26-year-old Jessica, originally from Whitehorse, Yukon, now resides in Regina, Saskatchewan. In 2009 she was involved in a serious car accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury (new window). She uses a wheelchair to get around. Despite the hardships that she’s endured, Jessica was eager to re-enter the workforce and overcome her disability. She exudes confidence and enthusiasm, and even her co-workers have taken note of her strong work ethic.

Jessica first heard of the Neil Squire Society (new window) in 2014 when she attended a job fair at the University of Regina (new window). She spoke with a Job Developer at the fair and was encouraged to contact the Society for assistance with finding a job. Jessica already knew that she wanted to work for the First Steps Spinal Cord Wellness Centre (new window), which was extremely motivating for those involved in the process. A Working Together staff member was able to connect with Owen Carlson, the manager at First Steps, and was able to secure a meeting for Jessica. When Owen met Jessica his first impression was that she would be a perfect fit for First Steps. Jessica was hired as a Community Wellness Advocate, and as the new ‘face’ of First Steps.

Since beginning work at First Steps, Jessica is really enjoying what she’s doing and she feels really good about being able to get back to work again. She has started a community coffee club and a movie club, where she coordinates a time to go for coffee or a movie with a group. Jessica believes she has helped a lot of people in the community by getting people out and having fun. She also coordinates First Steps’ social media platforms, such as Facebook (new window) and Twitter (new window), where the number of ‘likes’ and followers have increased relatively drastically for the organization.

Jessica is also a competitive athlete, winning the Saskatchewan Female Athlete award (new window) in 2013. She competes on the track team and is competing in the Pan American games (new window) this year in Edmonton. Her goal is to make the Olympic team – and everyone believe in her. She can often be found training on the bicycle at First Steps. “Working at First Steps has been a perfect fit for me; Owen has been very flexible and works around my crazy schedule,” says Jessica. “He even lets me train while at work!”