My name is Hali Drezet and I was born and raised in Prince George (Lheidli T’enneh). I have an older sister, Jordan, who is recently married and expecting her first child with her husband Elijah. Jordan and I lived together in Kamloops for two years after not living together for six years. She is 6 years older than me so when I started high school she moved away for college and we started to drift apart. We have found our way back in the last few years which is really a blessing. My parents, Kim and Dan, are both huge parts of my life and my biggest supporters.
Growing up, I went to École College Heights Elementary School until grade 6 in the French Immersion program and then transferred to Lac Des Bois for my grade 7 school year. As tough as it was leaving your elementary school before your final year, my parents and I knew this was the right move for me. As I maneuvered through elementary school and leading into my time at École Duchess Park Secondary School, I played a lot of sports. Hockey and ringette were the first two sports that I fell in love with. I later joined soccer, softball, and basketball, and of course volleyball. Until I was in grade 9, hockey was my number 1 sport. I had goals of playing post-secondary and Team Canada but unfortunately, I had a very verbally abusive coach that inevitably forced me to quit the team. I then turned all of my focus to volleyball. Luckily, I was awarded with a lot of great opportunities in this sport. I played three years of Provincial Team, winning my first two gold medals in a big tournament. I had a stint with the Youth National Excellence Program as well as the Junior National Team, before graduating high school. While playing volleyball in high school I didn’t have a lot of spare time for any hobbies or interests, volleyball was the only thing on my mind. This didn’t change much as I moved on to university as I was on scholarship. Once I finished my 5 … 7 years of university volleyball, I found interest in golf, skiing, mountain biking as well as casual walking. I love to read and listen to music as much as I can, as well, I dabble in bingo from time to time.
In 2021, I signed a contract to play professional volleyball in Lindesberg, Sweden on the Monday and moved to the town on Thursday evening. This experience was amazing and gave me the opportunity to travel. While living in Sweden, I travelled to Estonia, France, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, and Denmark. It was really amazing to see different cultures and learn in different environments, while doing something that I love.
Over the years I have spent a lot of time working with kids whether it is coaching a sports team, running a volleyball camp or sports camp, or working in the school district. I started working camps when I was in grade 9 and that was when I decided that I really enjoyed teaching and learning with the young athletes. I also learned, through my many years of working in the service industry as well as retail, that I am quite the people person and am able to connect with a variety of people. My first teaching job was at DPTODD Secondary School last fall and learned that this really is the career path that I want to take. I want to inspire kids to learn new things and get them to push themselves out of their comfort zones. I enjoy being someone that a student can depend on and know that they will always have me in their corner and there for them when they need someone. I never want them to feel like they have no one.
Some fun facts about me are that I am nearly legally blind and am not allowed to drive at night, I am deaf in my left year due to years of tinnitus and losing my hearing. I have a hole in one, 72 yards with a 7-wood at Mt. Paul Golf Course, Kamloops. I like to sort my little chocolates (i.e. mini eggs) by color and eat them accordingly. My favorite song is “Stars Are Blind” by Paris Hilton, the song is exactly the length of time it takes me to get to school from home and I hate when people don’t use their turn signals.