4 minute read
Dads & Grads: Manu & Luce
Born in 2006, the grads of 2024 are already a hardy lot. Their birth year was marked by extreme wind storms in coastal BC, Pluto lost its status as a planet, and the giant squid – once thought to be just a cryptid – was finally recorded off the coast of Japan.
They endured the financial crisis of 2008 as toddlers, the Deepwater Horizon exploded while they were in preschool, Fukushima melted down when they were in Kindergarten. Then COVID, atmospheric storms, heat domes...
Through all this chaos, dads have demonstrated to their kids how to navigate the world with hope, humour, and humility.
This year, two grads are directly attached to the small staff at qL: associate publisher Sean Percy’s youngest child, Ella, graduates from Brooks. So does editor Pieta Woolley’s firstborn, David.
We asked a few of this year’s dads and grads about life with each other. What came back was surprising: even when you don’t think they’re paying attention, boy are they ever attuned.
Here’s to the dads and grads of 2024.
Manu Liefsoens, 54, has recently retired after working 19 years as an administrator in the health care field in Powell River.
Luce Liefsoens, 18, is the eldest of two sisters and has chosen UVIC for her continuing education. She will be taking general sciences and possibly branch off in the medical field.
Grad to Dad
What do you remember about your dad, from when you were in Kindergarten?
Grad Luce • I remember him dropping me off on the first day of school. I was really nervous, but he calmed me down and made me excited to go.
What’s your best memory of your dad, from your teen years?
Grad Luce • My best memory of him is playing with him in our town’s community band. It was really fun practicing with him and learning from him.
How is he unlike other dads?
Grad Luce • My dad goes to almost every single game of soccer and hockey I play, as well as all my school’s band concerts.
What do you think your dad was like when he was in Grade 12?
Grad Luce • I think he played in his school’s band and was quite smart in Grade 12.
What has your dad taught you about life, so far?
Grad Luce • He’s taught me a lot about life after high school, like how to take care of a car and how to be more money conscious.
What do you plan to do, over the next five years or so?
Grad Luce • I plan to go to the University of Victoria and get a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry over the next five years.
How do you plan to keep your dad in your life?
Grad Luce • I plan to call him at least once a week and whenever I can’t figure something out, to keep him in my life.
Dad to Grad
What do you remember most about your grad when they were in kindergarten
Dad Manu • Her free spirit to play with anyone and her high pitched laugh.
Which qualities does your grad get from you ?
Dad Manu • Her interest to explore and travel by bike and make music with friends, her interest to learn new things, and her willingness to try to fix things herself.
What were you like in grade 12 ?
Dad Manu • I was involved in sports, had a tight group of friends close by, and had homework on a daily basis.
What did you do in the five years following high school graduation ?
Dad Manu • I got a degree in graphic arts and did my compulsory Belgian army service.
What do you hope for your grad, over the next five years ?
Dad Manu • I hope she realizes that she has to love what she does, so the rest of her professional life won’t feel like work.
What will you miss most about your grad, after they move on to their next stage in their life ?
Dad Manu • Having her around me at home, grumpy or happy.
What are you most proud of your grad for ?
Dad Manu • Her insight how to read certain situations and how she fits into that.
