Willis News

Student Profile: Chantal Senecal

Image

Chantal Senecal is a truly special person. Through our Personal Support Worker (PSW) program, Chantal has dedicated her life to helping people. She has previously worked in a group home for women struggling with mental health issues, and she is deepening her dedication to her work with an education from Willis College.

Her education and knowledge will help our province’s most vulnerable people and we wanted to know more about Chantal and what inspired her to enter this challenging and rewarding field.

Willis College: Chantal, thank you again for taking the time to chat with us today. Our first question is really simple: what program did you graduate from and have you graduated?

Chantal: My name is Chantal and I graduated from the Personal Support Worker Program in 2021!

Amazing, thank you! What interested you in the PSW program?

Well, last year, I worked at a group home for mentally ill ladies, and I really enjoyed helping people. I’m also a guardian of my mentally ill older brother, and I just enjoy helping people! So I decided to do this program. A friend of mine told me about it, and that’s when I looked it up, did some research online, and decided to join.

Amazing. Tell us, what new skills or new perspectives were you able to gain from the program at Willis?

It was a VERY intense course. It was condensed so I had a lot of homework. I found that I learned a lot more about planning, a lot more about organization and how to set things up. I also learned a lot about health, obviously. It was interesting doing it online, and trying to do group projects online. That was challenging.

Were you able to collaborate online?

We were able to have moments where we did. The teacher ended up giving us a time where we were able to break off in groups and stuff like that. But it was also challenging. Some people had problems with learning new technologies and how they worked, and it didn’t always work, so you had to play around with it. It’s a learning curve. 

If someone was looking to enter the program now, what type of advice or things would you bring up to them?

I would say make sure that they know that they want to help! Make sure that they’re willing to do the work and know that it’s going to be a lot of work. Make sure that they read the textbook. It actually has a lot of information, more than just what you hear in class. Do the extra questions. And there is an exam almost every week, so make sure you stay on top of it. If you miss a class, you’re going to fall behind, and it’s going to be hard to keep up.

Because it was a condensed program, was there anything that you enjoyed more?

Personally, I like school, so I actually enjoyed all of it! I was able to focus on it. I did not have a job during it, so I was able to spend the time that’s needed to really, really focus and get the grade that I desired.

Being out of school for 14, 15 years and coming back and going into the PSW program, how was that experience different than the last time you went to school?

Because I’m older now, I was able to focus more! I didn’t have as many distractions around, so I was really able to focus to try to get the honours that I received.

Amazing! Tell us, what are you looking forward to, working in the PSW space?

I’m looking forward to helping people. I’m looking forward to making a difference in people’s lives, even if it means just one tiny little itty-bitty moment. I find it’s the little things that matter, and I would like to try to help people in their challenging times.

Thank you so much, Chantal! All the best in the future. We know you’re going to do amazing things!

What are you waiting for?

We would love to invite you to connect with us to learn more about our Personal Support Worker (PSW) program! There has never been a better time to join the healthcare industry and jobs are out there waiting for you.

We look forward to chatting with you more about this exciting program and your new career opportunities.

What Our Graduates Are Saying

We are so set up for success, that if we are having a little bit of a tough time with something, there's always someone around to help.
Kim Powers
Massage Therapy Program