Gabriel Arsenault
“It is an experience that I cannot put into words, to see my father walk with an artificial leg that I built for him. It was really unbelievable.” When his father Albert lost a leg in an industrial accident a few years ago, Gabriel Arsenault had no way of knowing that he would one day have the opportunity to make him a new artificial leg nor that he would one day make a career out of making prosthetic limbs and orthopedic braces. But that is exactly what destiny had in store for him. Even in the spring of 2005, when Gabriel received his diploma in kinesiology from the University of Moncton, he was still unsure of what he wanted to do in the future. He was considering furthering his studies, possibly in physiotherapy. But then he began to think that maybe he should explore the prosthetics and orthopedics field since these areas touch his family quite closely. Gabriel met with the employees and technicians of the prosthetics and orthopedics department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown, then got to do his summer internship in that department. Gabriel... View story

José Gallant
"It gave me the chance to get to know my own skills and to motivate myself to push myself further ahead." Josée Gallant's internship, during the summer of 2005, really helped open her eyes on several levels. Firstly, she became more aware that many Islanders are living in severe hardship and that there is still much work to be done to eliminate poverty and to ensure that everyone can live in safe and healthy conditions. She also saw with her own eyes, thanks to help from the PERCÉ PEI program, that her province offers her a variety of employment opportunities. "There is a place for me on P.E.I. in my field," she states. "I want to travel for a few years but I definitely want to return to P.E.I." Josée first studied at the Cité collégiale in Ottawa in the field of social studies. She then went to Ottawa University to complete her masters in social work During the summer of 2005, thanks to her participation in the PERCÉ PEI program, she had the opportunity to work with the Association des femmes acadiennes et francophones de l'Î.-P.-É. (AFAFIPE), an organization that... View story