September 11, 2007 - 8:30am
“Jump in with both feet.”
That’s Nigel Deebank’s advice for adults who are considering going back to school.
Deebank, 51, just started his second year of studies at Malaspina University-College. He knows all about taking risks and overcoming challenges. Deebank worked in the construction industry for nearly 20 years when a workplace accident nearly cost him his life.
“I fell about 20 feet and landed on cement,” he said. “My body was shattered.” Six surgeries later and ongoing problems with one leg forced Deebank to consider a career change. An employment counsellor encouraged the former laborer to complete his grade 8 education and pointed him towards Malaspina’s literacy programs. Deebank’s journey started at the Reading and Writing Centre on Jubilee Street in Duncan.
That was two years ago. Since then, Deebank has successfully completed English 9, 10, 11 and 12, and Math 10 through Malaspina’s Adult Basic Education (ABE) program, and is now enrolled in his second year of university studies. He’s working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, with minors in English and psychology.
“If it wasn’t for ABE English instructor Sue Browne, I don’t know where I’d be today,” said Deebank. “She really encouraged me to move forward with my life.”
Deebank’s long-term goal is to become a teacher. “I want to pay it forward,” he explained. “So many people have helped me. Now it’s my turn to give something back.”
Browne is elated to hear of her former student’s success. “Nigel is a student who is enthusiastic and completely committed to learning,” she said. “In class, he asked a lot of questions, supported others and took on every assignment as a personal challenge to do his best. He always kept in mind that little by little, step by step, he could master new things. As a mature student, he was an inspiration to many other students in my class.”
In June, Deebank won the Mayor Mike Coleman Award for good citizenship after being nominated by his peers. He plans to continue his studies at Malaspina's Cowichan campus until next June, and possibly transfer to the Nanaimo campus.
“If you told me four years ago that I’d be going back to school I would have laughed,” he said. “I hadn’t been in a classroom since the 1970s. It was scary at first, but Malaspina instructors go out of their way to make it comfortable for you. The hardest part is walking through the door for the first time. Now I encourage everyone I know to return to school. Even my younger brother started classes this week at Malaspina, and my two sisters, ages 61 and 55, are taking courses as well. It’s great.”
For more information about Malaspina’s ABE program, call (250) 740-6425 in Nanaimo, (250) 248-2096 in Parksville, (250) 746-3500 in Duncan, or (604) 485-2878 in Powell River.
Tags: In the Community
