Life After Mac: Real stories of alumni finding their way — Mariam
After graduating Kinesiology in 2016, I spent the past 3 years working as a physiotherapy assistant while also dabbling in cardiac rehabilitation. I found myself working long monotonous hours in a clinical setting and felt really drained with no motivation to really do anything for myself. Although I learned a lot from my workplace and was able to gain a set of clinical skills that would propel me into the next chapter of my career journey, I knew that it was time to move on. So I decided to leave my full-time position and enrolled in a post-grad certification program at Niagara College called ‘Exercise Science for Health and Performance’ which ended up being one of the greatest decisions I could have made for myself!
I discovered a greater vision of my next steps into the cardiac rehab world and was able to find and own my passion. I was connected via placement to a non-profit organization called Heart Niagara, which provides heart-health services to the Niagara community. After first semester, they offered me employment as a coach in their HeartCORE program. I did not even ask how much I would be paid because I can understand the value of a connection. I really grew to love the work that they do in the surrounding community and realized that it matters more to me that I enjoy the impact I have on my community versus having a prestigious pay grade. I took on the position once a week so that I can stay connected while also continuing to work as a physiotherapy assistant occasionally and exploring online opportunities.
Through my placement, I’ve had the opportunity to develop and present workshops for clients, develop educational material for coaches and clients, participate in cardiovascular exercise testing, smoking cessation workshops and school outreach programs, while also currently working on program development to get the community more active at local recreation centers. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve also found myself recording online workshops for clients to have access to and keep up with their educational resources.
In my program, I was able to learn from my professors in different aspects of this field and was able to develop a skill set of my own through the practical tools that they equipped me with. It was an invaluable experience and probably one of the best decisions I could have made in my own personal growth as well as in my career development. I was able to find a confidence in myself and was able to grow SO much as a person while stepping out of many comfort zones. For example, I recently started my own YouTube channel to try and get more educational material online and have started using social media as a tool to get myself out there, while also educating the general public about basic heart health. I would never have done this prior to the encouragement of my professors and classmates.
The best advice that I can give from my own experience is that there is something to learn in every step of your journey. When you fight to be the best version of yourself at each and every workplace and volunteer for an organization, you are building CONNECTIONS and learning so much about yourself in the process. Never take a step in your journey for granted because the building blocks are so essential for where you will find yourself to be in 10, 20 or 30 years. Be encouraged and empower yourself, while also being an asset to the places that you are currently planted in.
Mariam Korea
Kinesiology ‘16
