After graduating from Durham College’s (DC) Addictions and Mental Health Graduate Certificate program in 2014, Kait Ainsworth and Kendall Stoiner landed out west, where they struck gold.

Within two weeks of renting a condo in downtown Edmonton, Alta., both women found meaningful employment in their field. Alberta Health Services hired Ainsworth as an addictions counsellor focused on youth treatment programs, while Stoiner was hired by the George Spady Society as an addictions worker in the detox centre to oversee pre-screenings, admissions, counselling and discharge planning.

“At both our places of work, everyone has been astounded by our level of education and knowledge of mental health and addiction issues,” Stoiner wrote in a recent email to Kenneth Lomp and Daniel Blomme, professors with the School of Health & Community Services. “We both speak very highly of the program at DC, and our training has been helpful in both our jobs.”

Stoiner added that it has been wonderful maintaining a friendship and living with someone who took the same program and works in the same field.

“Even though it’s currently minus 25 degrees, we love Edmonton and our jobs, and are very happy we made the decision to move here,” said Stoiner. “We would both like to thank DC for preparing us so well for what we would face in this field in the real world.