As part of the team at the Lloydminster Native Friendship Centre (LNFC), Tachina Paddy and her coworkers are dedicated to providing support to those who need it. Whether they need something as simple as food, water, a pair of socks or something more complex like assistance with housing supports, counselling or even a cup of coffee and some company, they’ll find it at the LNFC. And for the past year, Paddy, a Class of 2025 graduate, has been the one to greet them when they walk in the door.

“The Friendship Centre is a place for everyone, Indigenous and non-Indigenous,” Paddy explains. “We are a lifeline for people to come in and receive care. Anybody can come in and we’ll help them if we can, or refer them to somebody else if we can’t. The most important thing we do is offer our support, our heart and our care to people who don’t necessarily get that from everyday life. It’s hard for people out there. We try to make things more human.”

Paddy knows all about the difference a bit of support can make. As a student in Lakeland College’s pre-professional administration program, it was the supportive classroom culture that helped her overcome the nervousness she felt when returning to the classroom after a decade away.

“The teachers and staff were all really helpful – I loved them all,” she says. “I loved the classes, the challenge, the schedule. If I needed help, the instructors were there. They understood when I needed time off because my child was sick. They helped when I needed it – getting me and my child winter coats, or helping with bills and rent. They were all so supportive.”

In the program, Paddy learned everything from computer skills to professional methods of answering phone calls and emails. The most impactful part, though, was the softer skills.

“College was so different than what I was used to,” the single mother from Thunderchild First Nation recalls. “I learned Word and Excel but I also learned how to talk to people and de-escalate situations, it really helped being around different sorts of people. Lakeland was a stepping-stone to coming here, teaching me the foundation so that when I got here, I could learn so much more on my own and from my co-workers.”

Part of the program involved a practicum for on-the-job experience, and at the suggestion of an instructor, Paddy chose to complete hers at the LNFC. She graduated on a Friday in January 2025 and was offered a permanent administrative assistant position at the centre the following Monday.

“It’s literally the best job I’ve ever had in my life and they wanted to keep me,” Paddy recalls, sounding shocked. Looking back on the route she took to get to where she is now, Paddy still can’t believe that everything fell into place the way it did.

“I got sober, got pregnant, had my child, went to therapy and then went to Lakeland,” she recalls. “Then I did my practicum and now I’m here. I love my job, I love my coworkers and I love helping my community. I can’t believe it all worked out, but I’m grateful that it did. It’s like the universe was saying, ‘Okay, let’s do this,’ and now I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”