Overcoming some harrowing challenges in her childhood drove an Oilfields graduand to rise to the top in her own way.
Unable to participate in school sports due to multiple hip surgeries, Oilfields High School’s Kiri Beer refused to sit on the sidelines. Instead, she served as scorekeeper and manager for her school’s volleyball and rugby teams.
“I haven’t been able to do gym sports since Grade 6,” said Beer. “I wanted to be on the team. I got so frustrated. I thought one day when I heal I’ll be able to do it and it never happened.”
Beer said she asked the Grade 9 volleyball coach if she could be on the team, yet not participate. The coach offered her a manager position.
Beer also served as manager for the Grade 10 rugby team.
“It’s not like I was playing, but it was enough to keep me going,” she said.
Beer’s life had changed drastically when she began feeling pain in her hip in Grade 6.
By the first week of Grade 7, Beer was rushed to hospital when the ball joint in her hip slipped out of the socket.
Beer underwent surgery, then again two more times over the next couple of years. She was told her physical abilities would improve, but it never happened. She can no longer jump, run or walk long distances.
This wasn’t Beer’s first major hurdle.
Beer’s family moved from Japan to Canada when she was seven years old. Although Beer’s dad spoke fluent English - having moved to Japan from Canada to teach English 18 years previously - Beer barely knew the language.
“My dad tried to teach us a little bit of English, but because my mom wasn’t very fluent he spoke mostly Japanese,” she said. “I got here knowing a little bit of English. It was very difficult.”
While her first couple of years in Canada were challenging, Beer settled in.
When faced with hip surgery years later, she refused to let it deter her despite missing school, never learning to study properly and falling behind in math.
Instead, Beer found solace in social activities.
She threw herself into planning activities on student council and serving as cast and crew in the school’s drama productions.
A year ago, Beer spearheaded the LEOs (Leadership Experience and Opportunity) Club, a junior-based community club, in Black Diamond through the Foothills Lions Club.
The club boasts 21 members who’ve assisted with the Black Diamond Parade, Foothills Lions Club duck derby, music festival, community movie night and planted trees in the Bob Lochhead Memorial Campground. In July, Beer and another club member will attend a leadership forum in Arizona.
At school, Beer refuses to fall into social cliques. Instead, she’s a friend to everyone.
“I’m always there for others,” she said. “If I’m in the bathroom and someone is crying I ask if they’re okay so they know someone cares. If someone is having a bad day you can make their day completely different with a smile and make them be happy.
It was overcoming multiple surgeries that gave Beer a different perspective on life.
“I had a girl in the room next to me (in hospital) and every five seconds she was screaming because she broke her femur,” she said. “I’m like, I’m okay. It could be much worse. I will get through it.”
When faced with a challenge, Beer grins and bears it.
“If I can be strong enough to deal with that I can be strong enough for anything,” she said. “I’m able to have things thrown at me and be okay because I can handle it.”
After being taken care of in hospital for months, Beer plans to pay it forward and work in the medical field.
“If I hadn’t had good doctors or nurses the whole situation would have been so much worse,” she said. “They were so nice to me and helped me with so much.”
Beer is enrolled in Mount Royal University’s open studies program this fall to upgrade her classes.
