Today 94.1 myFM and Fanshawe Career and Employment Services St. Thomas are shining a light on 9 amazing individuals, businesses, organizations and support staff that have stepped up and made a positive difference in our community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Anna Ziomek, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a world of change.
Ziomek, who is relatively new to St. Thomas, relocated from Georgetown in December 2019 right before the pandemic hit.
Her hope was to bring her passion for the arts to the city and continue teaching music and piano to local students, as she has for the past 25 years. That plan quickly became obsolete and Ziomek made the decision to search for employment elsewhere.
First Student St. Thomas gave her a chance, and Ziomek quickly found a way to incorporate her love for children and teaching in her new profession- school bus driver.
While Ziomek already had the most important quality they look for in a bus driver, a love for her students, she quickly learned that surviving a global pandemic wasn’t the only challenge she would face.
“There were many challenges. Learning a brand new vocabulary in a different field in a second language, driving and operating a huge bus ,constant supervision and responsibility for the precious cargo, quickly adjusting to the traffic and the roads conditions, those are just few” says Ziomek.
While she of course misses teaching her own students, Ziomek says driving the bus helps to fulfill that missing piece in her heart.
When asked what accomplishment she was most proud of this past year, Ziomek says it wasn’t so much about what she has done, but what she has helped others achieve.
“Prior to Spring Break I was driving my bus every day, even during lockdown. My passenger was a special needs student ,who was attending his regular classes in school. My duty was to get him to school safely and on time. I feel proud and privileged to be a part of his learning journey and development. Seeing him happy with a big smile was my the biggest reward.”
