Tameka Charron’s path to Dawson’s Community, Recreation and Leadership Training (CRLT) program began with her mother.

“I was always into music and dance and I liked helping people,” Tameka recalled. “It was my Mum who found the program and came with me to the Open House.”

She was admitted to CRLT in fall 2019. But during that first year, her life changed dramatically. Her mother’s cancer returned, and at just 17, Tameka became her caregiver. Rhonda, a single mother, was originally from the Gaspé region.

At the same time, she was adjusting to CEGEP and working at McDonald’s.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. As restrictions set in, her mother’s condition worsened, and she entered palliative care. Rhonda passed away in May 2020, leaving Tameka on her own.

In the months that followed, she moved frequently, never staying in one place for more than six months. Through it all, she leaned on her community at Dawson.

“I received a lot of support from my CRLT community,” she said, calling her classmates and teachers “a second family.”

Tameka returned for her second year, which was largely online due to the pandemic. But the weight of everything she had experienced caught up with her, and she stepped away from school in winter 2021 to grieve.

During that time, she focused on journaling, writing songs, and continuing to work. Then she faced another life-changing moment.

“In May 2022, I found out I was pregnant,” she said. “It was a big event and unexpected. I decided that I wanted him and that I would make it work. If my Mum could do it, then I could do it too.”

Her son Chase was born in January 2023.

Photo: Tameka and her son Chase. 

“It was a big shift, a lot of new responsibilities,” she said. “With him, I understood the love my Mum had for me. I remember her saying: ‘When you have your own child, you’ll understand unconditional love.’ ”

Not long after his birth, Tameka made the decision to return to Dawson.

“My Mum launched me on this path and she would have wanted me to continue,” Tameka said. “I also wanted to show my son to push through and finish what you start.”

Her first step was reaching out to CRLT faculty member Heather Martin.

“I told her I wanted to come back but was not sure what that would look like,” she said. “The faculty were so flexible and adaptable. Heather and everyone made the return to school work for me. They gave me all the resources I needed. Simeon Pompey was like a father to me.”

Her determination did not go unnoticed.

Tameka is “the picture of resilience, determination and perseverance,” Simeon said when he shared a brief story about her with Dawson’s Communications Office shortly after she received the CRLT Perseverance Award at the program’s year-end banquet.

For Tameka, finishing her program required focus and mental strength.

“I just kept visualizing myself walking across that stage. I needed it for myself. I was adamant about finishing what I started.”

Photo: Tameka with her mum Rhonda when she graduated from high school. 

Looking back, she recognizes how her early challenges shaped her growth. “Being a mom, you have to organize things. I grew and I flourished.”

She also credits her mindset and her support system as key to her perseverance.

“My mindset comes from my Mum,” Tameka says. “We always wanted to make each other proud. I want to be a good mum, and I want to be a good daughter.”

She carries that connection with her every day. “I am because you were” is tattooed on her arm in tribute to her mother. Before Rhonda passed, Tameka asked her what to hold on to.

“Stay true to your heart,” Rhonda told her daughter.

“CRLT was right for me. My Mum played a big part. I finished my DEC for her, for myself and for my son. My mindset came from her,” she said.

She hopes her story encourages others facing difficult circumstances: “It doesn’t matter how fast you get there, just stay focused. It’s easy to give up. I did want to give up multiple times. You have to remember why you are doing it.”

Reflecting on her time in the program, Tameka points to both personal and professional growth.

What Tameka enjoyed most about CRLT: “the experiences, the growth and the family I built.”

Why CRLT? “It’s a program that’s so open. There are three stages (internships) so you can try out different things, get real life experience and choose what you want. There are so many opportunities. Also, you’re joining a caring community.”

Her internships took her to F45 Training, the City of Pointe-Claire, and St. John Fisher Elementary School. Of the three, Pointe-Claire stood out.

“I could really see myself working for a municipality,” she said. “I love the idea of giving back to people and communities the way others gave to me. I’ve experienced firsthand how much support can change someone’s life, and I would love to create programs that make that same difference for others.”

Photo: Tameka today, ready for her next chpater

Today, Tameka works as a Lead at a Starbucks café in the West Island while actively seeking opportunities in community recreation. Through her frontline customer service experience, she has developed strong interpersonal skills and a calm, solutions-focused approach.

At Starbucks, she values the connections she builds with customers and the rhythm of daily interactions. And when challenges arise, she keeps perspective: “it’s just coffee. It can be remade and it can be fixed.”

On June 23, Tameka will walk across the stage at Dawson College carrying more than a diploma. She will carry the lessons her mother taught her, the strength she discovered through loss, the love she found in motherhood, and the support of a community that never stopped believing in her. The journey was longer and harder than she ever imagined, but it led her to exactly where she was meant to be.

Photo: Tameka enjoying her passion for dance.