Education instrument for NAIT student

Page R7

When Lynn Hamilton graduated with a secretarial diploma from the community college in her hometown of La Ronge, Saskatchewan, she felt she was on the way to fulfilling a life-long dream.

"I had originally left high school early, but within two years I realized that education was the answer to getting a comfortable wage and a good career. I thought getting my secretarial diploma was the answer."

The new secretary found work in Alberta with Syncrude at Fort McMurray and made her home in the small northern city. But ten years and various secretarial positions later, Hamilton realized the jobs weren't fulfilling.

"Secretarial work didn't challenge my mind enough, and I knew I wanted to work with my hands," she said, reminiscing. Hamilton attended an employment aptitude test session at the Alberta Career Centre in Fort McMuray and the results suggested a career as an instrumentation engineering technologist.

"Fellow students at Syncrude were really helpful. They allowed me to observe the work they did in this field and helped me make up my mind to pursue a career in instrumentation," says the young Cree woman.

But Hamilton had many obstacles ahead of her. She didn't have the necessary high school subjects to enrol at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton.

"I spent the next year and a half at Keyano College in Fort McMurray upgrading grades nine to twelve, quite an accomplishment in only 18 months," she says. Partial funding was obtained from Indian affairs and Northern Development, and she worked to supplement the grant for living expenses.

"I found work as a blackjack dealer at the Plaza One Mall on weekends. I'd go from a full day at school to work and I wouldn't get home till after midnight," she said. The dedicated student achieved honors standing and qualified for scholarships to take her to NAIT.

Amanda Goloski, the Native Councilor at Keyano College, remembers Hamilton's struggle.

"Lynn is a hard-working woman, determined to accomplish what she sets out to do," Goloski said. Lynn has lots of potential, she has proven that. She is a great role model for other prospective students."

Hamilton remembers Goloski's help gratefully. "Without Amanda, my friends, and my fiance Dave Yanciw, I never would have made it," she says. "I had a dream of success, and I tried to keep it in sight, but sometimes it got pretty far away, and I wondered if I was going to make it."

Hamilton finished her first year at NAIT in April. Many days she finds herself still working at NAIT at 7:00 p.m. "Twelve hour days are nothing for NAIT students," she laughs, citing preparation of lab reports as the reason she frequently works late at the Institute.

Hamilton's instructors note her passion for perfection. "Working with instrumentation, calibration, and so on, our students have to be exacting," says Mike Johansen. He has enjoyed Hamilton's participation in his Process Instruments One class.

"Lynn is a good role model for other young women who might be considering a career in instrumentation. Although there are only about ten percent of our students who are female, there's no reason why they can't accomplish the work, and do it very well. Lynn is proof of that," he said, laughing.

Some of the other courses Hamilton has completed include Industrial Instrumentation, Advanced Measurements and Analyzers, and Microcomputers and Applied Logics.

Perhaps Goloski sums up Hamilton's accomplishments best. "All the support in the world isn't enough to reach a goal. Sure it helps. Friends, family, and co-workers all contribute. But as far as Lynn is concerned, there's only one reason why she made it. And that's Lynn Hamilton herself. She is the one, the only one, who made it happen."