Landing an Ollie

From a young age, I often felt like a ghost in the classroom—misunderstood and unseen by my teachers. A nagging fear of disappointing them loomed over me, exacerbated by their sharp critiques of my shortcomings and their ominous warnings about my supposed failures.

During a lively discussion with friends about skateboarding, this ongoing struggle took root. Enthralled by the thrill of landing an Ollie or mastering some cool trick—though the specifics escape me—my excitement was palpable. Yet, with a chilling candidness, my fourth-grade teacher dismissed my aspirations with the blunt statement that I obviously couldn't skate.

Little did she know my enthusiasm was for my virtual prowess in the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater on the PlayStation 1, not real-life skateboarding. Video games, in general, have given me the avenues I feel I need to have the freedom to use my legs like Jake Sully in James Cameron's Avatar when he visits Pandora, discovering he now has the use of his legs with the ability to roam free without any assistance

Despite this lingering doubt through my high school years, everything changed when I chose to pursue radio broadcasting at BCIT. Surrounded by the dynamic energy of the studio, I seized the opportunity to shed those insecurities. With motivation from a former CBC reporter, I discovered my voice and embraced the power to share my story and reclaim my narrative—the power to share my story and reclaim my narrative. It was a transformative experience, igniting a fire within me that had long been smothered by doubt.