Kayla Maurice is a domestic violence court case worker and likes that she gets to help people.

“I enjoy this, you get to help people and be a court support and court companionship, I think I said that properly, and you get to speak to them, offer them counseling services. There's a lot of services out there for them. A lot of them don't know of it,” said Maurice. 

“And a lot of domestic violence is not reported because they're living in denial. They're scared. They're scared that they might get assaulted again.”‍

Maurice wasn’t always sure of her career path though. She started attending hair school, a police prep program, corrections and then obtained a Bachelor of Applied Arts in justice studies at Lethbridge College. She felt rushed out of high school and hopes others take more time to decide.

Maurice has two children and said attending courses with a child was challenging.

“It was hard going to school. Both times I went to school, I had a little child and it wasn't easy, but I faced all the obstacles and got through it. There were some days that were a lot harder than others,” said Maurice. 

She smudges daily, works out and chats with friends and family for self care.

For individuals facing intimate partner violence, resources can be found here.

Thanks to Oscar Baker III for authoring this article.