Title Page and Introduction

Hi, Welcome! 

My educational journey began about 5 years ago when I enrolled in community college to obtain a diploma in Addiction Studies with an Aboriginal Focus. I like to think that this was also the start of my personal enlightenment journey and the most significant factor that impacted my personal growth and development over the last 5 years. It is like I was intorduced to a whole new world when I began my post secondary educational journey; meeting new people, being introduced to new knowledge and learning that ultimately shaped me into the well grounded individual that I am today, and the exploration of a whole new world of opportunity and chance left me with an immense sense of drive and ambition to fight for a better future for myself and the world we live in. 

After successfully obtaining my diploma in Addiction Studies, I began my studies at Athabasca University immediately with the main goal of obtaining my Bachelor of Professional Arts Degree, with a major in Human Services. By this point I knew that I wanted a career that had a direct focus on working with vulnerable and marginalized populations - one that I could exercise my deep rooted beliefs and values of social equality, social justice, and social policy changes. As i got deeper into my education, I began to learn more about the grass roots of harm reduction practices and procedures and what it meant as an alternative to abstinence. I learned that stigma is one of the most detrimental things within society and thus my desire to fight for non-stigmatization, specifically centered around addiction(s) and mental illness(es) developed. I began to blossom and grow into a well rounded student and aspiring professional with strong beliefs and values systems centered around equality, basic human rights, societal changes, and advocacy. But what is more, is that I began to understand how all of theses aspects of my newly acquired knowledge and learning cohesively fit into to my own personal story and experiences. I began to understand that by combining the two, by sharing my story with others and utilizing my knowledge and learning, I could influence a positive change within society, even if only in the smallest of ways. 

In April of 2022 I began working as a frontline Addiction Support Worker within the field of Harm Reduction. Working with one of Calgary's most vulnerable and marginalized populations that face chronic homelessness, substance use issues, and mental illness(es) was the start of my career - this is where the connection and relationship between my education and career really began to fall into place. Finally, I was presented with the opportunity to put all the knowledge and learning that I had acquired into action and I was able to make a profound connection between my educational career and my professional career.