Silent Success

     Hello Everyone, My name is Jonathan Peddle and I am currently a student of Thompson Rivers University through online learning. The option of having online learning has given me hope and a new vision to succeed in life, that there can be no limits to what we can do to achieve our goals and make our dreams a reality. But first let me tell you a little bit about myself.  I am from Leading Tickles, Newfoundland and Labrador, which is a very small fishing community of about 300 people.

    When I was born, I was born hard of hearing which required that I use hearing aids at the very young age. So when I turned 5 years old, my parents had to make the heart-breaking decision to send me away to attend the Newfoundland School for the Deaf in St.John’s, Newfoundland. It is a decision that they had to make so that I would receive the proper education as the local school did not have the proper resources to teach me. The Newfoundland School for the deaf was a residential school for deaf and hard of hearing students that offered one of the best education systems for deaf and hard of hearing students in North America. I went to school at the Newfoundland School for the Deaf for 13 years and I worked every holiday and summer with my father who was a construction superintendent up until I graduated from high school. From when I was a young boy to the time I graduated I always wanted to be an Anesthesiologist or an Engineer. I excelled in my high school studies and graduated with honours in 2013.

    Upon finishing high school, I received acceptance and a full scholarship and funding to attend the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York for an Engineering Degree however that dream was cut short when I was hit by a drunk driver on Labor Day Weekend of 2013. I ended up with 5 life threatening injuries which required a minimum 30 day stay in the hospital and a rigorous Physiotherapy schedule after I was released from the hospital. However, I had to give up my full Scholarship to attend Rochester Institute of Technology and they gave it to someone else.  After my accident, I returned to work with my father until I made the decision to attend Memorial University of Newfoundland to study anesthesiology, but due to funding and recurring issues from my injuries, I had to stop attending Memorial University. So I again returned to work with my father and at that time I gave it some thought about my future.

    In 2006, I wrote my Red Seal Exam in Carpentry and passed. I became a Red Seal Carpenter and joined the UBC Local 579 which is a local chapter of United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America . I was really happy that I was finally getting somewhere in life and back on my feet, however along the way I would face many challenges for equal opportunity and inclusion because of my hearing loss. I was not being offered any promotional opportunities because of my hearing abilities and quite many people have silently judged my abilities based on my hearing. As the years went by I accumulated an amazing resume but I was becoming more and more stressed out and unhappy with my life and my career, the only thing that made me keep pushing forward on a positive note was my 2 beautiful sons. I had to keep going for them no matter the challenges I was facing, from 2016 onward, they became the most important priority in my life.

     My job as a Red Seal Carpenter often required that I travel far away from home working up to 28 days straight at a time with only a small number of days at home. The money and benefits were great however it was a huge price to pay to leave my family. I was missing out on a lot of family time and memories until one day, I was reading through the internet and I saw a program offered by Thompson Rivers University. As I was reading through the program, I realized that it is a great opportunity for someone like me who wants to step away from the skilled trades and move into a more professional position So I decided to go ahead with the Bachelor of Technology Degree Program.

    I currently work on a major construction project called the West White Rose Project located in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The Project is a Concrete Gravity Structure owned by Cenovus Energy. The concrete gravity structure keeps growing in height, every time I look at that structure it reminds me of my dream to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Technology. I look back on when we started this project on the ground and look at it now and how much the project grew to a height of over 450 feet. I made me realize that no matter how far on the bottom you are but you will see your success and how far you have come when you look down from the top. It may take myself awhile to reach one of the dreams that I have and I am very thankful for the opportunity of Online Learning that Thompson Rivers University has to offer.