外流影片

When Jared Smith was bicycling through the Loire Valley in France this spring, he stopped to take a picture of an old turret by the roadside. His European companions didn鈥檛 give it a second glance. Such markers of the past are common in Europe, but noteworthy to a Canadian with a passion for history.

Smith, an Acadia history student interested in French, has just finished a year as an exchange student at the University of Tours. The 800-kilometre bicycle trip, completed in two four-day stints, was one of the opportunities he seized while there.

Born and raised in Coldbrook, Nova Scotia, Smith attended King鈥檚-Edgehill School in Windsor before coming to Acadia. 鈥淎t the beginning of my third year, I said, 鈥榃ow, it鈥檚 not even that I haven鈥檛 left the province. I鈥檓 having trouble leaving the Valley,鈥欌�� he says now with a laugh.

He came home changed by the experience and fluent in French. 鈥淚t was my first time out of Canada for longer than two weeks. To jump from two weeks to a year was life-changing,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 really got my legs in life. I feel independent.鈥�

His determination and accomplishments would be remarkable for anyone. But Smith is also living with the effects of a car accident in 2007 that took his brother鈥檚 life and left him with a severe brain injury. For many people, such an event might be the defining moment that determines the rest of their lives.

When you meet Jared Smith, however, you discover that he鈥檚 creating his own defining moments.

Acadia鈥檚 support services

Before entering Acadia in 2009, Smith introduced himself to Jill Davies, a Counsellor for Disability Access with the Student Resource Centre (). He wanted to know what support services were available in case he needed them.

鈥淚 would say, even though he has had accommodations through us on occasion, he has been a stellar student from the minute he got here,鈥� Davies says. 鈥淗e was a good student before the accident, and he鈥檚 a good student now.鈥�

One accommodation Acadia offered Smith was an extra hour to write exams. The activity of writing takes him longer than it used to. The injury paralyzed his right side, and he had to learn to move it again. His thought processes were affected, too.

鈥淢y mom likes to say that I still get to the right answer, it just takes me a little longer to get there,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 still as smart as I was, but it鈥檚 nice to have that extra bit of time. It allows me to think more clearly, and I can actually show what I know.鈥�

History with a co-op twist

Since Smith wanted to be a historian, Davies connected him with Dr. David Duke in the Department of History and Classics (). Duke was also Jared鈥檚 first teacher at Acadia.

鈥淔rom the moment I met him, I was impressed by his determination and guts,鈥� Duke says. 鈥淲atching him improve has been a great joy for me, because he knew that coming to Acadia might be a bold experiment that ultimately might not work. Instead, what we have is a genuinely inspirational and remarkable young man.鈥�

Smith chose Acadia because it offered co-op education to Arts students as well as those in the sciences and business. He praises Shelley McMullin in the Co-operative Education program () as a great advocate and supporter.

鈥淢y favourite work term was when I worked at the New Brunswick Museum,鈥� Smith says. 鈥淚 had an amazing time.鈥� That鈥檚 where he discovered he enjoys presenting history to the public. He consulted Duke about future options, and Duke suggested he look at public history for a master鈥檚 degree.

鈥淚 think that Acadia is such a wonderful place to grow and to develop and succeed,鈥� Smith says. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not just a student number. You are a person, you matter, and you鈥檙e worth having a conversation with. You鈥檙e worth helping.鈥� Duke became not only an academic mentor, but a life mentor as well, Smith adds.

Smith learned French as a way to distinguish himself from other history graduates in the marketplace. He enjoyed French culture and is considering further study in Qu茅bec or returning to France before starting postgraduate work.

An ambassador for Acadia

Duke sees Smith as an ambassador for Acadia and the department. 鈥淲ith the hard work and the enthusiasm and all the things he has going for him, I think he will honestly be somebody to watch,鈥� he says. 鈥淗e will be somebody who turns communities and people on to their history. I wouldn鈥檛 be surprised if we hear his name linked with that kind of activity at a public level, and a well-known public level, in the future.鈥�

While history in its broadest sense may well define Jared Smith鈥檚 career, his personal history is only beginning to unfold.