By: Mickayah Beals

I am a grade 12 student currently enrolled at Prince Andrew High School. I am in the options and opportunity program (O2), and I’m excited to explore career path opportunities in Social Services. I was very happy to hear about this co-op opportunity to explore health professions and possibly meet with African Nova Scotian mentors at Dalhousie University. 

Mickayah Beals

My motivation for pursuing a career in social services is to help ensure those in need get the right support. I feel that taking the career path of being in social services will allow me to help people, even if it’s just one person because at least then I know that my efforts were not in vain. I have always wanted to help people but I didn’t know where and how. As my career path interest is in Social Service, I was thinking of applying to Dalhousie. The PLANS co-op program gave me some direction in the field of health and I now know a bit more of what I want to study in my years of education to follow. I learned a lot about how the school operates, how programs work, and what prerequisites are needed to get into certain undergraduate programs.

Mickayah exploring one of the activity stations

Along with the other young ladies, I got to experience this journey together during the PLANS co-op and we all may get a chance to work alongside each other in the hospital and in the classroom these next 4 or more years of post-secondary education. This program has helped me figure out a lot of things. Without it, I would have applied to become an aesthetician, but this program gave me the push and encouragement that I needed to know that working in health care is worth it.