Alumni Profile: Stephanie Smith, Community and Justice Services 

Stephanie Smith was certain about one thing when she enrolled in Loyalist College’s Community and Justice Services program: she wasn’t interested in working with youth. 

Today, she manages a youth custody and detention facility at St. Leonard’s Community Services, where she has spent nearly a decade helping young people navigate some of the most difficult moments of their lives. 

It’s a career she credits, in part, to two Loyalist professors who encouraged her to reconsider what she thought she wasn’t meant to do. “I told them I wasn’t going to work with youth,” Stephanie recalls. “They said, ‘Steph, trust us. Just try it.’”  

Finding a new direction 

Before coming to Loyalist, Stephanie had spent over a decade working at Tim Hortons. She had become a mother as a teenager, finished high school and built a life around raising her two children and working full time. As her children grew older, she began thinking about returning to school. 

Stephanie had always been interested in law and justice, but wasn’t sure which direction she wanted to take her career. Loyalist’s Community and Justice Services program appealed to her because it offered exposure to different areas of the justice and human services sectors. 

Still, going back to school was intimidating. 

“I was terrified to return to school,” she says, remembering how anxious she felt the night before classes began. Once there, Stephanie found herself balancing coursework, a full-time job and family responsibilities alongside classmates at different stages of life. 

She remembers sitting in a professor’s office, talking about the contrast. Her younger classmates were making plans to go to the pub, while Stephanie was wondering whether she had remembered to take something out of the freezer for dinner. 

But returning to school as a mature student also gave her a different perspective. 

“I realized how much more I appreciated my education,” she says. “I wanted to be there, and that made all the difference.” 

The placement that changed everything 

Stephanie initially imagined a career in adult corrections. Her first field placement at Quinte Detention Centre gave her valuable exposure to that environment, but also helped her recognize that it wasn’t the right fit. She wanted to continue working with people involved in the justice system, but in a role where she could build relationships and contribute to their progress over time. 

Her professors, Neil and Phil, encouraged her to explore a youth justice placement at St. Leonard’s. Stephanie resisted: having raised two children herself, working with young people was the last thing she had envisioned. 

Eventually, she agreed to an interview and accepted the placement, although she still had reservations. Those doubts disappeared once she began working with the young people at St. Leonard’s. “It was like a light bulb went off,” she recalls. “I knew I wanted to work in youth justice. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.” 

The experience showed her how much she valued supporting young people at a point when guidance, structure and positive relationships could make a difference. “I’m so thankful I listened to my professors and gave it a chance,” she says. 

From placement student to facility manager 

Stephanie’s career opportunity arrived in an unexpected place: the Tim Hortons drive-through. 

Shortly after graduation, one of the St. Leonard’s employees who had mentored her during placement came through while she was working and mentioned that the organization was hiring. 

Stephanie initially brushed off the conversation, but later reconsidered. Leaving a job she had held for most of her adult life was a significant decision. She had recently bought a house and gotten married, and taking a chance on a new career meant giving up something familiar and dependable. 

Ultimately, she decided to apply. 

Stephanie joined St. Leonard’s as a part-time youth worker, eventually moving into a full-time position, then supervision and facility management. Today, she oversees operations, works with justice system partners and supports staff who work directly with young people in custody. 

Her responsibilities have changed considerably, but she remains connected to the work that first drew her into the field. 

“My heart is still on the front line,” she says. 

Stephanie describes youth justice as work that requires people to wear many different hats. On any given day, frontline workers may be helping young people develop basic life skills, participate in school, attend court, take part in recreation or prepare to reintegrate into the community. 

The work involves much more than supervision. It requires communication, patience, sound judgment and the ability to respond to people facing complex circumstances. 

Learning to be uncomfortable 

Looking back, Stephanie recognizes how much of her education prepared her for challenges she couldn’t fully appreciate as a student. 

She remembers scenario-based exercises where professors shifted from their familiar classroom personalities into professional roles, requiring students to respond to difficult situations. At the time, the change could be startling. Today, she recognizes those same dynamics in conversations she has with colleagues and other agencies. 

The program also introduced her to self-awareness, professional boundaries, recognizing personal biases and managing the emotional demands of justice work. These lessons have stayed with her throughout her career. 

Stephanie is candid about the challenges of working in youth justice. Some experiences can be difficult to process, and although college introduced her to the importance of self-care, working in the field helped her understand why it matters. 

It’s a message she now shares with her own staff and with Loyalist students when she returns to speak to classes. “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable,” she advises. “Don’t forget that you’re human. You don’t know what you don’t know.” 

For Stephanie, that means being willing to learn, recognizing when you don’t have all the answers and remaining open to experiences that challenge your assumptions. 

It’s a philosophy that reflects her own journey: returning to school despite her fears, accepting a placement she initially resisted and stepping into a leadership role she hadn’t imagined for herself. 

Explore Community Justice Services at Loyalist College

Interested in a career supporting people involved in the justice system? Discover how Loyalist’s Community Justice Services program combines practical learning and field experience to prepare students for careers in corrections, youth justice and community-based services.

Explore the Community Justice Services program