Student gets a fresh start

Samantha Poitras assumed she would be anxious to finish college. Now that she’s finished her diploma program, she’s planning to continue her education and possibly pursue a master’s degree.

Samantha Poitras wanted a fresh start. She had left a violently abusive marriage and was recovering from drug addiction. She had worked as a hairdresser for 24 years but knew her heart wasn’t in it.

“I volunteered at a long-term care facility – I had a friend who worked there – and I discovered what I wanted to be,” recalls Poitras, who is now a graduate of the Health Care Support Worker (HSCW) Program at Douglas.

Poitras had been drawn to working with seniors since she started going to Shaughnessy Hospital in Vancouver as a child with her parents to visit a friend.

“I handed out cookies and played checkers with the veterans. I remember feeling sorry for the people who didn’t have anyone visiting them,” says Poitras.

Volunteering as an adult reminded her of how good it felt to bring a smile to the Shaughnessy residents’ faces. In fact, she had wanted to go back to school for some time, but initially, was still in the process of battling addiction. “At the time, it was too hard to go through the process of applying for school, applying for loans and actually going to school.”

With the encouragement of her drug and alcohol counsellor, she decided it was time. “I’m such a critical thinker. I psychoanalyze everything. I just had to do it,” she says.

Then came the worry that she wouldn’t qualify for a loan due to her past challenges. “When I got the loan, I decided, ‘It’s meant to be.’”

Poitras anticipated standing out from the majority of her classmates, having been out of high school for 20-plus years, but was pleasantly surprised to meet other mature students in the HCSW Program.

“I found out people do change careers at this age,” says laughs.

The biggest challenge, says Poitras, was prioritizing her recovery, school, work and life. Recovery remains first and school is now a close second. Again, she drew inspiration from her childhood, this time to find self-disclipline.

“I was a competitive synchronized swimmer and gymnast. I reached back and pulled that out. There’ll be time to go to movies with friends later,” says Poitras.

Though she assumed she would be anxiously awaiting the end of school so she could begin a new career, Poitras is now anticipating continuing her education. “Now I want more. I’m looking at the Therapeutic Recreation Program and am considering going on to do a master’s after that. I want more. I feel a huge sense of accomplishment.”

Published March 17, 2010

Links:

Information Sessions
Health Care Support Worker
Therapeutic Recreation