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GETTING HELP TO GO BACK Judy Toupin Judy Toupin had never experienced prolonged unemployment until six years ago, when the international non-profit organization she was working for restructured and she found herself out of a job. "All of a sudden I had no income. That's a scary place to be," she says. Judy never went to college. She graduated from Uxbridge Secondary School in 1973 as an Ontario Scholar, but her father was seriously injured in a workplace accident and her family didn't have the money for postsecondary education. "Back then you could still graduate from high school and immediately embark on a career," she notes, adding that her lengthy time in the workforce included positions with Veteran Affairs Canada, the RCMP, Kingston Police and Mary Kay Cosmetics; she even once owned a bed and breakfast. Now unemployed and in her 60s, she wondered what to do next. She moved in with her daughter's family, and accepted a part-time retail job. "It's a full-time job looking for a full-time job," says Judy, whose search eventually brought her to Georgian's Employment Centre in downtown Barrie. Here she learned that she qualified for the Second Career program, which offers financial support to laid- off individuals wishing to retrain in a new career. She chose Georgian's Tourism – Marketing and Product Development program because she remembered the enjoyment of interacting with people while operating a bed and breakfast and she had a passion for travel. Her daughter Ashley and two granddaughters Madelyn and Everly dropped her off on the first day of school, with Madelyn confirming that her grandmother was prepared – asking if she had her backpack, hat, sunscreen and snack. Judy wasn't sure that she was ready. "When I first walked through the doors I was thinking 'What am I doing here?'," she says. It was challenging in the beginning and technology had changed, but she stuck with it. "Going back to school was the best decision I ever made," she says. Judy graduated in June 2018 from her program and is now a campus ambassador, leading tours to prospective students at the Barrie Campus. She is pursuing a second program this fall, and while her future may be unwritten, she is clear on one thing: "I know I'm not ready for a rocking chair and knitting needles just yet." 12 GEORGIANVIEW 2018 COLLEGE CHANGEMAKERS