Alumna overcomes life of hardship, earns master’s
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/quynle.jpg” caption=”McMaster alumna Quyn Le, who was blinded by fever at the age of two recently earned her master’s degree in counseling psychology from B.C.’s Simon Fraser University. Photo via flickr.com/photos/sfupamr.”]
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Quyn Le has done something some said wasn't possible.
The McMaster alumna who was blinded by fever at the age of two recently earned her master's degree in counseling psychology from B.C.'s Simon Fraser University. She was also the first of her graduating class to find work as a counselor – work that she was once told a blind person couldn't do.
“In some ways being unable to see is actually an advantage,” said Le, who received her BA in psychology from McMaster. “I'm forced to be an even better listener and I'm unable to judge anyone based on appearance.”
Le's journey to her dream profession wasn't easy. At the age of nine she and her family fled the war-ravaged Vietnam, where the disabled often end up on the streets, and landed at a refugee camp in Indonesia. They spent the next four years there before arriving in Hamilton, where they lived while Le studied in Brantford at the W. Ross Macdonald School for blind students.
Though she had little in the way of formal education and began high school knowing little English, Le persevered and was academically successful at McMaster, placing on the Deans' Honour List every year she was at the University. She credits much of her success to the assistance she received from staff at the Centre for Student Development (CSD), who ensured she was able to navigate campus and facilitated the writing of her exams.
“She is a very focused, very committed person,” said Tim Nolan, manager of disability services at CSD and University advisor on disability issues. “She's also incredibly intelligent. I have no doubt that she'll be successful in her career.”
Currently working as a bereavement counselor as part of the palliative care program at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver, Le was hired into a position that generally demands years of prior work experience. Despite this barrier, she says she is more than up to the job, with the help of her guide dog Nugget, who has become as popular around the hospital as Le has.
“McMaster really gave me a great foundation that allowed me to do what I always wanted to do,” said Le.
With her family now also living in B.C., Le says she plans to stay on the west coast, using her life experience to fulfill her dream of working as a counselor.
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