Rachel Chau didn’t want to deal with anyone.
“When you’re going through some serious issues, the last thing you want to do is function within normal society,” she said. “When you’re forced to mature earlier than you should, you really can’t go back and handle that sort of environment.”
For Chau, a former student at London Central Secondary School, high school wasn’t easy. Dealing with mental illness and a turbulent home life, she dropped three courses in Grade 11, and struggled to receive enough credits to move on to postsecondary education.
“My family environment was difficult to grow up in,” Chau said. “If something really upset me, there was nothing I could do about it – no voice I could give to anyone. I would end up angry, in tears, wanting to scream, but just end up hurting myself.”
Chau eventually moved out of the house with her mother. As trauma piled on top of itself, her mother was diagnosed with the early stages of cancer.
But through it all, the London native was determined to achieve her goals.
Critical of a school system she said isn’t designed to take extenuating events into consideration, Chau was eventually introduced to the School Within A University (SWAU) by a guidance counsellor. The alternative learning program is a partnership between Western and The Thames Valley District School Board that allows students experiencing difficulties the opportunity to finish their high school diploma.
SWAU maintains many students who are incredibly bright are faced with greater challenges outside of their control.
After a thorough interview with Rob Bell, teacher of SWAU, she was admitted into the program.
The program works just like university, and the students are enrolled in one university course. It is designed for students who can work independently and self-study; it exceeds the expectations of a high school student.
“With a lot of people, it’s not that they’re not intelligent,” Chau said, “it’s that they’ve had personal setbacks that have prevented them from achieving the way they should.”
Chau learned at a different pace than her peers and needed to reach beyond the high school environment. It was the autonomy that allowed her to learn when and how she wanted, and having the support of peers who were excited to learn that inspired her achievements.
She loved attending a class where people were more likely to understand where she was coming from.
Chau enjoyed the perks of being considered a part-time Western student. She was given a tour of campus, and allowed access to all of Western’s resources including libraries, recreation centre and health services.
She credits Bell as the main reason for her accomplishments.
“I can’t stress how amazing it is to work with Rob. He not only wants you to get good grades and to succeed, he wants you to be happy.”
She is now succeeding as a first-year student in Health Sciences, and feels happier. While she doesn’t know exactly what her career goals are, SWAU helped her find the right learning path.
“It was an easy transition because of the program,” she said.