Building Confidence, Creating Opportunity: Leah Smith Finds Her Voice Through the Jennifer Keeping Centre’s Employment Project

Leah Smith knew she wanted her university experience to be more than textbooks and lectures. Through the Jennifer Keeping Centre’s Employment Project, she found a placement with the Cape Breton Partnership that has helped her gain professional experience, build her confidence and discover her passion for creating inclusive spaces in the workplace and beyond.

Leah, a Bachelor of Arts student majoring in Psychology, is one of several students participating in the Jennifer Keeping Centre’s Employment Project. The program supports students with disabilities in gaining meaningful work experience, building confidence and with the transition from university to long-term employment. As part of the project, Leah joined the communications team at the Cape Breton Partnership, where she quickly became an integral part of the organization’s busy calendar of events and initiatives.

“This role has provided me with valuable experiences that allowed me to build up my own skills, all while witnessing the amazing community growth and development happening here in Cape Breton,” says Leah.

From helping organize island-wide job fairs to crafting marketing copy and even recording a radio ad, Leah embraced every opportunity to grow her professional toolkit. She also stepped into event support roles at major gatherings like the NextGen Vital Unama’ki – Cape Breton Excellence Awards and the 2024 Investor Summit, where she had the chance to meet keynote speaker Arlene Dickinson and lead the Q&A session.

Leah’s supervisor and CBU alumna, Michaela Epifano, says Leah’s contributions have gone far beyond expectations. “Leah has been such a great asset to the communications team,” says Michaela. “She’s kind, thoughtful, not afraid to share her opinion and always asks the most insightful questions. We’ve truly enjoyed having her with us.”

Leah’s biggest project to date was compiling an extensive venue database for the Partnership. She contacted more than 100 venues across Cape Breton to gather critical event details such as capacity, accessibility, pricing, parking and available tech. The list will be used to streamline planning for the Partnership’s 75+ annual events, helping ensure they remain inclusive and community-connected.

For Leah, the placement has been more than just a resume-building opportunity. It’s been about realizing her potential. “I want to pursue a career in therapy or social work and eventually open my own private practice,” she says. “This experience gave me the confidence to believe I can really do that.”

The Jennifer Keeping Centre’s Employment Project is designed to help students like Leah build confidence while also educating local employers on the value of inclusive workplaces. It’s not just about opening doors for students; it’s also about showing organizations what’s possible when accessibility is a priority.

“Accessibility isn’t just about compliance, it’s about creating spaces where everyone can contribute and thrive,” says Angela Jagoe, Student Employment Specialist at the Jennifer Keeping Centre. “When we build in accessibility from the start, we open the doors to a talented, motivated workforce.” For Angela, the most rewarding part of this project is seeing students, like Leah, grow their confidence and discover new career paths.

As Leah continues her studies and looks ahead to her future, she carries the lessons learned at the Cape Breton Partnership with her. The team she worked with won’t forget the impact she made anytime soon. “Leah was thrown into the deep end more than once and always swam,” says Michaela. “She’s going to do big things.”