A testimonial from Chantal Soucy, Director and board member of Soucy Holding Inc. about the Hooked on School Days campaign.
I've always thought that being able to make choices in life is the greatest gift you can give yourself, and that's exactly what a diploma allows you to do. A diploma is a passport to your dream career!
The Soucy family has been involved in supporting education for many years because my father Gilles always wanted to surround himself with "strong" people. His vision and determination still drive our employees to surpass themselves and inspire them to push the limits of innovation in the company's projects on a daily basis. My father also taught me how to be someone who perseveres. For instance, I was a student who had to pay close attention in class, and I didn't learn as quickly as others. Seeing him constantly pick himself up when a project didn't work out the way he wanted it to, or when he was rejected or defeated, was and is a great source of inspiration to me in my career. He always told me: don't explain what I don't want to understand, just do it!
Over the past 10 years, Soucy has invested more than $4 million in promising educational projects such as the UQTR Campus in Drummondville and other scholarship programs including:
- Projet Kart, aimed at providing students with an opportunity to carry out a project while helping them discover mechanical engineering and industrial design
- Machinist X1000, aimed at promoting the machinist trade with on-the-job training
As part of this year’s 50th anniversary celebrations, we organized an event to introduce our employees’ children to scientific experiments and activities that stimulate their creativity while exposing them to new technologies.
Children are our future, and we must collectively do what we can to make this new generation shine. As parents, educators and employers, we need to take the time to connect with kids because sharing and exchanging ideas with them helps to connect our generations. In fact, to deal with the ongoing labour shortage, several generations will be called on to work together. Our children are the ones who will help us exceed the limits of our projects. They will enable us to go beyond the limits of our projects. They are creative, ingenious, hyper-connected and ambitious... It’s time for us to be that way too, by investing in their education!
I’ve made a personal commitment to defend the interests of young people and children because being around them has made me realize there are endless opportunities within reach. I believe we can all help children understand the importance of perseverance by making time for them. That’s why I support Hooked on School Days.
With that in mind, the next time you cross paths with a young person, make sure to pay attention to them. Look them in the eye and help them ignite their inner fire. You’ll be amazed at the possibilities!