Please join us in congratulating Morwenna Slater on being SHLC’s February 2023 Learner of the Month.
Morwenna was nominated by her mentor, Petra. Here is an excerpt of what Petra submitted to us about Morwenna.
Morwenna came to GLA In September with the goal of finding employment.
Her first course was Introduction to Food Safety. She accepted the invitation to enter the Ontario Food Handler certification course and was the first learner in 2022 to receive 100% in the final exam for the certification. With a busy home life, and looking for work, she continued to take more and more courses and completed them.
She had a love of learning. Her answers to forums and assignments were thoughtful and well-written. Always made progress and was a great communicator. She always shared with me her good news about interviews and how she was preparing for them. Her family also lives close to me so we had some things in common to share. She was dedicated to her studies, as she believed our courses would help her land a job along with the skills she already had. We would google meet once in a while to discuss courses or assignments and sometimes discuss a post-secondary program she was interested in.
The first week in February she got the job, which was a 45 minutes drive for her and gets up at 4 am. She was determined to finish her last course Digital Sofware Skills which she did on Feb 13th. I also had the pleasure to mentor such an enthusiastic and interesting learner and I welcomed her emails. I quote Linda HR’s email to me “She is a classic example of that with all the courses she took and her success at finding new employment in a new field.”
We decided to ask Morwenna some questions so we could share more about her story with you.
How did you first hear about online learning with Good Learning Anywhere?
Through Contact North in St Catharine’s.
Did you have any struggles during your learning? If so, how did you overcome them?
I did have struggles. I was set on one career path and was 110% moving forward with it for quite a while and then I had to change directions. I overcame it by just trying to stay positive and have a backup plan.
What advice do you have for someone thinking about starting to improve their skills?
All upgrading, refreshing and new acquired skill sets are an added bonus to your resume and profile. It shows that you are open to learn and that makes you a desirable employee anywhere. There is no right or wrong path to take, you will find your way. Don’t be afraid to take a course you know absolutely nothing about.
What is your greatest achievement? Or what accomplishment are you most proud of?
I am very proud of my Food Handlers Certificate. There was a lot of information to study.
What are your goals for the future?
I am now employed and my goal would be to just embrace all the new learning that I am doing at my job and to be a real asset to the company.
Is there anyone you would like to thank for supporting you on this journey?
Definitely my mentor Petra Blain. Thank you so much for all your encouragement, suggestions and positive influence throughout my learning journey while seeking employment. I would also like to thank Clara the instructor for some of the live classes that I took. I had never done this kind of group learning before and she was very patient and kind. I really enjoyed her Indigenous teachings. Everyone should learn about the history and the cultures of Turtle Island.
Is there anything else you would like to share with people about winning this award?
I am very grateful that the Sioux- Hudson Literacy Council and all the teachers were available to me at no cost to upgrade my education. It was a very tough time for me and the courses and online group web classes definitely kept me looking forward each day to keep learning and moving forward.
Congratulations Morwenna! All the best in 2023!