Onward and upward for Onslow man
When he dropped out of high school as a teenager, Blake Otterson had reached the point where he just didn’t see the value of a Grade 12 diploma.
“I was doing good and then I started not taking school as seriously as I should have,” the Onslow resident said.
“In high school, I was always a confident person but I didn’t think I was smart enough to go for the highest math, the highest English and stuff. That’s half the reason I started leaning towards just working a blue-collar job and not worrying about my Grade 12 at the time.”
After several years in the work force, however, Patterson has had a serious change of heart.
“I decided I wanted to get out and work and then after going through some working experiences I just realized I can’t be that successful without that Grade 12.”
Otterson, now 21, returned home from Alberta a couple of years ago and decided to enroll in the Adult Learning Program (ALP) at the Truro campus of Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC).
And last week he proudly donned his convocation gown and mortar board to accept his ALP certificate, which gives him the equivalent of a Grade 12 diploma.
His new- found dedication and commitment to learning also earned him the 2018 Dean’s Award for the ALP.
“Being out there just motivated me to say, hey I’m ready to get to the next step and move on with my life,” he said.
“Some nights it would be just me and the security guard in the lobby with me on the computer working.”
But Otterson also credits his NSCC instructors for instilling the confidence and drive to make it through tough moments that come with taking on a new challenge.
“The minute I walked through the doors at NSCC they tell you what you can do and what you can achieve,” he said. “I really don’t think I could’ve done it without the push from a lot of the teachers I had. They always went the extra mile and went out of their way for me all the time.”
Otterson now has been accepted into the NSCC’S Criminal Justice Program, which begins in September and has his sights set on a career as a military policeman.
“I felt like that was going to be the best trade suited for me, for what I want to do.”