Written by: Nino Nguyen

Photos by: TL Sutherland

Edited by: Ava Puhlmann, Kayla Strike 

This year, TABloid has had the honour of interviewing grade 12 student TL Sutherland, T. A. Blakelock’s Student of Excellence, to learn about their achievements and personal journey.

As a passionate musician, TL will be attending Wilfrid Laurier University to study percussion to obtain a music degree with a focus on performance, along with a minor in Math and French. Afterwards, they plan to attend Teachers College and then teach high school.

Initially a flautist in TAB’s Wind Ensemble, TL was invited to play mallet percussion including vibraphone, xylophone, and marimba, for the piece, Symphonic Dance No. 3: Fiesta, where they subsequently fell in love with the instrument. 

At TAB, TL revamped the coding club and REACH team, created the Music Council, and assisted the Breakfast Club and the Truth and Reconciliation Committee. Additionally, TL led String Ensemble to winning gold at music provincials, a great success that taught them valuable leadership lessons.

In their free time, TL enjoys reading webcomics, listening to comedy podcasts, and playing horror video games with their all-time favourite horror game being Outlast. Additionally, they own a 16-year-old black cat named Dodger, who, despite his age, remains active. 

“I love my cat; [he’s] always been there for me. Anytime that I’m struggling, he always knows and when I pull him close to me, he doesn’t move or meow, and just deals with it like a big tissue.” 

Growing up in a low-income household in Oakville taught them many life lessons. They knew that they’d have to work twice as hard to be financially independent going into post-secondary school. 

Before grade 11, TL’s music camp mentor and valedictorian of TAB’s Class of 2020, Kiki Pugh, advised them to set an ambitious goal. Motivated, they participated in numerous clubs, bonded with peers, and focused diligently on education, earning them many scholarships.

“I’d say being the Student of Excellence has been like a reward to the hard work I’ve put into my classes and into bonding with my teachers. Even if I can't really pay [them] back, I hope that one day when I have students of my own, I can pay it forward.”

Finally, TL shared some wisdom with us, “Keep going because life sucks, like a lot. Every moment is really hard and will continue to get harder, but the more you keep dealing with it, the more you can tolerate. You can do hard things, so keep going forward.”