Article 7 – COVID-19 Sent Me Back to School

Sharon Garson

In 1999, I graduated with a Diploma in Business Administration from Keewatin Community College, now called University College of the North (UCN), here in Thompson, Manitoba. After graduation, I did not know if I should stay in Thompson or go back home to Split Lake. I worked in Thompson for a couple of months with a temporary position at Keewatin Tribal Council. Thinking of a permanent job, I went home to see what I could do there. Options were scarce. After I was home for a couple of weeks, I decided to do something. I offered my services for free to the Education Authority, so that I could get some work experience. They said yes and they kept me on. I started as an assistant to the whole office. Soon I was asked to look after the payroll and accounts payable. It took me a while to learn to manage all the accounts, but now I am the Finance Manager. The knowledge I gained from this position has been very satisfying. However, I don’t think this position would be satisfying to me forever. I want to enhance my employability. I made a decision to go back to university.

While I was applying for university in the summer of 2020, my inner self was having doubts. “Am I too old to go back to school?” However, my deeper thought was always telling me it was time for a change: a change to what I was not sure. I always believe that I must have a university degree. As I already have a Diploma in Business Administration plus working experience in that field, I decided to apply for the Bachelor of Business Administration Program.

Going back to university is different from the time when I was studying for the Diploma in Business Administration twenty years ago. At that time, I didn’t have a family. Now my husband and I have four children. My firstborn is set to graduate high school next year, and I’m hoping he attends UCN too. I started questioning myself about coming back to university. “Will my son mind if he would be studying in the same school with his MOM?” I asked him what his plans are after high school a few times, but he has not answered me yet. I will continue to encourage him to get two degrees at least. I don’t think he gives it much thought about me being around because he got used to having me around. I was his hockey coach until he was thirteen and continued to be the team chaperone or driver. Instead of being self-conscious, I will be a good role model for him by continuing my education.

The persistent feeling of doubt kept coming back when I thought about going back to school. I started wondering how we will manage our bills, school, work, and our children. Those were good reasons not to go back to school, right then. However, I would just keep on working and dreaming about going back to university. I had reluctantly accepted my condition then and had put my dream of going back to university on hold.

Coincidently, an opportunity came to me. Early in summer 2020, I was at work having a conversation with my co-worker, who happened to be the post-secondary counsellor. She mentioned that courses at UCN would probably be online because of this pandemic. She also said that application submissions were currently free. What a good opportunity! So, I applied online and received a reply within a week. I was accepted. Cool hey? I was ecstatic.

Now talking about my husband who lets me do what I want, I feel grateful for his support. This has brought me back to the marathons I have done in different parts of North America. In the beginning, I would book our destination first and tell him later, so he wouldn’t back out. He would not say anything and let me know if the destination worked for us. One time I was about to book a run in Montreal, but he said no, because it was during the fall hunt. He needed a flight to our remote camp. One of us had to stay with the kids because of school. Instead of discussing with him ahead of time, I asked him to come with me to Winnipeg for a half marathon the following month. Without complaints, he waited for me at the finish lines. What a support I received from him! I couldn’t express enough thanks to him while limping back to the hotel. I am grateful for him: He stayed home to look after the children while I worked. Even after our last newborn, I stayed home only for two months and went back to work. It was hard for him to look after the baby because he’s an outdoor type. He would always be fixing and building something whenever he has a break. Now you could imagine what a challenge for him to stay at home with kids. One late night I finally told him about my dream of getting a university degree. There was not much discussion between us; he just gave me a nod and said okay, which was good enough for me.

Now I am constantly with my laptop and headphones at home. It has not been easy; my evenings and weekends are filled with reading. During previous holiday seasons, I would spend more time with my family where we might go for a run together instead of working on my homework without paying attention to them. My seven-year-old son especially wants my attention because my other kids are in their teens. They do not have an interest in little kids’ games. I am glad they are old enough to do all inside chores, another neglect I sometimes do because of school. So, after some playtime with my son, I go back to reading. Sometimes I have questions where I do not want to ask the instructor because I realize how important it is to interact with fellow students. I sure do need to share my work and worries with them sometimes, to get their positive feedback. Having said that, I hope we continue to do online courses at least for another term. Another setback for me to stay at university is financial support. My teenagers are going through some dental procedures. Although the insurance from work helps me with that, I need time to think of a way financially to continue pursuing my degree.

I am happy I came back to UCN twenty-one years after I obtained my diploma. I have gained insight into so many new things, especially managing with technology. I am grateful for the orientation that comes with online learning. Having online classes meant I didn’t have to leave my home to go to school. It also meant I would have to update myself on software programs. I was in a class where we did a group project. I was so thankful for fellow students who knew how to use document sharing programs. I was ecstatic at what could be accomplished from all this technology. Sometimes I think about going for an Education Degree as well. I will wait and think about it. For now, I want to finish the next term. I want to see how it will affect me, my family, and my full-time job. I don’t regret coming back to school after so many years. I have been happy and content with what I have achieved through education. I think now maybe I was getting too comfortable and I needed a new challenge. Challenge and excitement, along with worry is what I have got so far from my life. I would worry about tests and assignment due dates when going to university. But as long as I can keep up and know my priorities, I believe I will do alright. Thanks to online learning, I can continue my education while keeping my job and managing my family life.

Author’s Bio: Sharon Garson married Charles “Stephen” Garson on October 7, 2004. They have 4 Children:
Charles “Zach” Garson -17, graduating June 2021
Charlize Garson – 15, Grade 11
Karina Garson -13, Grade 8
Randy Redhead – 7, Grade 2
While at home, Sharon and her family may work or attend school, but they also follow a traditional hunting and gathering lifestyle. Sharon attributes this to her husband’s lifestyle and often calls him her “Mad Trapper.” Often, they take trips to the bush and on the water for hunting and ice fishing. Sharon graduated high school in Dauphin, Manitoba, and then graduated from Keewatin Community College (KCC) in Thompson, Manitoba in 1999. In January 2000, Sharon started working at Tataskweyak Education Authority in Split Lake and currently still works there. She has sat on several boards in her community, including on the Tataskweyak Education Board as a trustee before gaining employment there, Tataskweyak Gaming Commission, Tataskweyak Trust, Aboriginal Strategies located in Winnipeg, and Tataskweyak Minor Hockey Association as a treasurer and coach.

Sharon is an avid marathoner, having completed marathons in Hawaii, Las Vegas, Chicago, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. She also completed a marathon in the Cayman Islands, where she accomplished a dream of winning a marathon in her age category. She was able to do this with help from fundraising for Health Horizons under The North West Company. Sharon dreams of also running a marathon in Iceland. During the summers, she runs in summer events held on other reserves, and this has taken her to places such as Cross Lake, Norway House, Nelson House, and York Landing. Sharon enjoys that this also helps make a lot of friends. Aside from marathons, she also plays other sports. During her KCC days, she went to the Manitoba Games in Gimli to represent Nor-Man in volleyball, where her team won gold. Sharon also entered the Masters Indigenous Games that were held in Toronto, where she received medals in Track. Not only has Sharon advocated for her own athleticism, but she worked hard to get kids from her community to compete at the Indigenous Games when they were held in Winnipeg. This was a dream accomplished. Sharon’s goal is to run a 50km marathon. This was supposed to happen in Calgary in 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she hopes to complete it in 2022.

Sharon believes that success is being happy. “I love my family so much. I thank God for them. Without faith, I would not have these. I pray every day for strength and to be worry free. I want to be a positive influence to my children. I hope they follow my path to lead a clean and healthy life.”

Instructor’s Remarks: COVID-19 has an impact on everyone’s life. However, moving university education to online has offered Sharon Garson the opportunity to get a university degree. She was my student in the first-year literature course, Introduction to Literature ENG 1000. As an adult student who has four children to raise and who has to work daily, she managed to attend most of the virtual lectures twice a week during the pandemic. She was the top student in this class. I am impressed with her enthusiasm in taking this course and asked her to tell us her story of coming to UCN for a university degree. Her story of studying at UCN is inspiring not only to her own children but also to all university students especially the adult students. (Dr. Ying Kong)