As part of the school perseverance days, the federal deputy for Rimouski-Neigette-Témiscouata-Les Basque agreed to talk about his atypical school career.
“It’s normal to have failures in life, it’s human,” he said in an interview with TVA Nouvelles.
The 33-year-old elected official, who entered the House of Commons in 2019, had to overcome many obstacles in order to complete his bachelor’s degree in business administration.
From his primary, he must work harder than the others.
“I was not top of the class, I was trying to hang on. I remember very well that there were certain courses in primary school where I had to argue with my parents because I did not want to go to school, ”said the chosen one.
When he enters secondary school, the failures accumulate. He must then face judgment and shame.
He then made the decision to enroll in sports-studies in football at the Polyvalente de Mont-Joli. Even if this choice allows him to hang on, it still comes with serious consequences.
“I had to take the bus two hours a day to go to school”
He will manage to complete part of his secondary education by following this path. Because of the failures and the remedial work he has to do, he is forced to complete his secondary 5 in adult education.
“I failed subjects and I had to finish my course at the adult training center and for me it was very difficult, because once again I felt different, I felt guilty, I did not understand why. It happened to me despite the efforts I put into it”
After high school, he made the decision to enter the job market while keeping in mind the dream of going to university.
After 10 years in the job market, he decided to return to school and enrolled at the University of Quebec in Rimouski.
“I was afraid to go back to university, just the thought of enrolling scared me, I was vomiting”
Even if sharing his story stirs strong emotions, the MP hopes that his example of perseverance and success will inspire young and old to stay the course and not give up.
“It doesn’t matter what your goals in life are, whether it’s finishing high school, going to vocational training, going to CEGEP, going to college, going to graduate school, there is no perfect path and it is in failures that we learn to succeed”, concludes the MP.