A mother of three children chose to return to school after 15 years in the sales field. Now aged 37, she is preparing to graduate from university, despite a family-study balance that is not always easy.
It was in 2019, in her cinema class, offered in the communications program at Cégep Marie-Victorin, that Lany-Jade Mondou got the bug for directing. She knew from then on that she wanted to follow the television studies program at UQAM, which she enrolled in 2021.
COURTESY MARTIN LABBÉ
Was she afraid of returning to school with students 15 years younger than her? For her, it was far from a problem.
“I feel like a young person, I still got along well with [mes collègues]», mentions the one who finishes her studies in a few days.
A complex study-family balance
“My children are 6, 11 and 13 years old today. I think that for them, I am an eternal student, I have been at school all their lives,” says Lany-Jade Mondou.
Although she enjoys discussing their respective duties with her children, reconciling studies and family life requires a lot of organization. But “it’s worth it”, underlines the one whose dream is to become a director.
COURTESY SANDRINE PETIT
The support of her partner proved essential during her studies.
“I wanted to give up so many times. But I looked at my children and said to myself that if they see that I give up, what example am I showing them? It’s just impossible,” says Lany-Jade Mondou.
Financial sacrifice
The biggest sacrifice for the family remains the financial side. Manager in a clothing store, Lany-Jade Mondou earned a salary of more than $50,000 in 2018, before returning to studies. Despite financial support from the government, the family had to tighten their belts.
COURTESY LANY-JADE MONDOU
“We said to ourselves that this is a good move, we redid our budgets. That’s really what was the most difficult,” says the student.
A necessary evil to change careers, when her old job made her unhappy.
An inspiring return to school
Lany-Jade Mondou says that her journey was inspiring for the people around her, to the point that one of her friends also returned to school.
“It was his dream. I think she thought it wasn’t possible, but seeing me do it, she did it,” she says.
The future television bachelor is grateful to have been so well surrounded, but also to have learned to know herself more than ever.
“There are two things in life that have taught me about myself: my children. Then school. I learned what I liked, what I didn’t like. I learned to push my perseverance, my ambitions,” reveals Lany-Jade Mondou.
For the mother, it is “a second chance at life” that she decided to seize in order to make her dreams come true.
To achieve this, she plans to continue her path in the media in order, ultimately, to pursue a career as a director. She also likes coloring, a profession that she slowly began to practice thanks to freelance contracts that she found.