Her remarkable imagination helped her create worlds she could escape into as a child and now it helps her create literary works everyone can enjoy and dive into. Sara De Waard is a Métis single mom, a screenwriter, a teacher and author who lives in Welland, Ontario. She wrote a young adult novel called White Lies and has another one coming out called Defy.

Growing up in Port Colborne, Ontario, she didn’t learn a lot about her heritage so she’s making up for lost time now and learning as she goes. Stigma and taboo kept her from learning about her ancestry when she was young and divorce, alcoholism and abuse contributed to dysfunction in her family. Raised in a family without a lot of money and moving around, she felt like something was missing as she was separated from her culture. She ended up going to university in Toronto and when she was filling in her application her mom told her about her heritage. Later, after hearing a residential school survivor speak, she decided she wanted to learn more, but at that time her parents and grandparents had passed away. The cultural experiences she has had so far have resonated and the pull to understand where she comes from has been strong. She’s a teacher by trade and a learner in her heart.

Her desire to teach stems from when she was younger and she would play school with her younger brother, making worksheets and urging him to play along with her. She dreamed of one day being a teacher in her own classroom. At one point she wanted to become a lawyer but she took an audio visual class she enjoyed which led her to study radio and television at Toronto Metropolitan University. That’s where she fell in love with writing again, remembering how she loved writing stories and poetry as a child. The advice she now gives her students about choosing a career involves pursuing what they love in childhood and staying connected with their imagination.

While she loves teaching, she felt pulled to honour her love of writing, feeling stuck even though she enjoyed working with students. Going part time as a teacher so she could write allowed her to nurture her creativity. She also has a side business managing social media. “I hope that the students watching this will be able to navigate one day between finding something that is financially stable, but also that they're passionate about, because it's really important to get both, I think,” she muses.

Growing up poor and living in difficult circumstances, de Waard relied on her imagination, perseverance and hope to get her through because she couldn’t really control what was going on in her life as a child.

By staying focused, being creative, and finding a support network through teachers and neighbours, she was able to get through hard times. With the help of student loans and student employment, she was able to pay for university like she paid for many things as a young person, by working hard. Babysitting, nannying, working at a hardware store, she learned early to pay her own way.

Looking back at how far she’s come, she’s excited to see the cycles she and her siblings are breaking, making strides in their careers, parenting and family lives. “Our kids, or this generation of Indigenous kids, they're going to do even that much better,” she dreams aloud. She also tries to remember some of the happy memories of that time in her life because it wasn’t all bad. Seeing positive aspects of the past and present helps her feel better.

Over the course of her life, de Waard has struggled with mental health challenges but she’s found tools to help her cope. At some points, she has struggled with not wanting to get out of bed or work but she was still able to show up for her kids. With the help of therapy, her doctor, a dietitian, and medication, she has been able to feel a lot better. Having strong relationships with friends, colleagues, her family and her children has been very important. Making good choices about who she surrounds herself with has also been something she has been mindful of. Being physically active by walking, being creative, practicing deep breathing and exercising self-compassion have helped, too.

When it comes to inspiration, de Waard is inspired by the next generation and her own children who spark her creativity. She is inspired by the love in her family, by the resilience of the kids she teaches and how hard she feels it must be to be a teenager these days. Otherwise, she finds inspiration in the environment, nature and its power as well as art, music and films.

One of the challenges she sees teens navigating is the permanence of the online world and how that impacts the comfort with the ability to make mistakes. As a parent she struggles with balancing wanting to prepare her kids for a world that judges people and wanting to encourage them to take risks. “I hope the students who watch this… understand that making mistakes is very important for becoming a fully developed human being,” she offers.

If she could share a message with her younger self it would be, “It's okay and you're stronger than you think.” Struggling with self doubt and self image problems as a teen, she wishes she could tell her younger self how many more important things there were and that her value was so much more than that. Her self-image and other peoples’ opinions became more important because of her family situation and that had consequences for her as an adult. She wishes she knew, "you're good enough and you're strong enough and you're smart enough."

With her remarkable imagination that helped her create worlds she could escape into as a child, now Sara de Waard creates literary magic on the page and the screen that everyone can enjoy. A teacher in the classroom and a learner of her own heritage, this Métis single mom is on an educational journey, uncovering the past and leading the next generation. Breaking cycles and building a better future for her kids, she’s writing her next chapter as a skilled author and inspired dreamer.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.