Christopher Dehart eyes videography career

By Julia Magsombol Local Journalism Initiative julia@columbiavalleypioneer.com

Life is like continuous mountains, but Shuswap Band high school graduate Christopher Dehart advises students not to take these mountains too seriously.

"[In life,] if you make the wrong decision, then chances are you can likely go back and fix it somehow. You can always start over," Dehart said when asked about the important lesson he learned at David ompson Secondary School (DTSS).

"I love our grad class. ey're a great bunch of kids,” added Dehart, who made many lasting friendships during the past five years.

However, Dehart explained that with all the time he had at DTSS, he wouldn't want to return to Grade 9 or 10 during COVID-19.

"You couldn’t see [your] friends," he said. "And we didn't learn as much as we would have in school. So going back after COVID, catching up was a little more difficult than it would have been otherwise."

But with all the odds, Dehart developed a new pas- sion during the pandemic — mountain biking.

"Before COVID, I didn't do mountain biking. Now, that's one of my favourite things to do. I'd say it probably changed me a bit. Because before COVID, I just biked for fun, and now I want to improve.”

Dehart also enjoys skiing and playing soccer. In contrast, his hobby is photography and videography. is summer he plans on working at Columbia River Paddle, but he also wants to make time for hiking, and of course, biking.

Dehart’s career goal is to become a videographer and possibly start his own videography business. He believes this is flexible career. "It can take you anywhere,” he said.

Now that he has graduated from high school, he has finished one journey and will another called “life.”

"It's scary being able to choose where your life goes because it can go in many different directions. You don't want to make the wrong decision. But either way, you're gaining experience. [At the same time] it's exciting to choose where your life goes from now on," he said.

Dehart received a French 12 award in high school this year and is looking forward to seeing what other awards await him in life.