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Home Stories Danielle Ray-Lynn Dobersheck

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Employment Readiness

When I applied to Cumberland College I had no idea I would make it this far. I had given up a lot and lost hope of returning to school.

Danielle Ray-Lynn Dobersheck

GED

Program

Campus

Melfort

Hometown

Lac La Ronge First Nation

Transcript

Read Danielle Ray-Lynn Dobersheck's Story

Danielle is a mother of three children who is originally from Lac La Ronge First Nation. Like many adult learners, Danielle faced several barriers that were preventing her return to school to become a registered nurse. She moved a few times while trying school before, didn’t have reliable babysitters and found travelling to school in the winter very difficult. Frustrated with roadblocks, she knew that if she wanted to succeed, she needed to choose a school close to home and one with access to a subsidized daycare. Danielle said Cumberland College was the most convenient, so in 2015 she applied to take Adult 10 at the Melfort Campus. At that time, her daughter was only 4 years old and her son a newborn. The journey was not easy. She experienced many late nights juggling studying with looking after her children. Danielle said it was in the Adult 10 program where she gained the academic skills to write the GED and the confidence to keep going. Her children became her greatest cheerleaders.

In 2016 Danielle applied to take the GED 12 program, offered by Cumberland College, at Little Red First Nation. Her third child, a baby girl, was only 3 months old when she started. She said, “I just wanted to take the tests as fast as I could to see if I would pass and see what needs more improvement.” This determination paid off as Danielle completed the program and passed the GED in only four weeks! Danielle said her favorite memory at Cumberland College was “when I completed my GED and everyone got me a cake. We had an awesome lunch and talked about future plans.” Danielle graduated in May 2017.

Danielle credits her instructors for supporting her success in school. Although she hated the homework, she soon realized it was an important piece of the puzzle to learning. She is currently working at a gas bar and is patiently waiting to be accepted into an upgrading program so she can take the academic prerequisites for the Bachelor of Nursing program. Her advice to current and future students is, “Don’t give up! All you have is time so use it wisely. Always try even when you think its impossible to move forward.”

Great advice Danielle! Congratulations on your many accomplishments. We wish you well and hope the wait time for the next step of your journey is short.