Mateya’s Picture includes all of her favourite things – Aerial hammock, tea, and fluffy socks. (excluding her cat). Mateya was recognized for: “She is exceptional at what she does. She takes lead without direction on crafts and activities at Reach. She comes up with so many ideas and gets other staff and individuals involved. She is also very hardworking and easy to approach. She is the definition of an Employee of the month.”

 

We interviewed Mateya for Employee of the Month. Here is what she had to say:

 

Quest: Tell us something about yourself.

Mateya: I was born and raised here in Lethbridge but spent most of my 20s on Ontario attending school, working, and traveling. I moved back to Lethbridge a couple years ago and am happy to be closer to my family and the mountains.

Quest: What’s one thing that people might not know about you? 

Mateya: I’m a Canadian-Slovenian Citizen and my first name is my Slovene grandmother’s maiden name.

Quest: What are some hobbies that you like to do and/or a hobby you’d like to get into? 

Mateya: I have two major hobbies – aerial acrobatics and goldsmithing. I love playing on the trapeze, or practicing drops in the silks as much as possible. I also love working at my jeweller’s bench.

Quest: How long have you worked at Quest and what program do you work at? 

Mateya: I’ve worked at Quest for just over a year and have been at the Reach program since September.

Quest: What’s your favorite thing about working at Quest?  

Mateya: I know it sounds cliché, but definitely the people. Between the individuals, co-workers, and management at Reach, the opportunity to meaningfully connect with such amazing people is one of the things I love best about working at Quest.

Quest:  What’s your favorite thing about the individuals you work with at Quest? 

Mateya: I am constantly in awe of resilience of the Reach family. Rarely a day goes by where I don’t learn something new or see individuals overcome challenging situations. The individuals at Reach motivate me to bring that same energy to work and my personal challenges.

Quest: What’s one of your favorite memories from the past year?

Mateya: I feel like I am lucky enough to make great memories each week, so it is hard to just pick one. However, this past month we’ve been working on learning different types of knots for parachute cord bracelets which has been fun and engaging.