When Brenda Lynch enrolled in Durham College’s (DC) Business Administration-Accounting program in 1986, she had no idea that all three of her children would later follow in her footsteps.
Beginning her journey at DC as a mature student, Brenda’s youngest child was in kindergarten and her eldest children were 10 and 13.
“One of the things I remember was how helpful the financial aid office was,” explained Brenda. “Going to college as a single mom with three growing kids, I was grateful for the assistance they provided, helping me figure out which bursaries and grants to apply for. I also had teachers who really wanted to help me succeed.”
After graduation, Brenda continued her education and received a Certified Management Accountant designation before landing an accounting position at EHC Global, where she ultimately held the role of Financial Analyst until retiring in 2021. During her career, she stayed connected to DC, bringing on many co-op students – recognizing the skills and experience they bring – as well as returning to the college as a guest speaker, member of the Program Advisory Committee, and even as an instructor.
Almost a decade after Brenda took her first steps in the halls at DC, her eldest child Paul Smale graduated from the college’s Business–Marketing program, closely followed by his sister, Melissa Petty, who graduated from the Early Childhood Education program. Both Paul and Melissa found jobs in their areas of study after graduation. Paul is now a Senior Business Management Analyst at TD while Melissa works in an elementary school.
The youngest of the family, Sarah Smale, graduated from DC’s Paralegal in 2008. She was able to leverage her co-op placement with the federal government’s Department of Justice to secure a role as a Legal Assistant, and then as a Paralegal, bringing her to live and work in Iqaluit, Toronto, and Ottawa. After working in the federal government for 10 years, she returned to Durham Region and decided to take the next step in her career by enrolling in DC’s Victim Justice and Interventions graduate certificate program.
“It’s a hard decision to go back to school after all of these years,” said Sarah. “For anyone who is questioning what they want to do next, going back to school is really going forward. It’s a commitment, but give it a go!”
Brenda shared a sense of pride when reflecting on her and her family’s success. “I know that they saw the struggles I went through when they were still in school and I was trying to support everyone. I don’t think it really registered with me that my kids were graduating from the same school I did until afterwards and I thought, ‘We’ve all done it!’”
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