When Harold Reay stepped onto the Northern Lights College (NLC) Dawson Creek campus in 1984, the college looked different than it does today. Fresh off his family’s farm in Williams Lake, Reay was looking for the next logical step in his agricultural journey.
“My background for most of my life was agriculture,” Reay recalls. “Choosing Northern Lights College was just another step to learn a little bit more about the business side of stuff.”
At the time, NLC’s Agriculture program offered immersive, hands-on learning that went far beyond traditional classroom lectures. Students spent their days managing livestock, running equipment, and learning the operational realities of Western farming.
“A typical day? You spent quite a bit of time at the college farm back then,” Reay says. “They had the pig barn, sheep barn, cattle, and classrooms. Pretty much every day you were either at the farm or in class.”
Working every day on the farm cultivated both practical skills and a tight-knit community among the students. Impromptu study sessions, late night lambing, and annual pig roasts at the farm helped the students build a community. Instructors also made a major impact on the students.
“What makes the rodeo community different is that everybody helps everybody—it’s a family group.”
“There was an instructor that I kept in touch with over the years—Keith Carroll,” Reay recalls. “He looked after the crop and sheep side of things. We used to have such good conversations with him because he was down-to-earth and a lot of fun. He was a very good guy, and I learned lots from him.”
For Reay, the program provided the business and management knowledge that complemented his rural upbringing. “The things I learned in the agriculture program were a lot more on the management side,” he explains. “How to deal with business, how to run operations efficiently, and understanding the broader industry.”
After completing his studies at NLC, Reay returned to work on the family ranch for nearly two decades. But as the economy changed the agricultural landscape across Western Canada, he needed to change his path. The values he developed during his early years, like patience, adaptability, and an unyielding work ethic, helped with his next move.
In February 2011, Reay moved back to Dawson Creek with his family, stepping into the Peace Region’s booming energy sector. Today, Reay serves as a full-time shop foreman, overseeing daily operations and mentoring the next generation of industrial mechanics and technicians.
“If you want to succeed,” Reay notes, “whether it’s rodeo, agriculture, or oil and gas, if you don’t work at it, you’re not going to succeed.”
That philosophy applies to another lifelong passion of Reay’s: rodeo Reay competed for over two decades across British Columbia and Alberta, and this year he will be a rodeo judge at the NLC Fall Rodeo. For him, the rodeo circuit demonstrates the same support systems found across northern trades and agriculture communities.
“What makes the rodeo community different is that everybody helps everybody—it’s a family group,” Reay shares. “If you’re traveling down the road with your trailer and horses and something goes wrong, you’ve got someone to call who will drop whatever they’re doing and say, ‘Pull in here, I’ll help you out.’ It turns into one large family.”
Now, Reay’s journey with Northern Lights College has come full circle. As a member of the NLC Board of Governors, he brings his unique perspective as a former student, agricultural producer, and community advocate back to the decision-making table.
His motivation for joining the board is keeping regional post-secondary education strong, responsive, and grounded in community values.
“What made me want to join the NLC Board of Governors is that I wanted to bring my aspect of both my work and my past work to the board as a voice,” Reay says. “I’m most excited about trying to keep this college going in the community—not just Dawson Creek, but the outlying communities where the college reaches—and making it an exceptional institution.”
For current and prospective students entering NLC this year, Reay offers simple, grounded advice: “Work hard at learning, enjoy the experience, set your goals, and work towards those goals,” Reay says. “Take pride in your work. If you’re willing to do that, the doors are wide open for you.”