National Adult Literacy Database

May 21, 2001

This week, we are launching four stories written by students from Morell, Prince Edward Island. As a special event you can read their stories as well as hear them.

Joanne Sharpe was a student of the Morell Learning Center Adult Education program with the Institute of Adult & Community Education, Inc. in Prince Edward Island. Joanne drove 80km round-trip, five days a week to the classroom and accomplished a great deal of work during a short amount of time. She is an example of what can be achieved when a goal is set, and how well it can be done under stressful circumstances.

 

Play an audio version of this story

Believing in Myself

by Joanne Sharpe

Hi, my name is Joanne Sharpe. I am 26 years old, and I have been married for 3 years now, and I have 2 small children ages 2 yrs and 4 months old.

I graduated from high school here in P.E.I in 1993. I then took a year-long travel counselor course that I never used. Since then, I have been working the same no where jobs with awful hours.

Finally, after we had Sara, my youngest girl, we decided that some major changes had to be made in our lives. So I decided to apply to the Collaborative Nursing program in Ontario. It would mean a move to another province, 4 years in university, all while trying to balance 2 small children and some kind of family life. I received a conditional acceptance, which meant that I had to get three high school credits: Grade 12 Chemistry, Biology, and Math.

So in the last 2 months I have successfully attained three credits with an 80% or above in each, raised my girls basically on my own, because my husband is a long haul truck driver, and packed up absolutely everything that we own.

I guess that the main reason that I am sharing my experience is because I wanted to let everyone know that if I can do all of this, and go back to university, then so can you. Believe in yourself and you will go places that you never imagined possible.