Developmental Studies

Sylvia Duffy, graduate
Developmental Studies and Associate of Arts Degree

Deciding to change her life was only the beginning

Four years ago, Sylvia Duffy was on income assistance, raising her young daughter alone with only a Grade 10 education and a hairdressing license, trying to get on her feet again after a difficult break-up.

"I decided I needed to do something more lucrative," says Duffy, who lives in New Westminster. "I wanted to have the skills to work in a professional setting. So I decided to go back to school."

This June, Duffy officially graduated with her Associate of Arts Degree from Douglas College, just as her mother passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. For the last year, Duffy juggled motherhood, caring for her ailing mother and taking courses at Douglas College and Simon Fraser University (SFU).

"She was extremely proud of me going back to school," says Duffy. "My mother was an academic - she was thrilled to see me survive after everything that has happened."

Going back to school wasn't as straightforward as Duffy had hoped. A Douglas College assessment told her she'd need to catch up before taking college courses, and recommended Developmental Studies , courses that range from basic skills to college preparation in reading, writing, literacy and math.

"Developmental Studies courses are for students who need to upgrade before taking college courses," says Development Studies Instructor Jan Benge. "But there are many levels - we also offer courses for students who are struggling with basic literacy and numeracy."

Duffy says the highest level of English she had was Grade 10 and that was borderline. "I didn't even know what nouns, verbs and adverbs were."

She wasn't thrilled about taking Developmental Studies, but soon began to realize the benefits. She says, "The classes were smaller and the teachers had time to give me personal attention. It gave me the ability to catch up. If I had started college without those courses, I would have been broadsided. I could have wasted a lot of time and money."

Developmental Studies helped her realize college isn't like high school. "It's not good enough for me just to hand in work - you have to put the effort in. Doing well there also gave me confidence. I had a hairdressing certificate but nothing else - my academic confidence was really low."

Now Duffy knows where she stands academically. Focusing on political science and psychology, she completed her Associate of Arts Degree three classes a semester because she had to "balance the course load on top of the mother load."

Completing the requirements of the Associate of Arts Degree at Douglas College gave Duffy priority admission into SFU. "I liked the Associate of Arts Degree Program because you have to take courses you might not normally take and that opened up different pathways for me," says Duffy.

In January, Duffy transferred to SFU to study Psychology and earned an "A" average in her first semester.

"If I could I'd just be a professional student. I love school," she says. "I've gone through a lot of adversity to get this far. Developmental Studies was the starting point for me."

To find out more about Developmental Studies courses at Douglas College, contact the Program Coordinator Hilary Rourke at 604-527-5156.

Posted July 20, 2004.