Mount Allison Student Gives Back to Sackville Community Through Summer Internship

Emily Escoffery is a third year psychology major at Mount Allison University. Upon the completion of her second school year, Emily wanted to stay in Sackville for the summer. Looking for opportunities to gain valuable work experience affiliated in her field of psychology, she turned to Mount Allison for support.

Through the office of Experiential Learning and Career Development, Mount Allison University partners with Future NB, an initiative which fosters collaborative relationships with education and business leaders to provide students with experiential learning opportunities.

Thanks in part to this relationship, Emily was given an opportunity to connect with Open Sky Co-Operative.  Located in Sackville, Open Sky Co-Op is a community-based charitable organization that provides supports for adults with a disability experiencing barriers due to disability, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, or mental health challenges.For Emily, the experience with Open Sky Co-Operative gave her an opportunity to both add to her education in psychology and gain important professional skills.

“During my time working at Open Sky Co-Operative, I learned about the importance of community-based programming in mental health initiatives,” says Escoffery.  “I investigated the role that nature plays in therapeutic programming and increased my awareness of trauma informed approaches in psychology.  This first-hand experience enhanced my leadership and communicative skills within a professional context.”

The Future NB initiative fosters collaborative relationships between the business community and students across New Brunswick. Through experiential learning, students gain real world experience while contributing to the development of their community.

RBC has been a key Future NB partner and has invested in experiential learning in New Brunswick as a key component of their RBC Future Launch initiative.  RBC Future Launch is a $500 million commitment to bringing young people together with community leaders and partners across the private and public sectors to help youth prepare for the future of work.

Emily thanks Future NB for the summer opportunity, which proved to be a very beneficial experience as she starts to think more about her future career.“With the help of Future NB, I was able to take initiative in my own learning by integrating the classroom theories I have learned into practice,” says Escoffery.  “As a result, I have gained a deeper understanding in my own future career goals.”

Students interested in participating in experiential learning opporutnities at Mount Allison University are encouraged to reach out to the Office of Experiential Learning & Career Development, located in the Wallace McCain Student Centre, 62 York Street, Sackville or through www.mta.ca/expl or email careers@mta.ca. The office supports internships, course-based experiential learning, and professional development for students and more.

For more information on experiential learning opportunities in New Brunswick, interested employers and students can check out more success stories during RBC Future NB Week from January 24-28, 2022 at https://futurenewbrunswick.ca/.