Meet Melanie Gagnon.
“I grew up in Orleans, a small neighbourhood in the east end of Ottawa. I was born there too. I moved to this area about four years ago. I live with my boyfriend and he lived here for a while before I moved in because he worked just down the street. I fell in love with the neighbourhood because it’s quiet and quaint, there’s no loudness to it. It’s a really safe neighbourhood.
“I love that this area is still about community. I work here at Deluca Hair, and all the shops around here, everyone still helps everyone out. When we first moved here, people at both ends of our street greeted us and brought us flowers. It was such a welcoming feeling. I often see a lot of families that live in this area. It’s a great area to raise a family with everything close by to you.
“With the job I do, it’s kind of hard to pinpoint where I’ll be in ten years, but I’d love to go travel and gain more knowledge. I think it would be pretty cool to go to Vancouver and live there for a couple of years and gain more experience in this industry. The best advice I’ve ever been given was from my boss, Ronnie: No matter how old you get in this industry, never stop learning. That’s part of our job, and you really do grow and gain great relationships with your clients.” Collected by Ellen Bond
Humans of Kitchissippi is a special street photography project designed to introduce readers to some of the people who live, work, and play in Kitchissippi. Each instalment of HOK contains three elements: a photo, a name, and a quote from the subject that reveals a little bit about who they are. View our collection of humans right here.