Born and raised in west St. Catharines and a former military man, Chris Allan’s career as a truck driver veered off course after a life-changing accident. In his mid-forties, he faced a long road to recovery and uncertainty about his future career path. With his self-propelling determination to succeed and the help of workplace transition specialists, Allan saw college as a way forward after his injury.
“Coming back to college at 45 years old can be scary. I wondered, ‘can I do it?'” said Allan, who graduated from Niagara College’s Police Foundations program in 2010. “In reality, nobody looked at me any different. Academic Upgrading gave me the opportunity to figure out how to be a student again. It is a stepping stone to launch yourself to success.”
Academic Upgrading is a Ministry-funded program for those who do not have a high school diploma, or, who, like Allan, completed high school some time ago and want to refresh their skills before college. The program allows individuals to prepare for college at college, delivering what one might need for employment, apprenticeship and college admissions. Through Academic Upgrading, students can complete their high school equivalency, upgrade their high school grades for college admission, or fine-tune skills they may already have – and tuition is free.
“Chris has a gift for helping others,” said Kathy Yff, student advisor at NC and Allan’s WSIB student success advisor. “He was enthusiastic and eager to return to school but he wanted to be prepared and able to make full use of the resources available at Niagara College. Chris did very well in his computer and English upgrading classes and adjusted well to the college environment.”
Today, Allan is not only thriving in the Social Services Worker program at NC, he’s a leader among his peers. Early on in his studies, he emerged as a resource for his classmates and began offering drop-in sessions to fellow students – many of whom were international students – in the Learning Commons. He would teach them how to use Blackboard, and offer writing help and tips on how to cite. His drop-in sessions became popular through word of mouth.
Allan is also the newly-elected director of Community Services on the NC Student Administrative Council (NCSAC). Allan lives and breathes his training in the School of Community Services, leveraging his passion for social equity by advocating for student support and mental health resources in his role as a student leader.
“I want to help make sure every student at NC has the greatest college experience ever,” he said.
Allan’s approach to college was to embrace the experience and live it to its fullest. He’s served as an orientation leader captain and participated in three Be World Ready trips – first to the Netherlands in 2018 and to Peru and Korea in 2019. He was plans to make it four in 2020 with a Be World Ready trip to Guatemala.
Allan can trace his ability to tackle course deadlines with grace and thrive under pressure to his days as a truck driver, and he sees real benefits to being a mature student. “Going back to school as a mature person is easier because you have the life experience of dealing with stress. It was easier for me to take on and in fact, I was able to ease my classmate’s anxiety.”
As for life after the accident, Allan has his eyes on the road ahead. “Life happens – I know that better than anyone. To those considering going back to school, walk through the doors and fully embrace the college experience.”
