January 19, 2022 | Manitoba

Manika has been an inspiration for many in her role as an Addiction Community Support Worker instructor at CDI College. As she completes her first year with us, we are celebrating her contributions to CDI College and the community by delving into her journey from a guest speaker and support worker to a college instructor.

Passion for Community Work

Manika is passionate about helping the community and joined CDI College in January 2021 to help students become successful community support workers. Along with the Addiction Community Support Worker program, she also teaches Child and Youth Service Worker courses online.

Manika’s community supporting initiatives date back to her time in India, where she was as a teacher for six years. She also has over four years of experience as a facilitator in anger management, opioid and drug addiction, and mental health.

Recently, Manika was working at Punjabi Community Health Services, a non-profit organization, as an addiction community support worker and regularly featured as a guest speaker on FM radio – for channels such as Prime Asia TV and Punjabi Radio.

Outside of her life at CDI College, Manika continues to mark her presence on Prime Asia TV and FM radio once a month to speak on mental health and addiction.

Experiences at CDI College

Manika joined CDI College when she saw an ad posting for the position of addiction community support worker instructor on Indeed and felt like she ticked off all the right boxes for the role. She had heard a lot of positive reviews for CDI College from her friends and admired the college for helping students reach new heights in their careers.

Manika describes her experience at the college as a great learning opportunity with constant support from staff.

Going Above and Beyond for Students

Her students and their success stories are what brings Manika back to CDI College each morning. She gets excited about the emails she receives from her first batch of students about their success stories. While some of her students have already been hired, others are completing their practica.

Manika’s happiness lies in providing future healthcare workers to the community and watching them become successful.

Overcoming Challenges

One of the few hurdles that Manika faces as an online instructor is the technical aspect of teaching a class. Online teaching presents a plethora of technical issues, but she commends the IT team at CDI College for their efficiency in resolving these problems.

A firm believer in the power of making people smile, Manika tries to spread happiness and laughter, both among her students and her social circle. The way she sees it, smiles cost nothing and can make someone’s day better!

Are you also interested in working with people like Manika at CDI College? Check out our current career openings here