Jaime Adams took a deep breath and entered Selkirk College’s Castlegar Campus on a beautiful day in early-September. During that first week, the mom’s group in her neighbourhood of Tadanac helped ensure it went as smooth as possible by helping with childcare, reaffirming a connection to her new loving community.
“I felt the love and support from my little community, that became very apparent on my first week of school,” she says. “When you feel that others notice your struggles and they really care, it’s humbling but if feels really special. These people don’t have any obligation to me, but they show up. It was a first for me and it kind of knocks you back into yourself because it makes you realize how much you did alone before... so it ends up hurting, but in a good way. Being humbled is an emotional experience filled with tears of gratitude and a heart so full it begins to throb in its expanse.”
Adams also felt support from a variety of college services, including Indigenous Student Counsellor Leah Lychowyd who provided vital advice and helped her work through applying for Metis citizenship.
“The support has made it possible, I don’t think without that I would still be enrolled or feel confident that I could do this,” she says. “Despite the feeling of constant anxiety, I did well and remarkably kept it together.”
Buoyed by the support of instructors, staff and her neighbours, the chaos in other areas of her life did not wane. The financial pressures were building and though she has a student loan, the struggle was reaching a breaking point. Then in late-December, she received better-than-expected final grades and the email from the college’s Financial Aid office about four bursaries to help offset costs of the second semester.
“When you receive the notice, you don’t really get to see the person behind who is giving it,” explains Adams. “But they need to know that it’s a blessing to those receiving it because it helps take some of the pressure off, especially when you’re under so much at times you think you’re going to break. Knowing that you will be able to use these bursaries to pay for more of your school, it provides you extra time because it takes away from what is on that full plate. You have a little more room to breathe.”
Getting to her final educational goal is still distant, but Adams is taking it one semester at a time. The future is still uncertain as she continues the process of healing while creating balance and peace within her life. But her determination in moving forward is secured with the additional external support that offers a bout of confidence and motivation to continue on her journey.