Mireille was in a car accident with her friends when she was fifteen years old and has since used a wheelchair for mobility. When she was growing up she was passionate about helping others and dreamt of becoming a nurse. After her accident she had to re-evaluate her career plans. She heard about the Leisure and Recreation Degree program at the University of Moncton (new window) from a friend. When she looked up the description online she read about a program that would give her the skills to help organizations coordinate events in the community.

Mireille graduated from the University of Moncton (new window) in 2012 after completing her on the job training placement with the City of Moncton (new window). She was interested in staying on with them but there were no positions available. Mireille sought funding from other organizations in the community but after a year and a half on wait lists she contacted the Neil Squire Society (new window) for help. She had heard about the Working Together program from another service provider and her aunt had seen it advertised in the paper. Mireille came to the Society with the hope of finding work in her field. She was hired with the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce (new window) as their Events and Promotions Coordinator two weeks later. Mireille said that she was, “thrilled that Neil Squire Society was able to help her find the perfect job for her education and experience.” She says. Her favourite part of the job “is when you work on organizing something for a long time and then get to see it all in action.” Mireille loves working at the Chamber and the team there has been amazingly supportive during her training. She is currently working on organizing a few small events and the big Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce (new window) Golf Tournament (new window) coming up in June of 2014.

Mireille said that if she could give one piece of advice to others in similar circumstances it would be, “that there are a lot of opportunities out there if you look for them. Take advantage of the programs that are created to help you like the ones at the Neil Squire Society. Being in a wheelchair doesn’t have to be a barrier to success; if you’re a go getter then good things will happen!”