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Graduate Profiles

Your Success Is Our Success

And we’ll show you why. Below are some of our best and brightest graduates, whose story may be unique, but also much like your own in a few ways. “How?”, you may ask.

They’ve faced adversities, challenges, and worries, either changing careers or pursuing their first. Maritime Business College has helped them achieve their goals, and can also help you achieve yours!

Is Maritime Business College Right For You?

If you’re interested in exploring whether Maritime Business College’s training programs are right for you, fill out the form on this page to receive more information.

For immediate questions, call 1-902-463-6700

Mackenzie Hepditch

Mackenzie Hepditch went from working for a caterer to becoming an animator.

She’s a member of the 2022 graduating class for the 2D/3D Animation and Digital Arts program at Maritime Business College.

Hepditch recently accepted a position as a 2D Animator at Cartoon Conrad Productions, where she just completed her on-the-job training.

In September of 2020 she enrolled in the program during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when she felt she needed a change of direction.

Her previous career was as a head chef for a catering company in Halifax, but wasn’t getting much work because of the restrictions around gathering limits at the time.

“I basically was out of work right away and it kind of got me thinking of jobs that maybe were sustainable if anything like this happened again.”

Art always interested her, but she didn’t consider herself “super good” at it when she was younger.

When COVID began she started to become interested in cartoon shows. One showshe enjoys is She-Ra and the Princess of Power because of how colourful and other worldly it is while using a lot of pinks and purples.

“I was like you know what would be really awesome was having the ability to make a cartoon show,” said Hepditch.

As a child she wanted to be a painter or classical artist. Before she started school she didn’t understand there were different kinds of art.

“Digital art is such a different world to be in,” said Hepditch. “If you make a mistake you can try a hundred different times to get it right. You can always go back and change it without distorting or ruining something you did before. (It) really kind of changed my mind on how it’s easier. You can be less naturally talented, gain the skills and still be able to put in the work without having to be the best pencil on paper artist that has ever existed.”

From her graduating class she feels she has made close friends. That blossomed through having sharing similar life experiences. At the same time they were able to grow together through activities like life drawing at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park and other areas around downtown Halifax.

Adapting to online school brought on by various lockdowns was also something she enjoyed, but found challenging at times. She would be in class and in another room her girlfriend would be working from home teaching anatomy.

At Cartoon Conrad she’s working on a TV series where she manipulates and draws in different parts for 2D rigs with short audios for small parts of episodes. They will be revised several times where she makes changes before going on television.

“I don’t really do any of the character building, props or designs,” said Hepditch. “Those are all premade and then we just add in anything on top of that like specific poses or facial expressions. Then we just manipulate them so they look like they’re moving, but they’re actually just a bunch of pictures.”

One of her career goals is to collaborate with her mother on an animated short story series from scripts her mother wrote based on her stories as an Inuit girl in Labrador.

Hepditch’s advice to anyone interested in pursuing a career in this field is to trust the process while in school.

“You’re not going to be good at the beginning with 3D modelling,” said Hepditch. “Let yourself become good.”

Molly Hayes

Molly Hayes did her work placement for the Counselling Skills and Social Human Services program at Crosbie House in 2012 and never left.

A graduate of the program when it was still Success College, she is Crosbie House’s program manager working with clients in developing coping skills that can be taken with them into a life of recovery.

She’s also the coordinator of their family program which showcases a passion for reconnecting the family unit in recovery.

Her journey to enrolling in the program in 2011 after she received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from St. Francis Xavier University.

She picked the school because she wanted constructive skills that would lead into her chosen career.

The current Counselling Skills and Social Human Service instructor here at Maritime Business College, James Ingram, was her teacher in 2012. He was one of the reasons that drew her to the program.

“I’m still in contact with James,” said Hayes. “Professionally he’s just been an asset to my career. So to have that through the years and to help me navigate through my own professional development has been huge.”

She added the on-the-job training portion of the program and the number of certifications she received were also important because of how difficult it can be to find work in the field without experience.

“One thing that I really appreciated from my experience with the college was the hands-on experience of utilizing counselling skills in the roleplays and really practicing those skills,” she added.

“I wanted something that I could utilize and have confidence in going into the field knowing that I already had these skills that I needed.”

Her career in the field began while still being enrolled in the program. She worked in a halfway house after Ingram helped make a connection before moving on to her work placement in Crosbie House.

She was hired there within two weeks of beginning her placement as a full-time addictions counsellor. Four years later she was their lead counsellor and two years after that took on her current position of program manager.

The counselling skills program prepared her for these roles because the scenarios outlined in the curriculum have also taken place in the workplace.

“You don’t have the option to go timeout, let’s debrief this and walk through it because you’re the person that individual is coming to,” said Hayes. “I think that skillset is well worth the price of admission. It really does prepare you for what life is like on the outside and in this field especially. There can’t be any sugar coating. It is life or death for the individuals that we treat.”

Hayes was the first student to ever do a work placement with Crosbie House. Since then Hayes has helped students complete their on-the-job training there and has hired former graduates.

“I know what they’ve experienced and I know their skillset,” she said. “I know they would come highly recommended to me. I think having a working relationship with the college has been extremely beneficial for both of us.

Over the years she has returned to Maritime Business College as a guest speaker and conducted some zoom sessions for Ingram and fellow instructor Paul Surette, before he became campus administrator. She would speak about counselling support systems and what it’s like to work in the addictions field, specifically an addiction treatment centre because there are so few of those in the province. That would cover what the model of care looks like coming into the field.

Outside of work Hayes has volunteered with the Hepatitis Outreach Society of Nova Scotia, Stepping Stone and the Seven Steps Society. Part of her job is knowing about what services are available in the community and linking individuals to the resources they need.

“I think it’s vital to give back some of the tools we have been given,” said Hayes.

The mother of one, with another on the way, has been able to be successful and have a long career in the field by learning to ask questions, be shown how to do things, have some humility and a willingness to ask for help.

“If we can’t ask for help ourselves, how can we expect that of our clients? Not thinking that we know it all because we definitely don’t. I think for me the moment I think we have everything figured out is the moment we stop growing.”

For her that includes continuing education, gaining more certifications and doing things like becoming an internationally-certified alcohol and drug counsellor.

By purposely living in Halifax, but working in the Annapolis Valley, she has purposely maintained the one-hour commute to listen to a podcast or decompress her day. That way she doesn’t take anything home from work with her. That is one of the ways she provides self care for herself. She also spends time reading and doing yoga.

Advice she would give future graduates is ask questions, be humble, learn from others who have been there before you and ask for support in order to take care of yourself.

“You can’t help another individual unless you’re healthy too.”

Alex MacDonnell

Alex MacDonnell’s career path has not been linear.

She graduated from the Counselling Skills/Social Human Services program 10 years ago when it was still offered at Success College prior to becoming part of Maritime Business College.

Before enrolling the Antigonish native received a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Sociology and Minor in Psychology from St. Francis Xavier University.

She learned about the counselling program from a friend who was already enrolled at the time. After visiting the college and having a meeting, she applied the same day.

When she started the program wasn’t what she expected.

“When I went to St. F.X. I did not do well at all,” said MacDonnell. “The only dean’s list I made was to be kicked out or on probation. When I came to Success College it was a whole different ball game. It was courses that I loved and was interested in. I actually graduated with high honours.”

The teaching style of instructor James Ingram, all of the course material being relative and how students spent full days in class were what she enjoyed about her student experience.

She added her hard work, education, the program’s certifications on her resume and the connections she made with people in the field helped her following graduation.

Her first job was for Feed Nova Scotia working on their crisis hotline. She moved on to become an office admin at Hepatitis Outreach Society of Nova Scotia (HepNS) before moving into programs and then executive director. She also did some work for “fun” with Crosbie House. For the last four years MacDonnell has been the executive director of Stepping Stone.

She would tell future counsellors the field is all about making connections, doing volunteer work and practicing self care.

“That is such a cliche thing to say, but our career span is five years, so you have to look after yourself.”

To prevent the burnout people in the field can experience, she spends time with her dogs, reading, gardening and camping in the summer.

The 35-year-old has been able to succeed all of these years by having someone in the field to bounce ideas off of and relate to.

The career still excites her. Working at Stepping Stone’s has been her “dream job” because she loves all of her clients and can develop programs as the times change to keep up with current trends.

She’s also responsible for ensuring the organization runs smoothly. That includes hiring employees, the finances are in order, grant writing, report writing and counselling with clients and staff.

“I always knew I wanted to be in the helping field and I think it’s the program users that keep me going,” said MacDonnell. “We see a lot of sad stories, a lot of horrible stories, but there is also a lot of successful stories as well.”

“Knowing that we’re a major support, or the only support for some people keeps me going. They need us, not just me, but my whole team.”

Her career goals now align perfectly with what she’s doing at Stepping Stone. She’s working on securing a “forever” location for the organization as they attempt to purchase a house. She’s also working on getting a transition house for their program users so they can have a place to stay and sleep.

Each year she returns to Maritime Business College to speak to the class and take part in the roleplay exercises included in the curriculum.

“I love it,” she said. “I feel like I’m somewhat giving back to the future counsellors.”

One of her existing staff members is also a graduate of the counselling skills program and she has taken students from the program for on-the-job training placements.

That is an opportunity for her to get a refresher and learn any new things being taught today.

“Even if they do a student placement with me and they move on to another organization, I can now pick up the phone and call them if that’s a support that one of my clients needs,” said MacDonnell.

Outside of her work she volunteers her time sitting on committees specializing in battling human trafficking and fighting for decriminalization of sex work.

“It expands your knowledge. An organization might be doing one kind of project that might benefit our program users. So getting different ideas and just making those connections and keeping up with current trends is super important.”

Graduate Profiles

Your Success Is Our Success

Mackenzie Hepditch

Molly Hayes

Alex MacDonnell

Is Maritime Business College Right For You?

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Mackenzie Hepditch

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