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Alumni Benefits
We value Lakeland College Alumni!
Check out alumni benefits at lakelandcollege.ca/alumni-benefits Update your information at lakelandcollege.ca/alumni-update
“External” Benefits:
TD Insurance
As a trusted partner, the TD Insurance Meloche Monnex Program is dedicated to helping Lakeland College alumni get access to preferred insurance rates. These preferred rates are available on car, home, condo and tenant coverage. AGI Compass
When it comes to record keeping, inventory, ROI/breakeven, forecasting, managing multiple OEM’s, payroll, cashflow, taxes, accounting and profitability scenarios, AGI Compass brings them altogether onto one platform allowing you to make informed business decisions. TD Health & Life Insurance
Thanks to the affinity program agreement between TD Life Insurance Company and Lakeland College, you can now benefit from premium savings on eligible TD Term Life Insurance policies. MBNA Credit Card
Welcome bonus of 15,000 points or $75 cash back
“Internal” Benefit.
Ed2Go
Continue your education and save.
Diploma Frames
Your diploma is important so frame it! Get 30% off your purchase. Residence
While visiting either campus you can save 15% on your stay. Lakeland Gear
Shop and show your Lakeland pride and enjoy 30% off.
lakelandcollege.ca/bookstore
Events Booking
Receive 15% off your next event on either campus.
Career and Employment Services
Lakeland helps alumni connect with employers
lakelandcollege.ca/SEC-job-postings
Job Postings are open to alumni
Visit our job board and see what jobs our connected employers have to offer.
Links to Job Boards
Check out what other job boards across Canada have to offer.
Career Fair & Job Fair
Free events throughout the year.
Power Hour: Spark your creativity
FREE sessions for alumni. Check our website for details.
Online Resources
Find links to several helpful sites related to everything from interview tips to salary negotiations.
Finding a firm footinG
IN RECLAMATION
emerson Taylor knew what he wanted to study when he first came to Lakeland.
Inspired by a childhood spent outdoors with the sea cadets, an affinity for science, and his father’s career on the service rigs, Taylor decided to pursue reclamation and environmental sciences. He chose Lakeland because it was close to his hometown of Wainwright, Alta. “Lakeland offers a nice, hands-on program that was able to give me the technical skills that I could use right away,” Taylor explains. “That was a really big draw for me.” At Lakeland, Taylor started off with a twoyear environmental sciences diploma, majoring in environmental conservation and reclamation (ECR). “I loved my experience at Lakeland,” he says. “I like the hands-on approach. I like that the instructors are all very open and have so much field experience themselves so they can relate to us as students. So many of the skills we learned are what we actually use in the field instead of technical things learned out of a textbook.”
After he completed the diploma program in 2014, Taylor enrolled in Lakeland’s bachelor of applied science: environmental management program, graduating in 2016. “With the diploma, you can be a field technician and you can go out and make a really good living,” he explains. “But the applied degree helped me develop project management skills and a more well-rounded understanding of the entire reclamation process.” Now, Taylor works for Golder Associates Ltd. doing detailed site assessments. He spends the summer months at reclaimed well sites, performing soils and vegetation assessments. Then in the winter, Taylor takes the data he compiled and puts together a report, deciding whether reclamation at the site meets the requirements to pass assessment. Taylor's Lakeland education helped him develop the specific technical skills he needs each day on the job. “We took an entire course on detailed site assessments,” he says. “It was hands-on and focused a lot on what the reclamation criteria is. The botany and soils courses I took gave me those field skills. I can go to any site now and I know what weeds to look for and how to look for horizons in the soil.”
STRONG -INSOILS
At Lakeland, ECR students take four unique courses in soils specifically, including introductory soil science, soil classification and landforms, soil conservation and soil fertility. Students have access to hands-on opportunities to study forested, grassland and wetland soils in over 17 soil pits, 10 of which are located right on Lakeland College property. “We believe that these opportunities provide our students with the skills employers are looking for in new graduates,” Cassandra Gnyra, environmental sciences instructor, says. “Our courses all have significant lab components that further strengthen our graduates’ ability to succeed in their careers and make them valuable to their future employers. Lakeland is proud to be one of the few postsecondary institutes to offer soil classification in the field when many institutes have changed it to a lecture-only format.” Lakeland’s hands-on approach to environmental sciences and soil classifications helped set Taylor up to succeed in his line of work.
“I don’t think learning the theory of looking for horizons in the soil from a textbook would have really taught me what it actually looks like,” Taylor says. “It’s directly related to what I do. Reclamation is our end-of-the-line activity.”
There are two things about rodeo that Kolby Wanchuk and Scott Guenthner agree on. First, no matter the event, a good ride all comes down to timing. Second, there’s something about the lights and the crowd and the noise that makes the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) a little bit special.
The two Lakeland College alumni made their way to Las Vegas for the NFR on Dec. 2-11. To compete, they both had to finish in the top 15 competitors in the world in their respective sports, an incredible feat.
Before Wanchuk and Guenthner headed south for the NFR, they chatted about the upcoming event and the path that led them there.
Both Wanchuk and Guenthner grew up in families that were involved in rodeo. Wanchuk’s mother was a pro barrel racer and he has been following his rodeo clown father to rodeos since he first learned to walk. The rodeo circuit was almost an extended family for him. “Rodeo is different from most other professional sports because everyone is one big family,” Wanchuk explained. “The guy getting on in the next chute trying to beat you might be the same guy that helped you on at the last rodeo. Everyone is cheering for one another and that’s what makes rodeo so special.” Wanchuk continued his rodeo journey when he arrived at Lakeland to study power engineering in 2016. He joined the rodeo team. “Lakeland was awesome,” Wanchuk recalled. “We had really good practice facilities and got a lot of practice on different horses. That’s where I learned my trade – saddle bronc. “As far back as I can remember, saddle bronc was always my favourite event. It’s the classic rodeo event. It’s more of a dance than a fight with the horse. It’s all about timing and style, and it was always a thrill for me when it was done right. I wanted to be one of the people who could do it right.” It’s the event he participated in at the NFR in December. He finished eighth in the world for saddle bronc with $86,859. He came in 11th place at the NFR.
The Future of Rodeo
When they’re not on the circuit, both Wanchuk and Guenthner are helping prepare the next generations of rodeo competitors. Wanchuk helps out at rough stock nights at Lakeland, where his brother, Kyle, is currently a member of the rodeo team. He was also one of the coaches at the annual saddle bronc riding school held last year. “I learned to ride broncs at Lakeland and it’s amazing to be able to help other guys learn to ride as well,” said Wanchuk As for Guenthner, he is prepared for the possibility that his children may follow in the family footsteps. “My two-year-old son wakes up in the morning and he’s all rodeo 24-7, all day long,” said Guenthner. “There’s a good chance my kids will probably be in rodeo. If they want to, I’ll definitely help them, but if they don’t, that’s fine. My dad let me do what I wanted to do and probably thought I’d never rodeo, but it’s where I ended up.” His second child, shared with wife Becky, is already connected to rodeo as well – born the day after the NFR wrapped up.
- Scott Guenthner
The Best of the Best
For Guenthner, his road to the NFR was a little different. While he’s also from a family that rodeoed, he spent his high school years playing hockey. It wasn’t until he arrived at Lakeland to study livestock production in 2010, that he got involved in the sport. He made friends with people on the rodeo team and decided to give calf roping a shot. “My dad rodeoed when he was younger and my uncles and cousins all rodeo too,” Guenthner said. “I enjoyed rodeo even if I hadn’t participated before. I enjoy horses and cattle and they just go hand-in-hand.”
He ended up taking rodeo more seriously over the summer between school years, participating in amateur rodeos and getting into the event his family was known for – steer wrestling. He made it to the Canadian National College Finals Rodeo and won Cowboy of the Year in his first year. “You’ve got to be able to read the steer to know where he’s going to run. Why would you jump off a perfectly good horse and onto a steer? It just runs in my blood,” Guenthner explained. This year, for the fourth time, he competed in steer wrestling at the NFR. He finished the regular season in seventh place in steer wrestling with $74,953. At the NFR, he placed sixth. It doesn’t matter how many times Guenthner makes it to competition. Making it to the finals is still a challenge and something to get excited about. “It’s a dream come true,” he said. “It’s everyone’s dream and it’s not an easy goal to achieve. The first time is of course a huge deal, but even after, it’s a big deal. It’s still hard work, it isn’t an easy road. And then you get there and it’s the best of the best. “The first night you ride into the arena, the hair on the back of your neck stands up – it’s so loud. The atmosphere is totally different. It’s hard to explain without having been there and lived through it.” Though Wanchuk has attended as a spectator a few times, this was his first time competing at the NFR. “The bright lights are a whole different experience. It’s the best bucking horses in the world, the loudest crowd in the world,” said Wanchuk. “It’s like no other rodeo. And I’d also like to thank Lakeland College and the Lakeland rodeo team for all the great practices and lessons that were learned in the Rustlers arena."
This was the first time Guenthner competed with a fellow Lakeland alumnus at the NFR. He’s excited about what it says about Lakeland’s rodeo program that two alumni competed. “It just goes to show that you can still make it to the NFR without going to the United States for school,” he explained. “You can stay in Canada, close to home, attend a Canadian college, and still make it to the world finals.”
Gaining real-world EXPERIENCE
When Hanna Snelgrove decided to begin a career in agriculture, she didn’t let her lack of experience in the field stand in her way. Intrigued by the idea of becoming an agronomist, she reached out to Crop Management, a crop retail outlet selling agricultural products that also provides agronomic expertise. Snelgrove worked with them for a year, learning more about what being an agronomist would entail. She liked what she saw and decided to invest in postsecondary studies to become an agronomist. it as an option for themselves,” Snelgrove explains. “We wanted something producers could relate to and decided to look into alternative fertilizers for producers that would be more sustainable for the environment.”
“Lakeland was definitely the best option,” Snelgrove, from Camrose, Alta., explains. “I really wanted to be an agronomist and Lakeland had a lot of agronomy-based technology. The fact that I’d be on their farm, driving equipment and getting that first-hand experience, it was exactly what I was looking for.” Studying crop technology at Lakeland gave Snelgrove the opportunity to build on the foundation of knowledge she had gained from her year working at Crop Management. “When I got to Lakeland, I was able to expand on that knowledge and deepen my understanding,” she explains. “Lakeland’s instructors are amazing, you can go to them for any reason.” While studying at Lakeland, Snelgrove continued to work for Crop Management over the summers. During her second year, a project on the StudentManaged Farm – Powered by New Holland (SMF) brought Snelgrove’s agricultural experience full circle.
While the student research team brainstormed ideas for their project, they decided to investigate Crystal Green, a continuous release root-activated phosphorus fertilizer. When they ran into challenges sourcing the product because it wasn’t yet available in the Vermilion area, Snelgrove, who had been introduced to the product while working at Crop Management, was able to source it from them. The product also needed to be used on a field that hadn’t had manure used on it for fertilizer, because of elevated phosphorus levels. Conveniently, Lakeland had also just acquired a piece of land that was untouched and the perfect location for the trial. They were able to use it on the canola planted on that new field. “We wanted to see the effects Crystal Green would have on "I really wanted to be an the crops,” Snelgrove says. “We wanted to look at at emergence agronomist and Lakeland rates, yield, maturity as well as had a lot of agronomy- differences in root mass.” based technology." After graduating from Lakeland in 2021, Snelgrove’s summer job with Crop Management turned into a full-time position in the career she had been aiming for. She is now a location administrator and inside sales agronomist. Snelgrove is looking forward to incorporating the hands-on experience she gained at Lakeland into her career.
Snelgrove was the research manager for the SMF’s crop unit and the unit was looking into different options for a student-led demo on the farm. “We were looking for a project that was very producer-focused, something that would be easy for producers to implement on their own operations if they saw what we had done and wanted to explore “It’s been a long journey, going from not knowing what crops were to having this as a full-time job,” she says. “I found this industry and made so many friends at Lakeland, many who also work in this industry. I really like the company I work for and always have. I want to keep working in this industry for as long as I can.”
Hands-on labs prepare alum for INDUSTRY
Eric Cook’s decision to pursue a career in the energy industry with Lakeland’s heavy oil and power engineering (HOPE) program was a last minute one, and one that has led him to a rewarding, exciting career.
Coming out of high school in Lloydminster, the Class of 2021 alumnus wasn’t sure what direction he wanted to go for post-secondary studies. He visited Lakeland’s Lloydminster campus, was impressed by the energy labs there, met with a few instructors, and his mind was made up. “I just fell in love with it,” Cook says. “And I’ve enjoyed it ever since.” His experience in HOPE was a unique one, impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It challenged him in ways he hadn’t anticipated, but with the support of his instructors, Cook was able to adapt and succeed despite the challenges. “My first year was in person, for the most part,” Cook explains. “COVID-19 hit as I was finishing up my first practicum and everything moved online. It was a different experience for me. There was a lot of learning how to adapt and buckle down. I am one of those that struggle to learn on a computer, so it took a bit to figure out what worked for me. The instructors were awesome support and really understanding.”
Cook credits his first practicum at Paradise Hill North with confirming what he had hoped was true – working in the energy field was what he truly wanted to do. “It was great,” he says. “It confirmed that this is something I want to do as a career and it motived me to see it "The lab experience out and finish up was such a big part the last year of of my experience school.” at Lakeland. It After his did a great job of second year in HOPE, he took preparing me for a practicum what’s to come in placement at the field." ConocoPhillips, where he realized just how well Lakeland’s hands-on learning model had prepared him for the real world. “I spoke with a couple other students from other schools up at ConocoPhillips and they had very different experiences than I did,” he says. “They’re coming into a pretty big plant that’s intimidating on its own and they’ve never turned a valve before. It’s a lot more stressful for them. The lab experience was such a big part of my experience at Lakeland. It did a great job of preparing me for what’s to come in the field.”
Cook also found tremendous value in working with instructors who had a wealth of industry experience. “There were so many bits of information that weren’t necessarily course material that I had to help me as well,” he explains. “Tips and information from the experienced instructors I find those carry over, whether it’s about safety or something else. It’s stuck with me as I’ve started my career.”
His practicum led to a full-time contractor position with ConocoPhillips. “I love it,” Cook says. “I’m still in the honeymoon phase of it. I’m enjoying every day. I look forward to going back and enjoying camp life.”
Alum leads the way for Indigenous youth
When Levi Wolfe left his childhood home on the Onion Lake Cree Nation, he knew there had to be opportunities out there for him to find but he didn’t know where to find them.
Guided by the Lloydminster Native Friendship Centre, Wolfe found his way to Lakeland College. Now, since graduating from Lakeland’s university transfer program in spring 2021 and continuing his education at the University of Alberta, he is determined to lead the way for other Indigenous youth. “Going to Lakeland really helped prepare me for the world,” Wolfe explains. “It broadened my senses to what’s out there. The environment was so welcoming, especially being an Indigenous student. There’s a place for us at Lakeland.” Wolfe and other Indigenous students frequently gathered at the Lloydminster campus’ Indigenous Student Lounge, socializing or working on homework together. He was involved in the Indigenous Student Advisory Committee, helping with Indigenous events and activities at the college, and he assisted with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Memorial Walk and Orange Shirt Day. He visited other schools with the committee, helping with teepee teachings and teepee raisings. Being involved on that scale helped create a sense of community for Wolfe,
Along with his studies and extracurriculars at Lakeland, Wolfe was also busy stepping into leadership roles on a larger stage. He spoke at both the Indigenous Economic Summit and WE Day, as well as helped plan a provincial youth conference. Wolfe served as the youth representative for the Lloydminster Native Friendship Centre before being elected to be a national youth representative for Alberta. After his term was up, he took on the role of chair of the Alberta Aboriginal Youth Council, a position he still holds. Most recently, Wolfe was approached by Home Hardware in Lloydminster to design the logo for orange shirts that were sold this past September by the store in recognition of the inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30. Proceeds from the shirts were donated to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society. The shirts featured “every child matters” in both English as well as Cree. Wolfe’s design features a family silhouetted on a buffalo. “I decided the design would focus on a buffalo because it’s a symbol of healing for us,” Wolfe explains. “It’s our main source of survival. We respect the buffalo for everything it gives us – food, clothing, shelter. That was my starting point.” He drew a few different versions before arriving at the final design. “The one I liked best was the silhouette of a family. It’s a visualization of the children reconnecting with their parents, their families, their communities. They’re finally going home to their traditional land, where their ancestors lived for years and years.”
Leading the way
which extended to the instructors he worked with.
“The instructors were very engaging and they have so much respect and empathy for the students,” he says. “That’s what kept me going. It was such a quick transition, going to college from high school. I’m so thankful for the support there. It helped me along, preparing me for this journey that I’m on. Lakeland helped me know what to expect, how to overcome challenges and barriers and seek out support when needed. I’m thankful to have been a student at Lakeland.” After graduating from Lakeland, Wolfe transferred to the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He credits his Lakeland experience with helping to prepare him for the move to a new city and school, where he’s majoring in native studies and minoring in English. Wolfe intends to study education as well. “I’m really enjoying the scenery and this new chapter of my life.” As he continues his studies and expands his leadership role on Indigenous issues in the province, Wolfe is focused on standing as a strong role model for other Indigenous youth, to help them find their path just as the Native Friendship Centres helped him find his. “Stepping into a leadership role is important to me because along this journey, I feel like I didn’t know anything. When I left my reserve, it was to try and find myself and my true potential but I didn’t know where to start. But along my way, I learned a lot,” Wolfe says. “I did a lot of travelling with the Friendship Centre and learned so much about different cultures and different traditions, and it really helped me connect with my own language and culture. “It’s important to have that type of knowledge to help the younger generations prepare to go after what they want in life. To let them know that there are opportunities for them out there, that they can achieve what they want in life. It’s important to teach, especially very young ones, what we can all do to help each other.”
Lindsay Makichuk Class of 2008
To read the full Q&A, as well as other Rustlers alumni, go to gorustlers.ca.
Where are you working right now and what are you doing?
I am currently on maternity leave from my position as a curling club manager. I am fortunate to have turned the sport I love into a paying career!
Are you still involved in the sport you competed in at Lakeland?
I will curl competitively as long as I possibly can. In fact, three weeks after our daughter was born, my women's team hit the ice and made the final of our first event of the season!
I have played competitive women’s curling since 2006. The highlights of my professional career include playing for Team Alberta at the 2010 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, playing for Team Alberta at the 2016 Mixed Canadian Championship, and our team invited to play as Team Canada at the 2019 Qinghai Elite in China. I still instruct Junior Curling and corporate curling groups as well.
The best moments at Lakeland were spent at the Vermilion Curling Club. We would play in the Wednesday Men’s League (that my Women’s team won! I love my “2007 Vermilion Men’s Curling Champion” jacket!). Each league night was a chance to practice against a tough team, and each opponent acted as a coach and a lesson for us.
If you could give a couple words of advice to our current Rustlers, what would it be?
Get involved, get involved, get involved. Take the time to coach, scorekeep, help the icemaker, line the fields, clean the bleachers. Find a way to be a star on the ice/court/field, be a star in the classroom, and be a star in the community, and watch the doors open for you!
How did playing for the Rustlers help you get to where you are today?
Lakeland College Athletics opened the door for me to find success and build confidence as an athlete. The benefit of a small campus like Lloydminster or Vermilion is that it’s easy to find opportunities to be a star. You can be a star on the ice/court/field, be a star in the classroom, or be a star in the community. I started in 2006 and continued up until last season coaching a junior curling program and coaching the Alberta Rocks Summer and Adult camps. Those experiences lead to me getting recognized and invited to coach at the World Curling Federation Summer Curling Camps in Germany in 2016 and 2018. From 2015–2017, I volunteered as the assistant coach to the Rustlers Curling team. My dad Dusty was head coach, so those were special years.
