional qualifications, I wanted to complete a Master's program. This leads me to Queen's University Professional Masters of Education.
I have worked since the age of 16. It seems to me that I cannot remember a time when I was not employed. Working remedial jobs helped me focus on what I wanted from a career. After university, I became a Border Service Officer. This was a very challenging time in my life. During my time as an Officer, I was given the opportunity to work in a specialized team that focused on fraudulent documentation and human trafficking. This was the most exciting part of my career as I was exposed to a world I never knew existed in Canada. During this time, I was also given the opportunity to complete a course to become an instructor. I enjoyed instructing a lot and I decided to follow my dream of becoming a gym teacher. I returned to the border after completing my B.Ed. and for a year, and I was both a Border Service Officer and a supply teacher. But when I returned to the border something was different. My passion for teaching was far greater than my comfort at the border. I decided to take a leave of absence from the border again, to complete my first contract as a full-time teacher. After my teaching contract expired I knew I would not be happy if I stayed at the border. Now in 2017, I have lived out one of my dreams as a Health and Physical Education teacher. If you are not chasing your dreams, what are you chasing?
Comments
Post a Comment