Natalie Ng had every right to be nervous.

Twenty years had passed since her last university experience, but volunteering at her children’s school library renewed a passion for learning. The Lower Mainland resident called around, finding what she wanted through an advisor at the University of the Fraser Valley.

Ng’s family encouraged her return to rigorous studying.

“The kids were a bit perplexed, but they and my husband were very supportive,” she says.

Through hard work, commitment, and family encouragement, Ng completed her Library & Information Technology program this June as UFV’s 2015 Governor General’s Bronze Medal winner.

Awarded to the diploma-level student graduating with the highest grade point average over the last 15 credits, the Governor General’s bronze medal recognizes academic excellence.

Ng completed her program with a near-perfect final GPA of 4.20 and received her medal at the June 11 UFV Convocation ceremony.

The buzz of winning an award is entirely new to Ng, who quickly overcame trepidation to blossom into a star student.

“I was really nervous, but quickly got over that thanks to smaller, intimate classrooms and the fact the instructors have such great dedication and passion for teaching,” she says.

“I got the sense they were really into teaching us. It also helped to meet some like-minded people with similar interests who ended up being good friends of mine.”

Ironically, Ng doesn’t keep close tabs on her grades. Instead, she focuses on fully understanding course information before ascending to the next task.

“When I got interested in this, it became clear you couldn’t just walk into a library job, you needed some training and education. So I had to ask myself ‘do you want to spend two years of your life working on this?’” she says.

“I did and I’m glad I did.

“It was way more information than I expected to get. Being a mature student helped me focus on the materials.”

Ng also credits her experience as a co-op student, spending time training before working at a small Lower Mainland research centre.

Her advice for those following in her footsteps is simple: “Just be prepared to work hard,” she says.

Ng already started part-time library work and looks forward to her rewarding new career. But as she knows, even the trepid embark on exciting new adventures.

“Who knows,” she laughs, “maybe I’ll be back in another 20 years.”

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