Battersea based career counsellor nominated for Premier’s award

Jeff Green | Dec 04, 2019

Christine Fader spent 20 years at Queen’s University as a career counsellor, with a focus on helping students with disabilities. She now runs Career Cupid, which helps people define and achieve their goals, and is the writer of career related books. Her most recent book is ‘Just What The Doctor Ordered’, a detailed primer for students who are seeking to get into medical school.

Before she embarked on her career, Christine took disability studies at Loyalist College, graduating in 1994.

The Premier’s awards honour Ontario college graduates who have made significant contributions in Ontario and around the world. There are seven categories in the award competition and Christine is nominated in the community services category.

“I think I was nominated by Loyalist because my career has demonstrated how the disability studies program can lead to a lot of career opportunities, even if I don’t work directly in developmental services,” she said on Sunday as she was preparing to travel to Toronto for the awards dinner.

She said that these awards are important because they bring to light the accomplishments of people who opt for a college education instead of seeking a university education.

“I worked in a university setting for 20 years, and while Queen’s is a good place to learn, I came across many students, over the years, who would have been better served by a college education,” she said. “A lot of my colleagues thought I came through university because they had bachelor’s and master’s degrees, but the training I had in disability studies at Loyalist served me well.”

Among her accomplishments, she is proud of the work she did over two years, as a community member on the employment standards development committee with the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services. The committee developed accessibility legislation that was enacted last year and will roll out over the next few years.

In her current career path, running a home-based business in South Frontenac, she helps people to enter into their chosen career, as a writer as well as a consultant.

While she was flattered by the nomination, Christine did her research and concluded that she was not going to win the award.

“I don’t expect to win but it will be a fun evening. Winners of these awards have some very high-profile achievements. They have started not-for-profit corporations and overcome great obstacles.”

Her prediction did indeed come true. The winner in the community category this year was Kevin Collins. Collins was a poster child for Easter Seals as a young person with Cerebral Palsy, and is now the President and CEO of the Easter Seals Foundation, a post he was appointed to in 2017 after a career in the hospitality industry.

Christine Fader is back in Battersea, living out her dream by helping others accomplish theirs.