My name is Caroline. I am an army wife and mother of two teenagers. Most of my adult life has been spent moving because of my husband’s job. During his career, I have worked several different part times jobs, including running a daycare from my home so I could be with my children as well as bring in an income. I always wanted to go back to school to find myself a career, instead of just a job and after plenty of consideration and knowing my children were no longer dependent, I finally took the plunge and enrolled at Sprott Shaw.
In July of 2014, I met with Phil at the Victoria Campus and, together, we got the ball rolling. I was terrified and happy, but I was all set to start in September. Then, on August 8th, 2014 I was injured at work leaving me with nerve damage and a long road to recovery, unfortunately meaning I had to put off school for a while. I was devastated and thought I would never start, but through perseverance and hard work, I was on the road to recovery and was finally allowed to start.
January 5th, 2015 was my first day of classes. I was very nervous and not sure I had made the right decision, but after the first week, I settled right in. I had many ups and downs throughout the year, including saying goodbye to my husband for eight months while he was being deployed, going through physio weekly, and technically being a single mother. Many times I wanted to throw my hand up and say, “I cannot do this!” But, the teachers were very supportive and understanding when I was having bad moments and that helped me keep going.
After finishing my practicum two weeks early, I found employment with not one, but two different organizations. I am thrilled and actively enjoying my new career as a Community Services Worker. Thank you, Sprott Shaw and the awesome teachers for helping me get through this year and giving me the confidence I needed.
