A student committed to using music as a source of inspiration and success

If there’s an age when being different is more unnerving it has to be adolescence. Samuel Chourot however had to learn to deal with his differences when only a young child. Afflicted with a very rare disease of the joints, which curbed his growth and was a constant source of pain, the 18-year-old nonetheless never stopped believing in himself even though he got very far behind in his studies at one point. Thanks to those around him and his music, he caught up for all the lost time, returning to the regular program and even joining the international studies program. He is now about to graduate from high school at Saint-Edmond school and his perseverance has proved many a predication wrong.

A student committed to successfully completing two years in one so as to make up for lost time

An adept of travel and humanitarian aid, outstanding organizer, tireless sportswoman – and even coach when the fancy takes her –, member of various committees and above all highly attuned to the needs of others, Andréanne Mecteau is the very portrait of a steadfastly committed top of the class student. However, this hasn’t always been the case for the Vanier high school student. A few years ago she became severely demotivated and her unacceptable behaviour caused her many a problem. But thanks to her motivation and perseverance, she got a grip on herself and is now proving all predictions wrong.

A student committed to converting his passion for electronics into academic motivation

Sometimes all it takes is one little spark to ignite the fire of perseverance. For Steve Rousseau, a Secondary 2 student at Saint-Henri high school in Montréal, this spark was a small soccer-playing robot that he built and piloted at the FIRST international robotics competition in which 52 teams took part on April 4 in Toronto. Steve spent more than 150 hours working on the project and asserts that this enriching experience opened his eyes to the importance of school and commitment when striving to succeed and attain your personal goals in life.

A student committed to learning French so as to be quickly assimilated into our culture

It certainly takes audacity and courage to leave one’s homeland at the age of 14 and head to an unknown, snow-covered country where they speak a completely different language. However, this is what Fatoumata Barry did when she said farewell to her native Guinea to come live in Québec. A year and a half later, the Secondary 1 student at La Cité high school speaks fluent French (with a Québec accent to boot), has established a good circle of friends, is involved in her community and at school and hopes more than anything else to graduate from high school and become a nurse.

A student committed to winning her fight against cancer by continuing to put her heart into dancing

As teenagers, we all had the feeling at some point that we were invincible, that nothing terrible would ever happen to us. Stéphanie Bernard must have felt like this once too, that is until the day she was diagnosed with Stage 2 cancer of the lymph nodes. She was 14 years old at the time and for her the news seemed almost surreal, like a bad dream. Now, a year and a half later, she sees life in a whole new light and wants to tell all the young people around her that there’s always a way out as long as you never give up. The Saint-Anselme high school student’s story is quite a lesson in life.

A student committed to homework support activities so as to join the regular program

Enrolled in special education classes throughout elementary and his first year of high school, Johnson Celoy surprised many people this year when he joined the Secondary 1 class in the regular program. Some may say surprising, when in fact his progress is exceptional considering that the 13-year-old has dysphasia, dyslexia and dysorthographia. “It’s wonderful to see how Johnson has managed to get back on track and he truly stands out for his perseverance. He’s quite simply an inspiration,” the resource teacher at Sophie-Barat high school Marie-Danielle Sigouin says with admiration.

A student committed to getting increasingly involved so as to fight prejudice and rejection

Learning to live with an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder would be a daily challenge for anyone but it is even harder for a child and this is something Jérôme Bordeleau, a Secondary 5 student at the Polyvalente de L’Ancienne-Lorette, knows something about. Ever since elementary, he has always been a brilliant student but he long suffered from prejudice, prying stares and rejection. Then one day he decided he’d had enough and needed to face the music. He turned his involvement in various projects into a source of motivation to improve his interpersonal skills… and perseverance became his most valuable asset.

A student committed to overcoming learning disabilities so as to in turn help young people in difficulty

School has never really been fun and games for Sabrina Charneau. Even at elementary school, a simple homework assignment that would have taken most pupils 10 minutes could sometimes require two hours of her time. Forced to learn to live with her learning disabilities, diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and rejected by her peers, Sabrina could have given up on numerous occasions. However, she never backed down and today, thanks to her perseverance, she is about to graduate from high school and even plans to go on to college.

A student committed to overcoming dyslexia in order to fulfil his goal of becoming a computer scient

Up until very recently, Benoît Sénéchal, a Secondary 4 student at Collège Saint-Alphonse in Saint-Tite-des-Caps, had no idea what academic success meant. Benoît suffers from dyslexia, dysorthographia and an attention deficit disorder, and also has to contend with being far away from his family, missing out on a lot of activities, spending his summers studying and devoting many hours to trying to catch up. Though he would have had all the best reasons for giving up, Benoît persevered and said to himself that he would one day make his dream of becoming a computer scientist a reality. And he’s on his way to doing just that!

A student committed to redoubling her efforts so as to obtain her diploma despite her illness

“Because life is so fragile…” as the Luc De Larochelière song goes. But when you’re 16 years old and love the theatre, sing in the school choir, campaign on the environmental committee and are doing very well at school, it may be hard to grasp the full meaning of these words. This was the case for Collège Mont-Royal student Stéphanie Poirier before she found out in December 2008 that she had a very rare type of bone cancer. She is now in remission and back at school, and takes full advantage of the present moment, keeping up her extracurricular activities and persevering so that she can obtain her high school diploma at the same time as her friends.

A student committed to conquering cancer and fulfilling her dream of becoming a designer

Joanna Comtois, a Secondary 2 student at Cap-Jeunesse high school in Saint-Jérôme, was only 8 years old when doctors diagnosed her as having Ewing’s sarcoma, a somewhat rare type of bone cancer. Following a year of treatment and three years in remission, the cancer returned in 2008. Without ever losing faith, Joanna has always continued to pursue her studies, passing every grade despite the pain and the enormous effort required. Joanna is now aged 13, and even though she was given a rather negative prognosis, she perseveres with her schoolwork, continues to fight the disease and even launched the Fondation Espoir so as to raise funds for cancer research.

A student committed to overcoming a visual disability in order to succeed at school and fulfil her dreams

Since birth, Katy Jalbert-Mercier, a student at Louis-Jacques-Casault high school in Montmagny, has had to learn to live with a major visual impairment that has led to just as significant learning disabilities. Without ever getting discouraged, she kept her head held high, remained optimistic and forged ahead in order to overcome the hurdles and attain her personal goals for success. Katy is now 16 years of age and is finally enrolled in the Secondary 1 level of a vocational training program in semi-specialized trades (FMSS), is a member of the Opération Enfant Soleil committee at her school and was even elected class president.