Success Stories

Tia Porter is a 26-year-old mother of two from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. Tia made her first visit to GREAT in high school in hopes of obtaining summer employment and continued to access services available to her to continue her education to this day.

Being a little unsure of what career she wanted, she decided to begin with the Office Administration program offered at OSTTC in partnership with Mohawk College.

GREAT was happy to assist Tia with a Purchase of Training for this program, as well as a Monthly Training Supplement so that she could focus on her studies and ease some of her financial responsibilities. Once Tia completed this program, she continued to meet with an Employment and Training Coach through GREAT and came to the realization that she would enjoy working in the healthcare field. This decision was timely as OSTTC was offering a Health Care Office Assistant program that she was able to enroll in. Again, GREAT was happy to support Tia with a Purchase of Training and Monthly Training Supplements as she continued to increase her education and employability skills. Once completing these programs, Tia successfully obtained full-time employment as a Medical Receptionist with the Haldimand Family Health Team.

After successfully completing all of her previous programs and showing that her love for the healthcare field was increasing, GREAT was able to provide another Purchase of Training to Tia, as well as a Monthly Training Supplement so that she could continue the necessary steps to reach her long term goal of being a Registered Nurse. Even amongst COVID disruptions, Tia was able to complete the Introduction to Health Care program and almost immediately land full-time employment with the Six Nations Paramedics as an Administrative Assistant.

“GREAT has impacted my personal/professional development in many ways. The one that really stands out to me is my time management and organizational skills. I find being in school helps your mind feel organized as it is, but it was something about the smaller setting and the teaching abilities that really did it for me. I also found it taught me responsibilities, holding yourself accountable because nobody else would be the biggest wake-up call.”

Although Tia loves her current position, her drive and determination are still tugging away at her. Tia has grown such a passion for the healthcare field, and specifically for frontline work that she envisions herself completing more education in future to become a Paramedic.

We asked Tia what advice she would give potential clients, wondering what to do next.

“Go for it. You never know if you don’t try. I am a 26-year-old mom of two, working a full-time job that I absolutely love all because I took a leap of faith. The opportunities are endless with a positive mindset.”