Hire Education is a series that showcases stories of student success through experiential learning.
McKayla Heath
McKayla Heath is graduating from the St. Clair College Community & Justice Services program with a full-time job and singular vision.
"I want to be a changemaker in the system for people who are suffering from mental health or substance use," said Heath, 23, who started a job at New Beginnings three days after the completion of her final semester.
"I really want to be a change for these people who no one sees potential in. These people who are suffering that people just shove to the side and say they don't have potential and they're never going to change. I see that people can change and I want to be part of that process for them."
Using theory and hands-on learning, the two-year program prepares students for front-line careers in the justice system, with particular attention to custody, risk assessment, case management, intervention strategies, and reintegration.
Students in the Community and Justice Services program complete occupational requirements for border, correctional, and police services. They also gain valuable experience working with at-risk client groups through work placements, while making important connections with employers.
"What really attracted me to Community and Justice Services was the placement option," said Heath, who graduated in June 2023. "I thrive off in-person learning and hands-on learning. That's why I liked the College, because they're more focused on hands-on learning. I thought that getting some work experience prior to actually finding a job was really important."
She did her placement with House of Sophrosyne's residential addictions program for women. Heath said she ran groups, took clients on walks, and arranged other activities.
"I would mostly help them get through their day-to-day stuff," she said.
That experiential learning opportunity changed her outlook and objectives. She hopes to go into law enforcement as originally planned, but with a different focus.
"I want to create systems inside of the justice system for victims of crime," said Heath, who graduated from the Windsor Police Auxiliary in May 2024 and also volunteers for Victims Services. "Basically, I want to have victim specialists who are also counsellors. But I want all of this to happen inside of the justice system so that the funding comes directly from law enforcement."
Health is currently a youth outreach worker at New Beginnings, a Windsor agency that helps young people with addiction, mental health, and other issues.
"I actually got the offer a couple of weeks before I got my diploma for Community and Justice Services," she said.
The job was a direct result of an assignment that required students to develop new initiatives for the organization.
Heath created a group counselling program for students in the sober living residence that covers different weekly topics, such as substance abuse and life skills.
"At the end of the semester we presented it to the executive director of New Beginnings," said Heath. "She actually implemented my program this year while I was working here. She said it had an impact on being able to hire me. So that was really cool."