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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, October 22, 2015 | 6 Spotlight by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff "Connected to your Community" T.A. Blakelock inducts former students into its Hall of Fame T wo T.A. Blakelock alumni, who were inducted into the high school's Hall of Fame Friday, called on students to question everything, be curious, and overcome obstacles in their paths. Canadian Forces Lieutenant Colonel Guy Smith (retired) and neuroscientist/ neuropsychologist Dr. Laurie Cestnick spoke before a crowd of hundreds of students as their names and photos were added to the Rebecca Street high school's Hall of Fame, which recognizes Blakelock students who have gone on to succeed on the national and international stage. Smith served with the Canadian Forces and commanded troops during the Oka crisis in Québec in 1990. During his military career, he also trained African Union soldiers in Kenya and served a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Smith is now the president of the Ontario Sport shing Guides Association and, since his retirement from the Canadian Forces, has opened his own charter shing business, Boomers Sporting Adventures. Smith also holds an annual Host a Veteran Fishing Derby to support fellow veterans and raise funds for the local Military Family Resource Centre. "I am so humbled by this," said Smith. Least likely to succeed? "When I went through school, I thought I was on the teacher's list of least likely to succeed in life. I did not do well in high school from a scholastic point of view, but I ended up joining the (2607 Blakelock) army cadets and I found my rst mentor, my French teacher, and he taught me about personal discipline and how to be the very best I could be." Meanwhile, Cestnick is recognized as a leading expert in the eld of learning disorders and brain injuries and has numerous awards under her belt. She received her education from such institutions as Harvard Medical School, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Stanford University. She evaluates patients with learning disabilities and brain disorders and provides counselling to those patients. While her successes are notable, one loss is If I were to stand here and tell you about all the obstacles I had, we would be here all week. When I left Blakelock, my GPA was not very high. I entered the humanities rst at McMaster and then switched over to the sciences and for one year, I was actually on academic probation. I had the dean tell me, `You're not good at that. Do something else.' Well, I wish I could talk to her today. Tell her what happened. Show her how things worked out. neuroscientist/neuropsychologist Dr. Laurie Cestnick Lieutenant Colonel Guy Smith (retired) and neuroscientist/neuropsychologist Dr. Laurie Cestnick, shortly before being inducted into the T.A. Blakelock Hall of Fame Friday. | photo by Graham Paine ­ David Lea (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) also worth mentioning. After being a nalist for the Harvard Junior Fellowship, Cestnick was cut because of her strong beliefs against animal testing. "This is emotional and amazing," said Cestnick of being inducted into the Hall of Fame. "It has been incredible seeing my teachers and just being here is bringing back all kinds of memories." In her presentation, Cestnick called the students amazing and advised them to be curious, compassionate and to question everything. She instructed them to never let fear stop them from achieving their goals and to just keep moving forward. Cestnick also showed students pictures of a 16-year-old Albert Einstein, and childhood pictures of others who went on to achieve amazing things, to remind those present that everyone has to start somewhere and they don't have to wait until adulthood to begin brainstorming contributions that will change the world. She noted the road to your dreams can be a bumpy one and told the students not to be discouraged or give up. GPA was not very high "If I were to stand here and tell you about all the obstacles I had, we would be here all week. When I left Blakelock, my GPA was not very high. I entered the humanities rst at McMaster and then switched over to the sciences and for one year, I was actually on academic probation," said Cestnick. "I had the dean tell me, `You're not good at that. Do something else.' Well, I wish I could talk to her today. Tell her what happened. Show her how things worked out." Smith, a 21-year veteran of the Canadian military, referred to the students as the future leaders of society and called on them to dream big and be persistent. He mentioned he was helped throughout his life by a series of mentors and advised students to accept help when it is offered. During his speech, Smith praised his daughter, Stephanie, who served as a critical care nurse in Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008, and who also attended Blakelock. He ended his presentation with a story about a donkey whose owner attempted to bury him alive after the donkey fell down a well. Rather than accept this fate, the donkey simply shook off the dirt that was falling on him and used each shovelful to take a step up, eventually freeing himself. "Life is going to throw dirt on you. All kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up," said Smith. "The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth of the hole. Each of our troubles is a stepping-stone in life. "We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, persisting and never giving up." NEIL OLIVER Vice ­President and Group Publisher DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager Volume 53 | Number 84 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington (905) 845-3824 Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. 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