On school benches at 62 to realize a childhood dream

Since October, the Abitibienne has been enrolled in the hairdressing program at the Center de formation professionnelle de Val-d’Or. She plans to complete this 1,500-hour training this fall and thus realize a dream that she has cherished since childhood.

My mother was a hairdresser and she didn’t think it was a good job. She didn’t want that for me, she says. She told me that it caused tendonitis, bursitis, that you spend your days on your feet. She discouraged me However, it interested me since I was very small. I was painting duvets to anything for fun.

Marie-France Morin will complete a 1,500-hour hairdressing course this fall at the Val-d’Or Vocational Training Center.

Photo: Radio-Canada / Marc-André Landry

I have been retired for 55 years but I had several relapses afterwards, she continues. After my last resignation to take care of my sick mother, I could have returned as a social worker, but it was no longer my choice. I said to myself that it was time, that I am healthy and fit and that I feel like doing it.

For Marie-France Morin, there was no question of embarking on the adventure of hairdressing simply for fun, or as a hobby.

I was looking for a social, community, human involvement, which would somehow connect my two passions: human beings and hairdressing, he explains. I will never work like my young colleagues in salons, that’s not my goal. Initially, my project was to be able to help people with low incomes or the homeless. But that changes over time. I would also like to go to hospitals or go to homes with people with reduced mobility. I can help these people have good self-esteem. When you have a dug up head, you don’t feel good.

To achieve her goal, the Valdorienne did not hesitate to impose a return to the school benches.

For me, this return to school corresponds to everything I do in my life, she says. Everything that is done deserves to be done well, with the right techniques. People who are sick or in social breakdown deserve it just as much. Going back to school was not a problem, on the contrary. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. My new friends are 16, 18 or 19 years old. It’s amazing. I am a curious person and I like contact with others. There was nothing difficult.

At the CFP, the arrival of Marie-France Morin has created a great dynamic for both teachers and young students.

She is super fine, confirms Léa Laliberté, a 19-year-old hairdressing student. She’s like a second mom to us. When we have a headache or she thinks we don’t eat enough, she always has something for us. His journey is truly inspiring. It’s nice to see that after all these years she decided to follow her heart and pursue her passion.

It brings another dynamic to the course, adds teacher Louise Proulx. She has experience and a sense of communication. The girls often go to her if they have questions. It’s nice to see her go in there without a problem. It takes people like her in society. It’s a rewarding project for her and it’s fun to know that people will benefit from it.

Even if she already has all the basics to carry out her project, Marie-France Morin intends to complete the training until she obtains her vocational studies diploma (DEP).

I could start right away, but that’s not in my way. It would never have occurred to me to do social work without my degree. I know that I will have all the contacts to carry out my project, but I have not approached anyone, because I do not want to be attached until I am readyshe concludes.