Making the Right Choice
Before the birth of their daughter, Lucinda Orteza and her husband hadn't thought of leaving their home in the Philippines as it meant uprooting themselves and starting over in a new place, with a new culture. But the desire to offer their daughter the best opportunities in life, led them to make the tough, yet right decision. So, on a cold November in 2007, they left the Philippines and landed at Calgary airport.

What made the transition easier was their participation in the CIIP (Canadian Immigration Integration Project) during the final stages of their immigration application. They attended a 2 day orientation workshop where they learned about the labour trends in Canada, how to write a good resume and helpful tips and resources on interviewing and successful job searching.

With support from CIIP, Lucinda signed with a placement agency and her first temporary work assignment with Scotiabank starting November 6, 2007. This eventually led to a full-time position with Scotiabank in 2008.

Attracting and retaining talented employees
Lucinda's experience working at Scotiabank has been a wonderful one. She is very impressed with the Scotiabank Applause program, where she received recognition for her hard work from other Scotiabankers. In fact, she cried when she received her first applause. "What a great way to be recognized and valued as a member of the team," thought Lucinda. As well, through her manager's coaching and training through My Learning Centre (an internal online training and development resource), Lucinda has been able to continue developing her skills which have in turn made her more marketable. As she said, "I could retire with this company".

In November, 2008, Lucinda was chosen among the Best of Best employees for 2008 in Western Dealer Finance Centre. When her name was called, she was surprised and honoured, to say the least. The whole event made a lingering impression on her as she reflected on how far she'd come.

Building a new life
Since coming to Canada, Lucinda's daughter is thriving. Her new school has great teachers and her daughter has made a lot of new friends. When school ended for summer vacation, her daughter was actually sad and wanted to start back right away! Given that the interest in their daughter's future propelled Lucinda and her husband to make the move to Canada, knowing that she's now happy and content makes all the difference.