photo: viu Communications
“ Life got really bad.
After two years, I knew I couldn’t live like that anymore.
”
Jason Devlin: the sky’s the limit
Malaspina takes student from Adult Basic Education to medical school Jason Devlin (B.Sc. ’07) knows all about overcoming life’s challenges. Several years ago, he was addicted to drugs and living on the streets of Vancouver. Today, he’s a confident and successful graduate of Malaspina University-College and attending medical school. “I’m excited and glad things have worked out for me,” said Devlin, who was courted by graduate and medical schools across the country with scholarships and entrance awards. “A career in medicine has been my goal for quite some time.” Devlin’s personal and academic success is miraculous when you consider that at age 15, as a rebellious teenager, he left home and got addicted to heroin in Vancouver. “Life got really bad,” he said. “After two years, I knew I couldn’t live like that anymore. The only way to survive was to remove myself from that situation.” Devlin returned to Powell River at age 18 and sought the help he needed. During his withdrawal from drugs, various counsellors with Family 12
Journey | Alumni neWs
Devlin, a biology major, received the Governor General’s Academic Silver Medal for outstanding achievement in a four-year degree program. He scored a 9.7 Grade Point Average out of a possible 10. He also received a prestigious Canada Graduate scholarship worth $17,500 and was a three-time winner of the Undergraduate Summer Research Award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. Services recommended he find something positive to occupy his time. “I figured school was better than working, so I enrolled in Adult Basic Education at the Powell River campus,” he said. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do more than ABE at the time, but I thought it was an appropriate first step for anything, and wouldn’t be a waste of time.” Devlin moved to the Nanaimo campus in 2003 and enrolled in the Bachelor of Science program. He excelled in his studies, and was hired to work for three
consecutive summers in VIU’s multimillion dollar Applied Environmental Research Lab. Chemistry professor Dr. Chris Gill said Devlin “has been a valuable member of the AERL team. His contributions to research have resulted in presentations at several international conferences and a peer reviewed publication. I’m proud to have been directly involved in his growth as a student and researcher. He’s a great example of the excellence possible here at VIU.”