MARYSTOWN, N.L. — The routine bullying Blake Colbran endured at 15 was too much to bear.
The Marystown resident was called names, pushed, hit, and kicked. If he didn’t watch his belongings closely, they were tossed in the trash can, or worse, stolen.
“It wasn’t for any reason,” Colbran wrote in an interview with SaltWire Network conducted over email recently.
“They just thought it was funny to see me panic and look for my stuff.”
For Blake, though, it wasn’t funny. What had started out as an occasional thing soon worsened.
With his social anxiety increasing, he made a decision.
He dropped out of high school.
“I don’t know how different my life would’ve been if I stayed, but I don’t think it would’ve been better than it is now,” he wrote.
Ready to graduate
This June, Colbran will graduate with the other Grade 12 students at Marystown Central High School.
Twenty-year-old Colbran looks like a typical high school student. In most ways, he is. There are some differences, however. For one, he’s a bit older than his classmates.
Things are better this time, according to Colbran.
Going back to high school was not an easy decision. Colbran worried about getting back in the mindset of studying and learning after being away from school for an extended period. He also knew it would only get harder the longer he put it off.
“I was scared of what my teachers and peers would think about me, being a dropout gives people an idea that you're lazy or slow,” Colbran wrote.
“All that worry feels like a waste now because I've never experienced any type of prejudice or different treatment by my classmates or teachers since I've been back.”
Advice to others
For others who find them in similar circumstances, Colbran says they should follow their own paths. Returning to high school is one option, but receiving a general education diploma (GED), pursuing adult basic education (ABE) and mature student entrances are all viable alternatives.
“I want people in my situation to know that talent is a myth and everything they do is a skill that can be improved,” he wrote.
“I know so many people who left school because they didn't think they were smart enough or capable enough, but smart is something you become, not something you are. You might learn some things more slowly than others, but you can't practice something and come out knowing less.”
“I want people in my situation to know that talent is a myth and everything they do is a skill that can be improved."
Dropping out of high school like he did at 15 is not advisable, Colbran acknowledged. Personally, he called it “probably the best choice I’ve ever made” and one he does not regret.
“If I didn’t choose to drop out when I did, I would’ve went through high school showing up as little as possible.
“I wouldn’t have joined any extracurriculars or clubs, met any of the wonderful people I know now. I would have been miserable the entire time and I wouldn’t have bothered applying to any scholarships.”
The road back
Colbran was recently informed his hard work since returning to school at 18 has paid off. He was awarded two post-secondary scholarships — the Horatio Alger Scholarship and the Joyce Foundation Bursary. They carry a combined value of $25,000.
The road back to school, however, began with gaining some life experience in the working world.
Colbran started his first full-time job at 16, with help from the Linkages employment program at the Smallwood Crescent Community Centre in Marystown. Through the program, Blake received a 26-week job placement at a local business, working hard to give the company a reason to keep him around afterwards, which they did.
It was a way to help his mother, a single parent, and brother, to pay the bills as money was always a struggle.
Working also improved his self-confidence.
“I liked helping people, and for the first time in a while working made me feel like I was useful,” he wrote.
“I think finding something you’re good at is the building block of self-confidence.”
Kimm Duffney told SaltWire Network in a recent phone interview she was very proud of her son and credited the Linkages program for his turnaround.
“That gave him a little push I guess, a big push actually. He went into the workforce and he just did a 360-degree turn,” she said.
Colbran’s social anxiety has completely disappeared, she said.
Next phase
Colbran will be 21 when he graduates.
He plans to attend Memorial University in the fall and has applied to the bachelor of commerce program.
Now that money is less of an issue, however, he might further explore his options.
“I don't have a specific career field in mind, I just want a job that I'm good at and where I can I feel like I'm doing something for a higher reason,” he wrote.
“Maybe work in a nonprofit organization or start my own. I'm in no rush to decide.”
Two scholarships, a busy schedule and one proud mother
Blake Colbran recently received two scholarships to help his pursuit of a post-secondary education.
He first received notification he had earned the Horatio Alger Scholarship, valued at $5,000 and awarded to full-time students in their last year of high school with financial need.
Recipients must have demonstrated integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity, a commitment to pursue a post-secondary education, a desire to contribute to society, and a good academic record, according to the Horatio Alger Association of Canada.
“I remember seeing an email on my phone from them and I was too scared to open it, so I gave my phone to (guidance counselor Tanya) Cusick and told her to open it for me. She didn't even have to tell me what it said, I already knew from the look on her face it was good news,” Colbran recently told SaltWire Network via email.
“I was so happy I just went and told every teacher I saw.”
Less than a week later, Colbran found out he had also earned the Joyce Foundation Bursary, an award available annually to students entering Memorial University who are presently in their final year of high school or who have graduated from a high school in the province in the last 12 months.
The bursaries are valued at $5,000 annually, which is renewable for up to three additional years for a total of $20,000 if renewal criteria are met. Demonstration of critical financial need and perseverance in the face of challenges are conditions for receiving the award, in addition to academic record.
“I was so happy I just went and told every teacher I saw.”
“I was helping make decorations for prom after school and my mom texted me and said that a letter from MUN came in the mail,” Colbran wrote.
“I wasn't expecting to hear back about the Joyce Bursary till after March, so it wasn't on my mind when I texted back ‘open it.’ She called me a minute later and read it out to me over the phone.
“Ms. Cusick was also helping making decorations at a different table, so I went up to her and said, ‘I won the Joyce one.’ I was in so much shock it seemed like she was more excited than I was. I just remembered my hands shaking like crazy. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell people or not (not a big fan of being the centre of attention like that), but I know I had a lot of people that would be very happy to hear it, so I made a Facebook post.”
In addition to maintaining good grades, Colbran is involved in a number of extracurricular activities, volunteers in the community and has four jobs – he works as a cashier, has two merchandiser positions and is employed cleaning a local business on the weekends.
“I wish I had a time management secret to give you, but you just get up and do it,” he wrote of balancing his busy schedule.
Kimm Duffney, Colbran’s mother, said she is left speechless by Blake’s accomplishments to date.
“You don’t even understand. Words can’t even describe it,” she told SaltWire Network.
Duffney envisions a bright future for her son.
“I see a young man that’s gonna go far," she said.
