Making the choice to start a new training program is exciting, but it can also sometimes feel intimidating. Many students worry that they might have difficulty balancing school life with home life, or worry that a personal challenge might make it too difficult to complete coursework. These worries can often persuade people to delay going back to school, as they wait for the perfect time to enroll. Persistence really does pay off, and few people offer a better example of this than AOLCC graduate Chasidy Morsette. Chasidy’s inspiring story is one of courage, strength, and of persisting even in the face of incredible difficulties.
However, it’s important to remember that sometimes taking a leap of faith can lead to amazing places. Hard work and determination can, in many cases, lead a student to find the success they are looking for, even in the face of hardship.
Read on to learn why Chasidy has inspired so many at Academy of Learning Career College (AOLCC).
The Road to Overcoming Early Challenges
Challenges arrived early and often for Chasidy. “I was born into an extremely dysfunctional family,” Chasidy recalled during her speech to our graduating class, “addiction, abuse in every sense, and neglect. I then was put into the system.”
Chasidy also came to have a great deal of responsibility at a young age. “I became a mother at 15, had three kids before I was 20, and kinship of my brothers and sister by 21,” Chasidy said. Having dropped out of school in seventh grade, Chasidy placed her focus on parenting. An abusive partner made this stage of her life, too, a difficult one, but an end to that relationship and the beginning of a wonderful new one has marked a great turning point. “I truly, honestly get to spend my life with my best friend,” Chasidy said. “And not many can say that!”
Passionate about helping others, Chasidy completed an adult education program in Red Deer, worked in outreach, and took roles assisting persons with developmental disorders and living in group homes. Looking for colleges in Red Deer that could help her more fully live her dream, Chasidy found herself drawn to AOLCC. “I thought it would give me a good opportunity to get my foot in the door working in addictions,” Chasidy said.
Chasidy Morsette Facing the Trials of a Difficult Year
Where for many a yearlong school program would be an exciting time to learn new skills and prepare for a career, Chasidy found herself confronting yet more challenges that made academic success a real struggle. A fire in her home, invasive surgery, difficulties faced by her daughter and partner, and traumatic losses of people dear to her made for an exceptionally difficult year.
Though there were times when Chasidy felt the temptation to quit, she persevered. At school, she said “My instructor Bobbi was amazing,” patient and understanding as Chasidy faced many difficult challenges. She also offers a great deal of credit to her partner Katie for helping her through. “Through her own pain and fatigue, she has never failed to push me to go the extra mile. She saw in me what I never believed I could be. When I felt like giving up, she reminded me of my strength,” Chasidy said.
Eventually, through all the difficulty, graduation day came, and Chasidy—to her own disbelief—had done it, finishing her program and achieving honours in her class. “Honestly I was blown away and couldn’t believe that the day had arrived when I got to ring that bell,” she said.
A New Beginning After Community Service and Addictions Worker Training
With the completion of her community service and addictions worker training came the realization of Chasidy’s dream. “I am now working full-time Monday to Friday as a Program Facilitator within an Addictions Treatment Facility,” Chasidy said, adding that her time at AOLCC provided both the knowledge she needed and a practicum that led to her employment. It’s a role she is glad to hold. “I am empowering people every day to win the battle against their addictions and live a beautiful life. I am offering them living proof that it is possible.”
When asked what advice she might offer students facing difficulties of their own, Chasidy emphasized one of the most important lessons that helped her overcome many of her own doubts and difficulties. “Don’t give up,” she says. “Fake it ’til you make it. Other people’s opinions of you are none of your business, so stay the course and you just can’t fail.”
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