Forum for guidance counsellors showcases Pembroke campus
Posted on Friday, October 14th, 2016
More than 70 high school guidance counsellors from across Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec got more than they bargained for when they participated in this year’s Forum, held for the first time at the Pembroke campus.
Many of the counsellors were visiting the picturesque campus for the first time, and despite a nasty north wind blowing off the Ottawa River, they ventured outside to watch some outdoor adventure students kayak in the choppy waters, just outside the campus.
That was one of several stops as part of a campus tour that also included a show-and-tell of the impressive mobile science unit used by environmental technician students while in the field, and a demonstration by bachelor of science in Nursing students in one of the high fidelity nursing labs.
The day was capped with an inspirational address by two-time Canadian Olympic athlete Melissa Bishop, who reminded the counsellors of the important role they play in helping high-school students make post-secondary choices. She advised them to let their students know that it’s OK to change directions in their life journey, adding, “life begins at the end of the comfort zone.”
Bishop has been pushing herself out of her own comfort zone for years. She graduated from high school and went directly to the University of Ottawa, before transferring to the University of Windsor where she became an elite athlete, leading her to Olympic appearances in London in 2012 and Brazil in 2016.
Her plan was to attend an American university, but when an athletic scholarship opportunity didn’t arise, she chose to attend university in Canada. Bishop now admits her first post-secondary choice didn’t work out, admitting she only applied to one university program. She says had it not been for her aspirations in track and field, she probably would have attended college, but her transfer to the University of Windsor allowed her to earn a degree with a plan to be a teacher when she retires from running.
She won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games and a silver medal at the 2015 world championships. At the Rio Games, she just missed the podium finished fourth in the 800-metre final. Bishop plans on taking one more shot at an Olympic medal and has already started training for the 2016 Olympiad.
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