SuccessBeyond
Gloria Chung
Seneca Program
Degree Program and Institution
Gloria used to have a career in administration when she was taking courses through part-time studies at Seneca. When her children moved on to university, she decided to use her newfound time to pursue full-time studies.
“I became interested in Seneca’s Gerontology program. We’re all going to be older one day, so we need people working in the field,” she says.
Gloria graduated from Seneca’s Social Service Worker – Gerontology program in 2007. Using Seneca’s transfer pathways, she got accepted into the second year of the Bachelor of Social Work program at York University.
“It was pointed out to me that being older could work against me. But I wasn’t going to let age be a problem. Plus, the various advising centres at the College were nice and small, and I got the confidence at Seneca that I could accomplish things.”
At 59 and towards the end of her undergraduate degree, Gloria decided to stay at York to pursue a Master of Social Work. “I was offered a full scholarship. How do you turn that down?” she chuckles.
Passionate about helping others, Gloria has spent the last few years as an addictions crisis worker at a detox centre. She is currently exploring careers working with individuals in case management.
Her advice to current students is to research the profession they are interested in and ask questions such as, “How many people are employed in that field?” She also encourages students to volunteer in their field of interest and attend relevant workshops.