The future is bright for Michelle Janes.
The former John Barsby Community School and first-year Vancouver Island University student wanted to be a psychiatric nurse but now wants to follow in the footsteps of her mother.
“I’d like to get into child development, so I’m going in for my CYC (child and youth care) as well as my ECE (early childhood educator),” Janes said.
While she will gain experience through her education, Janes’s activities will also assist on her career path – she has volunteered with the Boys and Girls’ Club and the Girl Guides of Canada.
“Since I was about three years old, I have been in the Boys and Girls’ Club program and just growing up and becoming one of the leaders with it and seeing other kids develop just like I did in the program makes me really realize that going into the professions that I want to go into are going to help other kids,” she says, adding it’s likewise with the Girl Guides.
Her favourite parts of being a Girl Guide were making new friends and going on adventures and seeing other kids going through those experiences has shown her the value of the program.
“Knowing how to interact with children, knowing how to discipline in the right ways has really given me a little more under my belt to go into the program that I want to go into and I think it will help me start off where I want to be,” Janes said.
She explains that caring for her grandmother also has been beneficial.
“That was a big, huge role in my life,” says Janes. “She raised me [with] my mom working because [my mother] was so busy with work and to be old enough when she needed my help, it opened my eyes. I was [able] to help someone who helped me so much in my life.”
Janes has experience raising chickens, something she did with her late father, and it is something that aided with her growth.
“We had all these eggs and nothing to do so we finally came up with the idea to donate all the eggs to a healthy lunch program at Georgia Avenue School,” she said, adding that it not only makes her feel good, but will also will help achieve her career goals.
“It’s also another aspect of helping children, making sure they have the necessities that they’ll need to be healthy through school and have the energy they need to learn.”
reporter@nanaimobulletin.com