‘I worked hard for it and I deserved it’
For Irena Olma, it’s all about finishing a dream. That dream will come to a climax next week when she crosses the stage to get her diploma – almost 40 years from time she first set foot at The University of Western Ontario.
Born in Warsaw, Poland, Olma finished her secondary education at a Polish high school in Germany following the Second World War. Upon coming to Canada she was told the course she took didn’t qualify her for the equivalent of a Canadian high school diploma.
So, she began again what she had already completed – for two years – before a teacher noticed her proficiency in the sciences and recommended she apply to the ministry of education, from which she received the equivalency of a high school diploma.
Working at St. Joseph’s Health Care, Olma decided to give university a shot. She took her first two courses as a part-time student in the early 70s, and after a gap of several years, returned in the early 80s.
But with two young boys and a full-time job, Olma found juggling these demands challenging.
“It was too much with the kids, husband working shifts, one car, full-time job.”
More than 20 years later, Olma planned a return to Western in 2004, but with some trepidation. She really wanted to continue her education, but she also wondered if she could manage academic pursuits 30 years after her first Western course.
Her family pushed Olma to fulfill what she had always wanted to do.
“The boys came first with their university, it was their future. I had to give up for them,” says Olma. “Now it’s my turn. My husband said ‘you’ve always wanted it, go and do it.’ I had the dream to finish, I wanted to finish and I did. And I enjoyed it so much.”
But the decision to come back raised an odd question from her son Mark, in his fourth year at Western at the time. Her older son, Rick, was doing his Master’s at Western.
“He jokingly asked if I was going to be in any of his classes,” laughs Olma. “I said I wouldn’t do that to him.”
But she was a bit apprehensive. How would the professors and students accept the only ‘mature student’ in the class?
“The first time I came in 2004 that was one of my reservations. How is this professor going to treat me? What about the students?” she says, “But after talking with the professor, and talking with the students, they really surprised me. If you needed notes from class they were very helpful.
“Some of them asked me why I was there and when I told them they said they wished their mother would do something like that. It was a lot of fun. Once you got first year done it was so much easier.”
The support received from family and friends had a huge impact.
“They were all very encouraging. My husband (Alek) was very supportive. He had to give up a lot, especially eating a lot of TV dinners for supper while I was at school.
“It’s important that you get support. For people my age you need support and you need the courage to go to class.”
Donna Moore, Mature Student Advisor and Manager at the Centre for New Students says what makes Olma amazing is her persistence in making make her dream of a degree a reality and not letting her age be a barrier.
“She a great example that earning a degree is not a four-year sport,” says Moore. “This speaks to considering learning as a lifetime goal, that we can all benefit in our personal and professional lives from being active in learning. She’s worked very hard, and it hasn’t always been easy. I am very proud of Irena.”
Olma plans to take the summer off to spend more time with her husband, but is not counting out a return to the classroom, perhaps for computer courses.
“Whether it takes 40 years or four, who cares,” she says. “For people my age you need support and you need the courage to go to class. It gives you a sense of pride and accomplishment. If you love it, and if it’s your dream, then do it. It took me years to do it, but I did it.”