Marie-Soleil Deneault
École secondaire de Saint-Paul

For some people, being told no, having a door closed in their face or suffering a setback, however banal it might seem, can lead to a true loss of motivation and confidence. For Marie-Soleil Deneault, a student at Saint-Paul high school, however, it is completely the opposite. Even after twice failing Secondary 2, the young woman has never given up. She has always found ways of overcoming her difficulties and has confounded the odds, persevering in order to ensure for herself, as she so aptly puts it, a future that is on a par with her dreams.

It is not always easy for teenagers to see their friends succeed and to live with the frustration of never being able to do so oneself. “I remember at the beginning of high school, we worked a lot in teams and I was never able to follow. My friends used to help me but I couldn’t understand, I just couldn’t catch on, especially in French and math. The last two years were therefore very hard for me. I felt really disheartened and less and less motivated,” Marie-Soleil spontaneously recounts.

And then one day, one of her teachers decided to help her in choosing the best academic path for her. Following many discussions and a lot of thought, Marie-Soleil chose to enrol in a semi-specialized vocational training program and this was the starting point for a whole new adventure focused on success. “My teacher gave me the courage to continue in my studies and not to give up even though I was experiencing one failure after another at school. This year, I love the program I’m in because I can progress at my own pace in all my subjects and, on top of that, I’m succeeding,” she exclaims with satisfaction.

Spurred on by the sense of pride that her recent academic success has given her, Marie-Soleil keeps on pushing as hard as she can. While the vocational program requirements call for students to complete a certain number of pages per week in core subjects, Marie-Soleil has more than doubled her weekly workload and will therefore be able to finish Secondary 2 much faster and begin Secondary 3 in the very near future. Marie-Soleil will thus have the chance to make up for some of the time she has lost over the past few years.

“This is an imposing task,” asserts Karina Bilodeau, a teacher in the program. “But week after week, to my great surprise, Marie-Soleil pulls it off. She really shows unremitting determination and autonomy in her studies. She works without letting herself be distracted and asks the questions she needs to help her understand and better succeed.”

We saw another example of the student’s determination when, as part of her program, she had to find a place to undertake a training period in a field of her choice. Opting for secretarial work, she set about making requests at various places but they all refused. You may think that being back at square one for the young woman was yet another kind of setback, but this wasn’t the case at all! She pulled up her sleeves and went as far as to dare to offer her services as office assistant at the very school she attends. And from day one, Marie-Soleil set herself apart through her involvement, her desire to learn, her sense of initiative and her efficiency.

“My dream is to become a legal secretary and I use all the necessary means to get there. Now that I have found my place, I won’t let myself become discouraged anymore. I am going to graduate from high school and push towards fulfilling my dreams,” she vows, adding that this year she will have the pleasure of participating in a school trip to Toronto, something that she sees as a sort of reward for all the effort she has made so far.

“Marie-Soleil’s previous school years were fraught with setbacks but this year is marked by her steadfast commitment and boundless perseverance to succeed in her studies in the new program. Chances are that, thanks to her now immense determination, her future is certain,” her teacher predicts.

Marie-Soleil Deneault
École secondaire de Saint-Paul