{"id":4610,"date":"2026-04-02T09:46:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T13:46:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/indigenous\/cisce\/?post_type=cu-people&p=4610"},"modified":"2026-04-02T10:20:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T14:20:13","slug":"damien-boucher-iesp-testimonial","status":"publish","type":"cu-people","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/indigenous\/cisce\/people\/damien-boucher-iesp-testimonial\/","title":{"rendered":"Damien Boucher IESP Testimonial"},"content":{"rendered":"

“I have always wanted to help people, and in 2023, I decided to take a big risk: change careers from construction to a mental health field. I found IESP by nothing short of a miracle. I applied to help bridge the gap between the credentials I had at the time and what I needed to be accepted into a university degree program. Once accepted, the professional growth and cultural learning opportunities made possible through IESP have really helped shape my academic journey so far in a positive way. I learned skills through the reading and writing workshop that helped me throughout my time at Carleton: how to read and understand academic papers and how to do research more efficiently using academic resources. I am currently in the third year of a Bachelor of Social Work, and without IESP, I would not have had the opportunity to even apply to this degree program. IESP has allowed me the space I needed to learn the skills required for a successful start to an academic career. I learned quickly, but I was also allowed to research and work at my own pace. That balance was truly helpful in getting me ready for full-time university. The most profound and valuable thing I learned in IESP is that it is ok to ask for help when we need it, and I will carry that knowledge along the rest of my journey. I also learned how to step outside of my introversion and network confidently. IESP was crucial to my learning and to my academic journey. I am grateful.”<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"people-type":[41],"yoast_head":"\nDamien Boucher IESP Testimonial - The Centre for Indigenous Support and Community Engagement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/indigenous\/cisce\/people\/damien-boucher-iesp-testimonial\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/indigenous\/cisce\/people\/damien-boucher-iesp-testimonial\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/indigenous\/cisce\/people\/damien-boucher-iesp-testimonial\/\",\"name\":\"Damien Boucher IESP Testimonial - 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