As part of the School Endurance Days, the federal deputy from Rimouski-Neigette-Témiscouata-Les Basque agreed to speak about his atypical school career.
“It’s normal to have mistakes in life, it’s human,” he said in an interview with TVA Nouvelles.
The 33-year-old MP, who moved into the House of Commons in 2019, had to overcome many hurdles to complete his bachelor’s degree in business administration.
From his elementary school on, he has to work harder than the others.
“I wasn’t top of the class, I was trying to persevere. I remember very well that in elementary school there were certain courses where I had to quarrel with my parents because I didn’t want to go to school,” said the chosen one.
When he enters secondary school, the failures pile up. He must then face judgment and shame.
Then he made the decision to enroll in a physical education degree in football at the Polyvalente de Mont-Joli. Even if this decision allows him to persevere, it still has serious consequences.
“I had to take the bus two hours a day to get to school”
He will manage to complete part of his secondary education by following this path. Due to the failures and remedial work, he is forced to complete secondary school 5 in adult education.
“I failed subjects and had to finish my course at community college and it was very difficult for me because once again I felt different, I felt guilty, I didn’t understand why. It happened to me despite my best efforts in”
After graduating from high school, he made the decision to enter the job market while dreaming of going to university.
After 10 years in the job market, he decided to return to school and enrolled at the University of Quebec at Rimouski.
“I was afraid to go back to university, just the thought of enrolling scared me, I threw up”
While sharing his story evokes strong emotions, the MP hopes his example of perseverance and success will inspire young and old alike to stay the course and not give up.
“No matter what your life goals are, whether it’s high school, vocational training, CEGEP, college, graduate school, there is no perfect path and we learn from failure to succeed,” concludes the MP.