Growing up, Holly Scime (BECE ’24) was told her learning disability would get in the way of her achieving a post-secondary education.

Never one to let other people define her potential, her belief in herself shone Thursday, June 13 when she crossed the stage at Brock’s 115th Convocation.

Scime, who has a learning disability that affects skills such as comprehension, speaking, reading, writing, spelling, mathematics, attention and memory, was recognized with the Distinguished Graduating Student Award for Early Childhood Education (ECE) in addition to earning her Bachelor of Early Childhood Education Honours (BECE) with a micro-certificate in Special Needs in ECE.

Scime is using her own lived experience to advocate for children with diverse learning needs.

“Growing up, some of my teachers did not take my learning disability seriously and thought I was just lazy,” she said. “I want to help children who face similar struggles.”

After previously completing her ECE diploma at Mohawk College, embarking on a bachelor’s degree on top of working full time in a kindergarten classroom was not a decision Scime made lightly.

Apprehensive about managing the workload, particularly with concerns about reading and writing, she found valuable support in Brock’s Student Accessibility Services.

Scime met with an accessibility case manager to review past accommodations and discuss what may be needed to succeed at the University, resulting in tailoring courses to allow for extra exam time and scheduling meetings with a learning strategist and assistive technologist.

The assistive technologist helped with accessing digital copies of textbooks and enabled utilization of text-to-speech software while providing ongoing technical support. For Scime, this played a vital role in overcoming barriers associated with traditional print materials.

“Through their services, I was supported through my academic journey to get where I am today,” she said.

The other key piece of the puzzle that helped Scime overcome any doubts was the support and encouragement she received from her Faculty of Education professors.

“Despite many nights of crying and breakdowns in my first year, their encouragement helped me persevere; my professors were adaptable, patient, encouraging and empathetic,” Scime said.

Particularly impactful was “how professors understood that not all students learned the same way and provided different examples to illustrate concepts for students like me who might have difficulty understanding course content,” she said.

Assistant Professor Jaime Barratt (BECE ’17, MEd ’19) said Scime embodies the BECE program philosophy and core values of respect, professionalism, collaboration, passion and a growth mindset.

“At the beginning of the program, we met to discuss Holly’s accommodations, and she expressed to me that she was worried about completing a thesis and was fearful she would not be successful,” Barratt said.

Despite this initial fear, Scime persevered through the thesis course — completed with distinction — and eventually developed the confidence to help others as well.

“Holly is a leader amongst her peers and someone others go to for support and feedback,” Barratt said.

Originally drawn to Brock’s fully online BECE program because of the flexibility, Scime worked full time during her studies as an ECE while pursuing her dream of becoming a primary/junior teacher.

“Brock created new learning opportunities where I could combine my applied ECE education with strong theoretical learning from experts in the early childhood field,” she said.

Scime will continue to work as an ECE and begin exploring options to pursue teacher’s college and a master’s degree in education, urging learners with different needs to explore the support systems available at Brock.

“Believe in yourself, ask questions and connect with your peers and professors,” she said. “A solid support network can make all the difference.”