From monkey bars to camera work: Meet 3 P.E.I. students going back to school at different stages in life

This week, many residents of P.E.I. will be heading back to school, and depending on what stage of education people are at, their goals differ.

Charlee Smith is heading into Grade 1 at Westwood Primary School on Thursday. She went to kindergarten there last year and is excited to be entering Grade 1.

"I'm excited to play in the playground, meet my new teacher, like I'm excited for everything," Charlee said.

She turns six in December, can't wait to get to play on bigger playground equipment this year and said she's happy that she is going to be learning more math.

On top of that, she has a lofty goal for the year.

"I don't know how to do the monkey bars," Charlee said, but she hopes she is able to make it all the way across by the end of the year.

'Definitely about time'

Not everyone is heading to school at such a young age. 

Ashley White is going back to school as a mature student — she turns 25 next month and she graduated high school about eight years ago.

White is taking the occupational therapist assistant and physiotherapist assistant program at Holland College.

After being out of school for so long, White said she feels more ready to go back to school than she was when she graduated high school on P.E.l.

White said she is tired of being "stuck," and "it was definitely about time."

"After a while of doing the same kind of minimum-wage jobs for so long you kind of just want more than that. So, I guess that was the biggest push for me."

White said she did pretty well in high school.

It's always a little nerve-racking knowing you're going to be put in a group of strangers.— Ashley White

"I'm just hoping I can succeed as much now as I did then," she said.

The course White is taking has only been offered at the college the last few years. Before that she didn't know what she wanted to do.

Securing child care

White is also a mother and said she was worried about child care heading back to school. She got help from Skills PEI, a division of the Department of Education established in 2009 to manage the design and delivery of employment and skills-development programming.

"Thankfully I was able to get Skills funding, which does help with child care and honestly if I didn't have that I don't know if I would be able to do this right now, so I am very thankful for that," White said.

I can't wait to graduate and do my job.— Amanda Coral

White said she is trying to stay positive and not worry about her first school year in eight years, she said.

"It's always a little nerve-racking knowing you're going to be put in a group of strangers where you don't know anybody," White said.

Other than that, she said she has more faith in herself than when she was 18.

Changing disciplines

While some Islanders wait till the time is right to go back to school, some leave their home to study in Canada.

Amanda Coral came to P.E.I. from San Juan, Puerto Rico last year to take theatre at Holland College's School of Performing Arts, but it didn't pan out.

"My student loans had a little bit of a problem with theatre performance here because it is a little bit more expensive," she said.

Coral didn't know what to do. She was far from home and her chance to study was slipping away, but then she said she thought about how much she likes writing and talking to people.

"I picked journalism, and I like it a lot," Coral said.

She said her first year in the program at Holland College was great, and although she was nervous she gained a lot of experience and made friends on the Island easily.

"It went by too fast," she said.

Coral said instructors in her program get all the students used to talking to one another because they'll be expected to go out and interview sources for stories.

Radio killed the video star?

She said she is looking forward to her second year. She talked to a lot of people inside the college last year and hopes to get out and interview people outside the college, but she is still nervous.

"I am very afraid to do video and interview someone with my camera because I'm not that great, but hopefully I get better," Coral said.

Coral said she is hoping to do a journalism internship in a bigger city like Halifax at the end of the year, and wants to find a job working in radio.

"I can't wait to graduate and do my job." 

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