Recently, Bob Esliger, one of the teachers at VAST, an alternative school here in Nanaimo, nominated one of his students as a Neighbourhood Hero. VAST is a school that offers a second chance to teenagers who have dropped out of school,l especially teenage moms.

"I think others should hear Candice Robertson's story," Esliger wrote, "and learn about all the good that alternate schools have to offer and the wonderful link that VAST has with Nanaimo Family Life's Teen Learning Centre."

Given this invitation, I visited the school and found one large classroom filled with a quiet, positive energy and students all working at their own pace ... often with one on one support from their teachers.

Candice Robertson dropped out of school before she completed grade 10. She tried to go back to a traditional school a year or so later but the traditional school system simply wasn't for her so she dropped out once again.

"I didn't think I needed school back then," she smiled. "I thought it was stupid and of course I got bad grades. If only I knew then what I know now!"

Candice found VAST when she got pregnant at 17 and decided, well before her daughter Kaitlyn was born, that "Bump" deserved something better than an unemployed mom on welfare. Suddenly education didn't seem so "stupid" after all.

A referral to the Teen Pregnancy Support Group, part of the Teen Learning Centre, soon led her to VAST - The two organizations are next door to one another and work closely together.

The Teen Learning Centre is a daycare and support centre for teenage moms. They provide daycare while the moms go to school and parenting classes and other support after school - a few years ago they had a teenage dad too.

"People often ask how I can go to school and be a good mom too," Candice told me. "You simply have no choice about the first part. You made that choice the night you decided to have sex without protection. But you do have a choice about education and education is important if you want to get a good job and be able to take care of your baby.

"I've enjoyed being a mom and I love Kaitlyn," she continued, "but I'd rather have had a career going and some financial stability before I had a child instead of constantly wondering if I have enough money to buy diapers or a jug of milk at the end of the week. Babies cost a lot. You can't believe that little body could put so much food into it."

She has given that message to Grade 7 students at Georgia Avenue School for the past two years.

"The students might listen to me," she says. "I didn't listen to adults when I was younger but then it only took 9 months for me to become an adult too."

Candice will graduate in June and she plans on going to college.

"Writing is really my passion," she enthused, "but I can't pay the bills with that in the short term so I am going to take a one-year certificate program in Early Childhood Education which is my second passion ... working with small children."

So here's to Candice Robertson and people of all ages who find the courage needed to overcome their many challenges and complete their education. And I think we should add the names of all those who support organizations like the Teen Learning Centre and VAST to that list too - Neighbourhood Heroes all.