Education is the key, says Malaspina grad

"Do the unexpected. Take risks. Don't limit yourselves when deciding what to study or what career to pursue."

That's what former Malaspina University-College student Laura Tait told a crowd of over 300 Aboriginal students and adults who gathered at Malaspina University-College for the annual Aboriginal Visitation Day on Thursday, March 17.

Tait, an Aboriginal student, completed an undergraduate degree in pyschology at the University of Victoria in 1991 and worked as a youth and family counsellor. She graduated from Malaspina's post baccalaureate Education degree program in 1998, and spent a few years teaching in Taiwan. Tait currently works for the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district providing Aboriginal support for grade four to seven students at Mount Benson Elementary and as an Educational Advisor at Cedar Secondary School.

"Education, whatever form it takes, has a profound effect on your adult life," Tait told Aboriginal students.

Prior to completing her studies, Tait travelled and met many interesting people "including a snake wrangler, a river guide in the Himalayas, basketball playing Buddhist monks and even ambassadors."

"What I admired about all of these people is that they were unique," she said. "They didn't limit their imaginations when choosing their work. Don't limit yourselves when deciding what to study or what career to pursue."

Tait said after completing the Education program at Malaspina she "felt prepared professionally, intellectually and emotionally to tackle the huge challenge of teaching kids. In large part, I think this was because of the incredible amount of individual attention that we got from our instructors," she said. "For me, one of the highlights of the program was the commitment the instructors have to their students. The teachers are very dedicated to their student's success."

While studying at Malaspina, Tait focused on Aboriginal education. She completed her final student teacher practicum in her own village up north in a place called Lax Kw'Alaams, and then headed for Taiwan.

"Two years ago, I went from teaching in a city of five million in Asia to teaching in a village of 500 in Bella Coola," she said. Tait began working for the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district last September.

Tait said her education has given her the freedom to pursue her passion, which is travelling. "My hope is that your uniqueness and passion will lead you on a path which is yours and only yours," she told students.

Tait's mother, Fran Tait, Malaspina's First Nations Coordinator and Student Services & Education Advisor, said her daughter was a typical student "who went through university not really knowing what she wanted to do. But in the process of attending university, she met many different people and found her direction.

"Someone told Laura that she would make an awesome teacher," said Tait, "and that's why she came to Malaspina. She always said that she wanted to make a difference, and she is. That's why I'm so proud of her."