40th Anniversary Writing Contest

First Place

Submitted by Gary Poignant

I was feeling fatigued as I shifted down into second gear of my 1972 Ford Pinto. As I began to turn left onto Victoria Street, I didn't realize how fast the approaching pickup truck was moving. I held my breath and hit the accelerator. Tires screeched, followed by a loud bang and the sound of breaking glass. Once I realized I was OK, I looked over at my passenger, fellow Cariboo College student Tom Stout, who was sitting directly in the truck's path. He had a cut on his forehead, but remarkably was otherwise unscathed. He gave me a thumb's up sign and announced, “I've got to get some pictures of this.”

Tom then pushed away the pile of broken glass from his lap and leaned into the backseat. He grabbed his camera and climbed out the broken window. I suggested he go for treatment, but Tom was not interested. He was in work mode, saying, “I have to get some pictures for the News”.

The News, of course, was the thrice-weekly Kamloops News that Tom and I both aspired to work for. It was early March, 1976, and as Communiciations Media students at Cariboo College, anytime you can get your name in a paper it looks good on your resume. Tom—an aspiring photographer—was taking advantage of a news event to add to his resume.

As an aspiring reporter, I felt conflicted. Who am I going to talk to? Myself? In the end, I stood at the side of the road and accepted my ‘failing to yield’ ticket from an RCMP officer. Blood trickled down the side of Tom's face as he continued to take photos. I ended up walking into one frame to retrieve some belongings from my Pinto. That photo ended up on the front page in the next edition of the Kamloop News.

Mel Rothenburger, the current editor of the Kamloops News, was the editor in 1976. He was also the Journalism instructor for the Communications Media program at Cariboo. Mel was amused when Tom brought the photos in showing me standing next to my damaged Pinto. I was an enthusiastic teen who would do everything possible to try to get a byline in the News. Although I aspired to be a crime reporter, I would offer to cover mundane board meetings just so I could get a bylined story in the News.

The photo of me next to my damaged car was the first and only time I appeared on the front page of the News while at Cariboo College. Mel couldn't resist the irony and when I next saw him at class, he smiled and said, “Gary, you'll do anything to get on the front page.”

The remark, while emotionally crushing at the time, stuck with me and motivated me to get on the front page of the News with an actual byline. It would take about four years before I returned to Kamloops in 1980. I was hired by Mel to cover the crime beat for the News. Within the first week I had a story on the front page. Mission accomplished. I left Kamloops in 1981 and moved on to the Edmonton Sun where I am now in the twilight of my journalism career as the paper's news editor. Although I literally crashed before I started, choice words from a Cariboo professor put me on the path to success.

Thanks, Mel.

Gary Poignant, Winner of the TRU 40th
Anniversary Writing Contest

Second Place

Submitted by Yasir Ali

When one plants seeds, one does it with the hope that these seeds sprout into plants. And when that happens, one hopes that these sprouts grow strong enough to blossom into flowers, with the eventual wish that these flowers bear fruit.

My name is Yasir Ali, and I have been born and brought up in Dubai, U.A.E. Throughout my high school years, I had always shown a keen interest in the science stream, and soon enough I knew that engineering was my true calling. Moreover, I was so focused on my future plans that long before I had even completed high school, I had planned and chosen the university where I had wanted to pursue my degree. With that intention, I had completed high school, but alas things don't always go as planned. I had submitted my application to the university and everything was progressing as smoothly as possible when I was struck unguarded by one small hiccup. The university had a rule that each student signs a contract with them that binds the student to work for the number of years the student had studied in the company that had provided funding for the university. This caveat was like a double edged sword, on the plus side I could have job security for the next couple of years, but on the down side I would be handing over a couple of years of my freedom by signing on that dotted line.

Since there had not been much time left before the deadline for the Fall semester, I had frantically started searching for other good universities, but unfortunately the deadline for international universities had already closed. After three long days, I finally found Thompson Rivers University. To be honest, I was very apprehensive before sending my application to TRU, but there was this instinct within me that urged me that this was the right decision. In the end, I gave in to my instinct and two months later I was standing in Old Main figuring out the class room numbers.

TRU has been a blessing in disguise for me, not only did this place help me get independent in life, but being an international student, I never felt uncomfortable or the odd one out here. The place holds that special je ne sais quoi that makes me want to love it. I had always been not a very vocal person, but the energy possessed by this place made me do things that I never thought of even venturing into. Eight months at TRU, and I am volunteering for the ISAP, writing a bi-weekly column for the Omega, working as a Supplementary Learning Leader, and not to forget studying on a full course load.

The atmosphere in the classrooms generated by each professor provokes me to ask questions when in doubt, and trust me I was among those kinds of people who would prefer asking questions to his friends after class, rather than questioning the teacher. Services such as the writing and the maths lab have instilled confidence within me before heading towards a quiz, or submitting a paper.

Overall, TRU has not only been a vital tool in helping me attain education, but has also prepared me for those things that are essential for a student to succeed in the rat race of the big bad world that exists outside those closed doors. I will always be grateful to TRU in providing me with the opportunity to study here, and I am glad that I had not joined the other university where I would have now been regretfully contemplating whether or not I had made the right decision. In the end, all I would like to say is that with the help and guidance at TRU, I promise it won't be long before this seedling bears fruit.

Yasir Ali,
awarded Second Place

Special Thanks to

Meaghan Buisson

When I stepped across the stage for my graduation from TRU, two thoughts were going through my mind. One - don't trip. Two - don't cry.

“I'm here.” I kept thinking. “I'm really here.”

Receiving my degree marked the culmination of a long, hard, journey racing around the world - literally! As a national team athlete in the sport of inline speed skating, sitting in a traditional classroom simply wasn't an option. I bounced through five universities before finally finding the right ‘fit’ at TRU-OL. Through the flexibility and support of this program, I was able to complete my degree one course at a time. I quickly learned how to study in trains, planes and automobiles while criss-crossing oceans and continents. My reading selection caused raised eyebrows on the World Cup circuit more than once. What, doesn't everyone read a biology textbook while sitting on a stationary bike?!

Somehow, I managed to balance school and sport; breaking a world record one day, writing a final exam the next. I've stood on international podiums and known the pride of hearing the Canadian anthem play following a skating victory. But I can honestly say the feeling of finishing my degree is every bit as special to me as anything I have accomplished on skates.

I'll never forget the day of my graduation. As a TRU-OL graduate (BSc. Biol/Life Sciences '10), the ceremony held special meaning; it was my first time ever seeing the campus! When I met faculty and support staff, individuals whom I'd only known through email and phone, all I could say was “thank you”. Their support and encouragement was amazing. They are the pillars upon which TRU's Open Learning program stands strong.

I read a quote once, that said people need both ‘roots and wings’. My degree through TRU-OL has given me both. As I turn in pursuit of graduate studies, I do so with the knowledge the quality of my degree from TRU is recognized worldwide. The skills I gained throughout my undergraduate program, including time management and self-motivation, coupled with the quality of my education therein, are intangible assets. My degree has opened doors I didn't even know existed, and there is not a day that goes by when I am not grateful for TRU-OL. I wouldn't have graduated without having the online learning option.

While I'm not sure when I'll be on campus next, one thing's for certain; no matter where I go in this world, I'll always be a proud graduate of Thompson Rivers University!

Meaghan Buisson