Staff and Services
Staff Profiles
Get to know the people
that are working with you.
Ashley Kaartinen
(she/her)
Can Help With:
Income tax filing, financial counselling/navigation including budgeting, credit and debt, saving and exploring any financial areas of interest.
Favourite Quote
All you can do for another person is be an environment in which if they wanted to come up for air, they could.” – Ram Dass
Post-secondary diploma or degree: Bachelor of Human Ecology (U of M), Child & Youth Care Diploma (RRC)
3 fun facts about you such as:
- I am the middle child with two brothers
- My favourite season Spring
- My favourite activities are camping and Folkfest
Chantelle Chernick
(she/her)
Can Help With
Resume and cover letter writing, job searching/exploration and interview preparation (including mock interviews).
Favourite Quote: Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best."
Post-secondary diploma or degree: B.A. double honours, anthropology and psychology
3 fun facts about you:
- I was a Tuition Waiver student at the University of Manitoba
- I have lived in Winnipeg my entire life.
- My favourite colours are red and purple.
Chelsey Finney
She/her
Favourite Quote
“Maybe our favorite quotations say more about us than about the stories and people we're quoting.” - John Green.
Post-secondary diploma or degree:
Graduated from Booth University College in 2020 with a BA in Applied Psychology (Honors)
3 fun facts about:
- I am the proud cat mom of a 2.5-year-old marble tabby named Rue.
- I learned how to bead earrings, wristlets, keychains etc last year through a friend. As an identifying Metis person, it is important to continue practicing this art as it allows me to explore my culture more.
- I am a HUGE horror and true crime genre buff. Specifically, I enjoy watching documentaries that go into depth about how movies' characters, storyline, and plot devices were inspired by real-life events or phenomena. The forensic psychology behind true crime is also intriguing to me.
Christina McKay
(She/Her)
Can Help With
Support for Tuition-Waiver students such as navigating between post-secondary schools, living supports (Workplace, Training and Employment) and social workers. I also help with applications for living support, scholarships and bursaries
Education:
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours)-University of Manitoba 2019
Bachelor of Arts: Political Studies (3 years)-Brandon University 2008-2011
Favourite Quote: “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Fun Facts:
- I adopt former lab rats from the University of Manitoba Research Lab.
- In 2019 completed an Art Mentorship in the city beating out 200 applicants to receive it.
- I do this work because I want to support my fellow youth from care and help them feel a little less alone.
Evan Forest
(he/him)
Can Help With
Support high school and under-18 students to create post-secondary plans and community presentations
Favourite Quote – “When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.” – Abraham Joshua Heschel
Post-secondary diploma or degree – Bachelor of Science, Honours, in Psychology from the University of Manitoba
3 fun facts about you such as:
- My favourite season is summer
- My favourite sports team is the Phoenix Suns
- My favourite movie is Twister (1996)
Heaven Geller
(she/her)
Can Help With
Advocacy, help with applications, getting ID, housing, referrals to services and resources, mental health and substance use system navigation, understanding government systems work, and Indigenous cultural support through activities, ceremonies, and knowledge.
Favourite Quote – “They Tried to Bury Us, They Didn't Know We Were Seeds” -Dino Christianopoulos
Post-secondary diploma or degree: Child and Youth Care Diploma
3 fun facts about you such as:
- I have 2 Dogs, Simon, and Skye
- I am a Libra
- My favourite movie is the Wizard of Oz
Laura McNaughton
(she/her)
Can Help With
Advocacy, help with applications, getting ID, housing, referrals to services and resources, mental health and substance use system navigation, and understanding government systems work.
Favourite Quote I am within and without. Simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life – F Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby)
Post-secondary Pathway: Diploma in Child and Youth Care
Fun Facts
- My favourite season is autumn because I love the colours
- My favourite sports team is the JETS!
- My Favourite movie is Big Fish
Madison Hooper
(she/her)
Can Help With
Income tax filing, financial counselling/navigation including budgeting, credit and debt, saving and exploring any financial areas of interest.
Favourite Quote It is hard to fail but it is worse never to have tried to succeed —Theodore Roosevelt
Post-secondary Pathway: Bachelor in Social Work
Fun Facts
- I have 2 Holland Lop Bunnies, Humphrey and Theodore
- I travelled to Poland and from there went to Austria on a train. I have also travelled to most provinces in Canada.
- I absolutely love Spring!
Steven Nero
(he/him)
Can Help With
Counselling and mental health support. Counselling is offered one-to-one with solution-focused, strength-based, dialectical behaviour therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, narrative therapy, attachment, and mindfulness approaches.
Favourite Quote: Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened – Dr. Seuss
Post-secondary Pathway: Bachelor of Arts in psychology, Bachelor of Social Work, current Masters of Social Work student
Fun Facts
- I have a puppy Linus and Linus is a Morkie
- I loved travelling to the Greek Islands
- My favourite food is pasta