School Liaison Officer Inspires Marymount Students

Students in Marymount Academy teacher Allison Cameron’s English classes had the opportunity to talk to their school liaison officer Hally Willmot on November 5. Cameron thought it would be a great connection for the students to talk to a strong female role model, but also to get inspiration about following one’s dreams. Willmot, a police officer with the Greater Sudbury Police Services for the last 17 years is also a published author. Willmot enjoys talking to secondary school students to show them that the police are definitely approachable and not “just a uniform”. Willmot shared with the students about her life growing up and moving around a lot. Because of the moving, she took comfort in reading and writing creatively and, as a result, is now a published author with her second book being launched very shortly. Willmot shared her experiences – both positive and negative about the people who did and didn’t support her through this writing process, and shared the lesson of believing in yourself and the importance of following your dreams. Cameron was excited for her students to listen and talk to Willmot during her classes. “I think the students were really interested to see a police officer who is also an author, and not a true crime or murder mystery author either, but a fantasy fiction author – not what most people would expect of a police officer,” explained Cameron. “It is a great lesson for my students to understand that there is more to all of us than meets the eye, and it is-also important to meet people in our very own community that can serve as inspiration and role models for our young women at MMA.”