Opening doors to opportunity

“I dropped out of school at age 16, halfway through grade 11. I’d been skipping off school, I was failing all my classes, my focus was elsewhere.

I did some part-time work before I found a job at Leo’s Donair, and I’ve been there 13 years. I take great pride in making the donair meat, but I know that that job won’t give me everything I want from life. I want to own a home of my own.

I’d been thinking about getting back in the classroom to get my GED, but it was not economically possible. I looked at some ways of doing the GED, but they were out of my price range.

Then a friend and co-worker said he was going to get his GED through the WHCLN, and he asked me to join him. We found we could do it for free, in small groups, and it was close to home – just five minutes down the road from my home in Timberlea.

With help from WHCLN I got my GED in 10 months. I now understand that I had a non-verbal learning disorder. I couldn’t study well if there were too many people in the class, it was confusing. And in school the teachers didn’t have the time to provide the attention I needed.

With the learning network we were in small groups, and the instructor was able to give a lot of 1 – 1 instruction. That really helped.

Getting the GED gave me a great sense of pride. It gives me access to other opportunities, and the chance to follow in my father’s footsteps and work as a social worker.

Looking round, I see how others struggle to get ahead. They don’t have the resources. They may be marginalized and not have access to good support groups. I’ve noticed a lot of support groups rely heavily on religion. I think there should be more secular choices available to people. I’d like to help those folks who perhaps don’t feel attracted to some of the resources out there.

I’d say to anyone who missed out on qualifications at school, if you don’t have your GED, go and get it. It will make you feel better, and feeling better is a big step towards doing better.”