In June, 2010, Steve Mattice graduated from high school. To read more about his recent achievements, please see our Spring 2010 newsletter.
Steve Mattice
I left school after Grade 8, to start working. I've had all sorts of jobs: truck driver, cowboy, skitter operator ... But several years ago I had a bad rodeo accident. Because of my injuries, I couldn't do that sort of work anymore.
I was nearly fifty years old, and I didn't know what I was going to do. The things I was most interested in – like training to be a pilot – needed high school graduates, and I had never finished school.
One day around that time, I heard something on the radio about the Partner Assisted Learning program in Williams Lake, where I live. I wasn't keen on the idea of going "back to school", but this sounded different – designed for adults, to meet their individual needs and interests. I've since learned that there are similar programs in a lot of places across BC.
It sounded like it could be right for me. I decided to give it a try. When I arrived at the address, I went up and down the stairs more than a few times before I knocked. The first step through that door was the hardest I ever took.
I was greeted like an old friend. "We're not sure how we're going to help you yet," they said, "but we will help you." They found out what I was interested in and what I was good at. They realized that I liked to fix things, so they tore apart a computer for me to put back together - I learnt a lot of useful technical skills that way. All the while, I was learning to read and write better.
I had never been able to read too well. My wife had to take care of all my paperwork. Sometimes when I was given forms to look at, I pretended that I didn't have my glasses with me, or gave some other excuse. You find ways to fumble through.
Now, after just three years, I am about to complete my Grade 12. It's exciting – a real achievement. I'm already training to be a pilot. It's one more thing people said I could never do, and I'm proving them wrong.
It's never too late to learn. When I had the accident, one door closed for me. But I found the courage to go back into education, and now many new doors are opening. For example, I've been nominated to be a part of the National Indigenous Literacy Association.
I got the help I needed, and now I want to help other people. I plan to stay involved with PAL. I can teach people how to use computers. My example can show them that they can succeed too. If I can do it, anyone can. That's what I want people to know – that's why I'm glad to share my story.
