My educational journey… had a lot of ups and downs. When I first started this program, I became VERY ill and was hospitalized the second week in. I thought I would have to quit the program entirely but the chair of the department was able to make arrangements for me to be able to continue and finish the semester. I made a full recovery and even landed one of the most coveted co-op positions in the program. Co-op’s were AMAZING; they are terms that allow you to get hands on training at an actual treatment plant facility- put my brains to work! It was very rewarding of how much I learned and was great for me to have those crucial hands on experiences. I met some really amazing professors that have really helped me achieve thus far; I wouldn’t have gotten this far without them, that’s for sure! I struggled; but with a strong sense of “this is where I am supposed to be” mind set, I persevered. I had days where I didn’t want to go to school, MANY nights where I cried through my studies, negative thoughts of “I’m not smart enough”, “ this is too hard” but I have made several friends in the program that helped me with this struggle and many (like I said before) professors that went above and beyond for me to succeed. I am the first one in my family to have graduated and now am the first one to graduate college with a diploma! I will come out of this program with a: WATER ENGINEERING DIPLOMA.
Peter’s Band could not have come at a better time; I was struggling to pay my tuition for the first 2 semesters and THANKFULLY- Peter’s Band stepped in and helped me with that and THEN SOME! They have been so helpful, and I am just so humbled and feeling very blessed/fortunate to have been selected for receiving help! Thank you so much! Peter’s has gone above and beyond, and I will be able to achieve many more goals to come in my future. THANK YOU.
My plans are: I have currently been hired back at Seymour Capilano Filtration Plant (SCFP) in a full-time, temporary position of one year because they just don’t have a spot for me quite yet. There are a few openings happening at both SCFP and Coquitlam Water Treatment Plant (CWTP) that I will be applying for in the New Year and hopefully that will get me into a full-time, permanent spot! I have been approached by the First Nations sector with this company and would love to do work with them in the future, along with educating the public with water knowledge! I feel that this is what I should be doing; I want to help people understand and really respect the water that people see in such abundance. Water is a very fragile thing that we need to cherish and not waste, as BC is the BIGGEST water wasters in Canada. We can see it all around us, and people think it will last forever but we need to respect it and really respect it. I would also like to work with the Fisheries department and do water treatment systems on reservations. I have a lot of things that I want to do but with this education that Peter’s Band has help me achieve, I feel like I’m unstoppable now! I have a deep seeded desire to help protect and educate on water, I want to help my people on reservations with the water crisis across the country and I love me some FISHES!!
Thank you again, from the bottom of my very humbled heart.
You have done more than just provided me with funds; you have given me a sense of pride, a sense of self, a sense of accomplishment and a start to a VERY meaningful job and future! I promise I will continue to make you proud and make a difference! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
-Heather
