“I never saw myself as a teacher. I had dreams of working in a museum one day,” Emily says. “I am interested in fine art and I love working with kids but teaching has never been part of my plan.”
Like many, Emily’s academic journey was not linear. After high school at École catholic la Renaissance in Espanola, Emily moved back to her hometown of Foleyet to spend some time working and planning for her future. Eight years after graduating high school, Emily’s mom and grandma encouraged her to look into attending Laurentian University for her studies. They suggested she follow in their footsteps and get a Bachelor of Education but Emily was not sure it was a good fit for her long term goals.
That’s when Emily reached out to the late Dr. Ali Reguigui for some guidance. Dr. Reguigui, who was a prominent figure at the University and in the French community, offered Emily guidance that helped her get to where she is today.
“I told him about my interest in art, my hope to one day work in a museum, my love for kids, and my passion for Franco-Ontarian culture,” Emily recalls. “He encouraged me to go into the teaching program because the dual degree could open doors in ways I might not expect.”
Dr. Reguigui explained that the French Consecutive degree option would give her the chance to study in French, get a general arts degree, and she would finish with a Bachelor of Education as well. Plus with the option to study online, she could continue to live and work in Foleyet while working on her French Bachelor of Arts.
Emily had previously completed the Early Childhood Education Program at Collège Boréal and with her new trajectory at Laurentian, she would be able to transfer many of those credits to the B.Ed program.
Emily’s patience and perseverance over the years has paid off and she is now about to graduate from Laurentian with both degrees and complete her term as the Delegate of the Faculty of Education with the Association des Études Francophone.
“I took my time figuring out what I wanted to do and I feel proud of that. Even during the pandemic, I took a year off and came back again. I studied in-person and online,”Emily says, reflecting on her academic journey. “I went to college and university. I represented my program through the French student association. I asked for guidance and grace when I needed it. The process made me a more resilient and confident person.”
Fourteen years after graduating high school, Emily will start her Master’s in Études Français in the fall. You might be wondering if Emily has decided to take on teaching. The answer to that is still “not right now” but Emily says the French B.Ed. was the right choice for her and teaching may be something she does in the future.
“I have found a way to connect all the dots - creativity, culture, and education can all work together,” Emily says emphatically. “I can make an impact in education without being a front line educator. My future plan is to create Franco-Ontarian teaching resources. I’m so excited to help teachers and students enrich their classrooms with teaching tools that are relevant and local.”
Emily will graduate on June 4th at 2:30pm.