Paul has two children 8 and 10 years of age.
He was born in Athabasca and his first language was Chinese. Paul’s
parents emphasized educational achievement and expected him to get good grades
and complete an undergraduate degree. Neither of his parents completed high
school and they did not help him with homework or read to him when he was a
child. Paul did not have a library card when he was growing up. He said that
his parents did not encourage use of the library but “getting good grades
was emphasized.”
They did not sing or rhyme with him. Paul’s parents
did not model a lot of writing and reading; he recalled his parents primarily
wrote letters to family and read the newspaper occasionally. His parents watched
news, opera and sports on television nightly. Paul’s parents ran a restaurant
and store and he said they did not have time for social or cultural outings.
Paul received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at the University
of Alberta. He completed an accounting designation at the Northern Alberta Institute
of Technology and an engineering designation at the University’s Faculty
of Extension. He is currently a Financial Manager. Paul completed some on the
job training and believes “you need the right people skills to excel.”
His professional development to date includes four online courses in Project
Management. Paul watches approximately one hour of television or videos a day,
and he primarily watches the news. He uses the internet for half an hour daily,
mostly for product research.