High school student graduates against the odds

With grad season now here, Saskatoon’s Board of Education has created a new award to recognize students.

The Perseverance Award is for students who have shown perseverance in overcoming significant obstacles to complete their high school education.

One of the first award winners this year was Marion M. Graham Collegiate graduate Sadie Bowman.

Bowman, originally from the Ahtahkakoop First Nation, lost her mother during her Grade 10 year in a car collision. It occurred just before Christmas, and the funeral was just before Bowman’s finals.

“That was incredibly tough,” she said. “I couldn’t believe I passed my grades. It was honestly a miracle. My auntie pushed me to go to school every single day, even if it was tough on me.”

Bowman said she developed anxiety attacks following the loss, and she had to go to doctors, psychiatrists and counsellors. She found a release to her grief in writing and creating art.

“It was really hard to cope with everything that was going on around me as a teenager going through high school,” Bowman said. “I can’t even describe what I went through.”

Bowman, the eldest of seven children in her family, continued to push through and, with help from those around her, was accepted into the University of Saskatchewan. She hopes to one day study law.

She sees herself as a role model and a mother figure to her younger siblings and cousins, and is the first to graduate out of the grandchildren in her family.

“It has always been a goal of mine to finish high school,” Bowman said. “I know my mom would have been proud of me.”

When Bowman looks back at her Grade 10 year, she remembers going through the trial of the man responsible for the accident that killed her mother.

“After court was done, we raced back into the city to take my last final,” Bowman recalled. “It was really hard in hearing all the details of the crash. I was able to overcome it, even though it was really hard.”

When asked who she’d like to thank, there were numerous people who came to her mind. She mentioned her Aunt Michelle, who pushed her to go to school, and her counsellors, especially Ms. Bouchard. Bowman also mentioned her boyfriend, Alex.

Bowman said her family helped her push through it all, and thanked the friends who stuck by her during the tough times.