She left university because of a drinking problem. Now sober, she's a valedictorian

A Nova Scotia woman who dropped out of university a decade ago because of her alcohol use will be the valedictorian at one of Saint Mary's University's upcoming convocations.

Laura Eamon, aneconomics major who will be graduating with summa cum laude distinction, will be speaking at one of the commerce faculty's convocations on Wednesday, May 17. She's the valedictorian for the A to L ceremony.

"It doesn't matter how old you are, what has happened in your past, your sunk costs, how many years you spent doing the status quo,you can shake it up, you can change course," said Eamon, 29.

Herfirst stint at university that began in 2011lasted just over a year. Her time at Carleton University in Ottawa included several failed classes and scraping by in others, blackout drinking sessions, and being taken from a residence party to hospital by paramedics.

After dropping out, she moved home and continued drinking, couch-surfed and worked a series of jobs inretail and reception when she wasn't calling in sick for the day.

Sober since 2013

Eamon has been sober since Nov. 9, 2013.

Since then, she got a diploma in medical office administration and started working in the health-care system.Longingfor a bigger challenge, sheapplied to Saint Mary's University in 2017 and started attending the Halifax university.

Last year was a busy one for Eamon, shelanded aFrank H. Sobeyscholarship worth $35,000, one of nine given out annually to undergraduate business students in Atlantic Canada.

She also got married and is a stepmom to two kids.

Besides being an active volunteer, she's spoken frequently about her sobriety journey, including on a podcast and at an alcohol policy forum in Nova Scotia.

"It's really awesome that I feel secure in my sobriety enough to talk about it a lot more," she said.

The application process for becoming the valedictorian included writing a speech, submitting transcripts and auditioning before a panel.

Eamon learned by phonein late March that she had been chosen. She cried when she got the phone call.

"The culmination of all of my time at Carleton, at Nova ScotiaCommunity College, at Saint Mary's, just like everything coming together," she said.

"It would be worth it, whether or not I was valedictorian, but the ending chapter of this part of the book is just really beautiful."

'She just goes for it,' says friend

Eamon was having a virtual lunch with her friend, Danielle Doucette, when she learned she'd be valedictorian.

"I admire Laura very much because she is about going and finding things that kind of challenge her and put her on the spotlight and she just goes for it," said Doucette,a fellow commerce student whowill be graduating from the same ceremony as Eamon.

She thinks Eamon is a perfect fit for valedictorian.

"She's worked really hard to get where she is and she's had some personal things to overcome, but she's also so hard-working," said Doucette.

After graduation, Eamon plans to continue her education and is looking at getting a project management certificate. For a career, she said she wants to work on projects that have a positive impact on her community thatare inclusive and sustainable.

'It's this really magical moment,' says Eamon

One person who won't be able to attend the graduation ceremony is Eamon's father.He died from cancer and Alzheimer's disease in 2016.

Eamon said that even when her life was a "mess," her father boasted about her to others, which she didn't understand why.

"I just feel like it's this really magical moment where,I don't have any religious beliefs or whatever, but it's like this overwhelming feeling of, 'Wow, maybe he knew. Maybe he had this dream or vision and knew things that I didn't know at the time,'" said Eamon.

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