My family and I moved to St. Catharines in early 1992, where I went back to school because I needed to find myself a job. I finished Grade 12, did some co-op and got the rest of my credits. I took a course at the YMCA about unemployment and going back to work, which helped me a lot. Then I got my first job. It was one of the worst experiences in my life. Back home I did not have to clean anyone's dirty house but mine.

That job made my self esteem very low, knowing that one day while I'm out there I might be seen by someone who knows me, although it was an honest living.

Because I was not comfortable with what I was doing I decided to find myself a different job. It was not easy finding a good job without a degree or a diploma of some sort. Months went by. I kept looking but I never gave up - this was how determined I was to find a job I was proud of.

I ended up finding a job at Queen's Landing Inn, which was not a lot better, but the responsibilities and duties were somewhat different.

Being at the hotel was a challenging experience for me, meeting new people and striving to get to the top. As my dad would say, "Aim very high. I want you to marry the prime minister of Canada." During my daily rounds and activities I came in contact with many people, such as an engineer at Ford. He saw that I had the potential for something bigger and better, so he decided he would get me an application. I filled the application out and gave it back to him and I had no idea what I was getting into.

They called me in about a month after that for a written test. Not knowing what the test was going to be all about, I went in nervous as hell. One person to a desk – it was like writing an exam. They told us we had to finish a certain paper within a certain time, which I still didn't understand. It included building blocks, putting them together right and taking them apart, and some general math. At the end of the test, if you did well, you were told to come in for an interview.

The first half of the interview didn't go well but after that things went well. I got hired in 1998. It wasn't what I had in mind for my life because I've always wanted to be a pediatrician, which I still intend to do.

Now I am a line operator or assembler. What I do on the line is build the trucks or, in other words, assemble the parts together to form the truck. At the Ford plant we manufacture the F150 series. My daily duties include handling smaller parts and using big, heavy air guns to connect parts. This can be very stressful on the hands and fingers because of the daily repetition. Some of the working conditions can be good but some can be bad, say, for instance, too much bending, heavy lifting, bad flooring, not having the proper tools, and also not having the proper walking shoes.

Our regular hours at Ford are 40 per week and overtime is 48 hours. I am a "pending post" on the line, meaning I don't have enough seniority to own my job. You can be placed anywhere and you don't have control over that, which is like living in hell. When I have a bad night at home I know things are not going to be good at work the next day.

Some of the things I like best about working there is, damn, the money is good. I'll take an eight-hour shift over 10 hours because once you reach eight hours your body just shuts itself off and you're barely hanging in there. I also like having good co-workers to work with.

Some of the things I do not like about my co-workers are that they can be real assholes, criticize your work, spread rumours, and won't stay out of your business. One of the other downs is the time I have to wake up in the mornings because of the schedule we have, which is 6:48 a.m.

There were rumours about closing the plant – either the van plant or the truck plant – at the end of the year 2001. The more rumours went around the more people got scared and started wondering about what might happen and what they might do.

There were times when co-workers were after each other. They said it's people like you who are to blame for closing this place down, because you are the ones who don't want to work and make it bad for everyone else. As time was winding down everyone was getting frustrated, including myself, wondering what the announcement was going to be. I didn't really sleep the night before the announcement because I was too frustrated. My family also got affected by this.

On the day of the announcement they told us the line was going to be shut down for two hours and we would meet in the chart room at the entrance of the plant. Building those trucks was not easy to do that day. The line was stopping all the time, parts were missing from the trucks, workers were getting mad at each other, supervisors were reassuring us that they were not going to shut the plant down, foul language was used and, boy, the fire was very hot. We all waited in the room for everyone to settle down. There was an uproar with lots of swearing going on but, as soon as everyone was settled, the plant manager introduced herself and soon we started watching the broadcast on the screen. It was getting longer and longer and yet the right announcement was not made. In the hour that we waited they discussed Ford's budget last year and where they have lost or gained in production. That brought them to the conclusion that the closure of these plants would be a benefit to Ford. It means starting all over to build better North American vehicles.

The moment we heard the announcement, my heart was pounding. I tried to take a few deep breaths and it was hard to swallow. A lot of words were said, fists were clenched, faces were hung down and I felt my whole world was falling apart. Someone even fainted.

As time goes by we are accepting the fact that the plant will close down, but at the same time we still think that so much can happen within that time frame.

One of my biggest fears is not being able to find another job that pays the same money Ford does. It's very hard to accept less than the level you are at right now. I'm also worried about my co-workers who do not have Grade 12. Eight years ago you did not have to submit to a high school diploma or have a written test. Now Ford wants to know the people they are hiring have some level of education and that they are ready and willing to work.

Although a lot of changes are going to happen we have to hope for something good to come out of this. Maybe Ford will find a new product for us, or a transfer for some of us with less seniority.

Now I start thinking about where I'm going from here. I said, "girl you did not know you would be at Ford three years ago so now is the chance to accept changes, deal with them and find the right solution." I have decided to go back to school, get my degree and keep on living. Being at Ford I have accomplished so many things that I'm very proud of: buying a house, a new car (that's everyone's wish), but I was able to do all of this because of Ford. I will miss all the opportunity Ford offered but most of all I will miss the friendship of a few good co-workers.

The announcement did take away the joy from my face but I held it inside with pride and grace and did not stop living because of the announcement. In fact things are just going to get better every day.