Coming full circle at CNA
7/5/2010 11:44:12 AM
To say that Andrea Green’s education and career has come full circle is an understatement. A College of the North Atlantic (CNA) graduate and current college employee, Andrea has a long story of striving for the best and never giving up until achieving her great accomplishment.
During the winter of 1995, she was enrolled in the Employability Skills for Youth program, a 12-week offering that teaches business and computer skills to youth. While attending this program she completed a choices exam, which allowed her to figure out what type of career she could focus on. It turned out she was suited for office administration and possibly a career in teaching.
Andrea had always wanted to be a teacher, but her financial situation didn’t allow her to attend university. Noticing her interest in computers and office administration, an instructor set her up with a shadow position in an Office Administration (OA) class for a day. This is when Andrea decided it was the program for her, and one that could lead to a teaching career.
In September 1996, married with a 3-month-old child, Andrea enrolled at CNA to do the Office Administration program.
“My instructors were awesome,” notes Andrea. “They helped me to see my true potential, helped me to see the versatility of the OA Diploma, and ingrained in me the concept of lifelong learning, career advancement and instilled some great work ethic and values.
“Each step of the way they motivated me, rewarded me, praised me and gave me the confidence I needed to realize my dream of obtaining a secure position in an office environment. I remember one of my instructors, Colleen Morrison, told me that my maturity and work ethic would get me places, and that she could see me someday teaching this program. Though I thought that dream was unattainable, I never forgot it.”
Morrison remembers her as a very dedicated student with a willingness to learn, which would one day make her an excellent instructor.
“Andrea’s pleasant personality, positive attitude, and sheer determination to succeed were some of the qualities I believe helped her become the individual she is today,” she notes “I always knew she would excel at whatever she did, and I felt she definitely possessed the attributes that would make her an excellent instructor.”
Andrea was fortunate to have a position lined up at Western Health before she graduated from her program in 1998. She worked there for 10 years and as she says, moving from department to department was a great learning experience for her.
“Little did I know at the time, but being a relief staff was actually a good thing. I learned so much from so many different departments such as human resources, the Western Regional School of Nursing, materials management, nursing payroll and scheduling, quality management and the research branch. My last position at Western Health was regional waitlist clerk.
“These experiences made me versatile and gave me so many things to draw upon. It was like I was doing everything that we were taught in the program, and so much more!”
Andrea became a temporary CNA employee in 2007 at the Grand Falls-Windsor campus and later accepted a permanent full-time teaching position at the Labrador West campus, where she currently teaches the Office Administration program.
“To me, Andrea represented the epitome of what an instructor should be; a professional who has the students’ best interests at heart and who is willing to share her knowledge and experience to put them on a path to success,” states Morrison. “She is definitely a success story, and CNA is lucky to have her as a faculty member.”
Continuing to practice what she now preaches, Andrea is currently enrolled in distance education courses through Memorial University.
“There’s still room to grow, learn and advance, so I now have a 10-year plan to get a bachelor’s degree in post-secondary education, and eventually, a master’s degree.”
“So you see, it’s come full circle. I can give back to the community the skills, attitudes and encouragement I was given when I was a student, and I have the responsibility of passing the torch to the next generation of Office Administrators. Any of you who are considering this program, or have already completed this program, congratulations. You are in a field you can be proud of, that will challenge your professional growth, and is limitless in terms of the goals and opportunities on your horizon.”
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Media Contact:
Pamela Spencer
Public Relations Assistant
College of the North Atlantic
709 643 7928
pam.spencer@cna.nl.ca