24 minute read
Alumni gatherings
GOLFERS TEE OFF TO SUPPORT KING’S The Alumni Association’s Annual Golf Tournament brought alumni and friends together in August and raised more than $18,000 to finance bursaries and tutors that support student athletes. Thank you to our players and generous sponsors!
Alumni Mike Smith, BSc’08, Sean Farmer, BSc(Hons)’07, Matt MacLellan, BA(Hons)’07, Samuel Stewart, BSc(Hons)’06
CONTEMPORARY STUDIES TURNS 25 King’s Contemporary Studies Program marked the CSP 25th Anniversary this year. The first of King’s honours programs to reach this milestone enjoyed a busy couple of days at King’s with alumni-panel discussions, a summit and student-run conference.
LEFT: (From L) Eyo Ewara, BJ(Hons)’14, Lisa Crystal, BA(Hons)’07, Dr. Dorota Glowacka, Mordecai Walfish, BA(Hons)’07. RIGHT: Three panelists at the CSP 25th Anniversary Summit. (From L) Alex McLean, BA(Hons)’96, Lezlie Lowe, BA(Hons)’96, MFA’16, Shannon Brownlee, BA(Hons)’96.
WAC WAS BACK King’s Humanities Professor Dr. Sarah Clift, along with Eli Burnstein, BA(Hons)’09, were at the Imperial Pub in Toronto for a rousing game of Spelling Bae, a beginner-friendly spelling bee of FYP words, as part of Worldwide Alumni Celebrations (WAC) on Oct. 17. Other WAC events included: a meal at Eatopia in Doha; a meet-up at The Harp, a British Ale House in London, England; and a play followed by Belgian style ales in the taproom at Nonsuch Brewing in Winnipeg. Thanks to all the alumni around the world who participated in WAC events.
ALUMNI RECEIVE AWARDS Congratulations to our 2019 Alumni Association Award recipients. Robyn Tingley, BJ’97 (top left), was awarded the Judge J. Elliott Hudson Distinguished Alumni Award. Ryan Hreljac, BA’14 (top right), was honoured with the Meraki Kudos Young Alumni Achievement Award. Lindsay Cameron Wilson, BA’95, BJ’99 (bottom right), and Stephanie McGrath, BJ(Hons)’99 (bottom left), were inducted into the Order of the Ancient Commoner. Members of the 10-, 25- and 50-year classes were also celebrated and given pins. Please join us for King’s Alumni Day on May 31, 2020 where this year’s award recipients will be celebrated.
FRIENDS GATHER ON ALUMNI DAY
The inaugural Alumni Day happened on May 25, 2019, and included a reception in the Wardroom.
BREAKING IT DOWN
“One person will be responsible primarily for delivering argumentation for your side, whereas the other person will be responsible primarily for providing refutation that tears down the other team’s arguments. So, if one person is stronger in one area, generally you want to try to find a partner who is stronger in the other area.” —Brie Dukeshire (left)
“Even if it’s a topic that seemingly has a right answer, or a moral answer, that’s not always the only way to look at it.” —Abigail Trevino (right)
NO ARGUMENT HERE: KING’S DEBATERS CAN ARTICULATE A POSITION Brie Dukeshire and Abigail Trevino have found more than success on the Dalhousie— King’s debate team
by Josh Hoffman, Journalism student
KING’S STUDENTS Brie Dukeshire and Abigail Trevino have been teammates on Sodales: the Dalhousie and King’s College Debating Society for four years but they never competed together until last year. At the very last minute, they entered as a team in the first ever Gorsebrook Cup debate tournament at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax. Dukeshire and Trevino blew away their expectations and their competition. The pair finished first in all six rounds and were named the first and second speakers overall at the Nov. 1 and 2 competition.
“I literally practiced my facial expression
to be very composed if we didn’t [win], because I didn’t think we would,” said Trevino, who is in her fourth year of a journalism major and anthropology minor. “So, when they called our name it was just such genuine joy and shock.”
Once you look at their resumes, there’s nothing shocking about their performance. Dukeshire, a fifth-year student majoring in international development with a minor in environmental sustainability, helped the Saint Mary’s Debating Society get off the ground in 2017 and was excited to participate in the school’s inaugural tournament. “It was really cool to see it come full circle,” she said. Dukeshire is used to life coming full circle. She was part of the first ever debate club at Truro Junior High, where she is now a debate coach.
Trevino spent two years learning world school debate style while studying abroad, attending and debating in competitions with the world’s best. “We got demolished by the Pakistani National Team in our very first round, in my first ever tournament. After experiencing that I was like, ‘Woah, I want to debate like they do.’ ”
The ability to argue one side of a motion or another has led Dukeshire and Trevino to success in tournaments, but it has also benefited them in and outside the classroom. “I think it has been invaluable to me in real life,” Dukeshire said. She credited debate for her being able to think critically but quickly, while weighing options on both sides of an argument. She believes debate helped her excel in the Foundation Year Program, and vice versa: “In terms of my studies, it has propelled me forward as a student in ways that no study strategy ever could.”
As an aspiring journalist, those skills go a long way for Trevino, too. Debate has trained her how to approach a story from every angle. But above all else, it has taught both of them how to look at things differently and to be more understanding. It’s probably why the team is so close.
“I think Sodales has kind of become my family here,” Trevino said. “We’re a team in every sense of the word just like an athletic team would be, right? We have movie nights together, we go out for food, we support each other if someone is having a tough time. You can talk to anyone on the team.”
COMINGS AND GOINGS AMONGST KING’S STAFF
JORDAN ROBERTS points out that while King’s has always worked to prevent and respond to sexualized violence on campus, and has long had an equity officer, dean of students and residence dons on the frontline, her new stand-alone position as Sexualized Violence Prevention and Response Officer (SVPRO) is more advocacy-oriented and focused.
In addition to providing coordination, support and services for those who have experienced sexualized violence, Roberts receives disclosures and reports, facilitates safety planning, and develops awareness, education and training programs for all members of the King’s community.
“You’re not going to solve everyone’s problems in one conversation, in one month, or even in one year, but you can be a place where someone can share what’s happened to them and they don’t have to experience victim blaming, a myriad of questions, finger pointing, blame or shame,” Roberts says. “They can just tell their story and have someone present to receive that, to offer some kind words, some compassion and maybe a little information. I think that’s what this position can build across campus—more safe spaces to land.”
Roberts’s position was created in conjunction with the drafting of King’s Sexualized Violence Policy. This policy was mandated by the Province of Nova Scotia (all N.S. universities were required to create such a policy) and was written collaboratively by students, faculty and staff. The Board of Governors approved it in December 2018.
IAN WAGSCHAL, King’s new Director of Facilities Management, says, “Architecturally, King’s has a message that is connected to its purpose.” For example, the quadrangle is designed to be a physically protective shell, protecting and sustaining the garden space within. This is analogous to King’s mission to nurture the personal and scholarly development of the student community.
At just five acres, King’s campus is compact, providing many cross-over spaces where students and staff can study, eat and socialize together. There are also quiet corners for rest or reflection, including King’s Chapel. Wagshal and the Facilities team look after them all.
Wagschal appreciates King’s history and reputation but feels he will have to earn his spot in all of it: “At King’s, managing the facilities is more than just a job. The people here are invested in King’s both as a workplace and as a community.”
He says the physical infrastructure directly impacts the reason why the students are here. “If I go in and make a change to any of these buildings, any of these facilities, it’s going to have a direct impact on that mission.”
Some changes are inevitable. King’s must improve accessibility for students with disabilities or mobility issues. Wagschal also wants to look at enhancing the student experience with upgrades to the residences, “renewing them to sustain their historic character, but with modernized interior infrastructure that’s more comfortable, and perhaps doesn’t overheat every winter.”
CÉLINE BELAND, King’s beloved Food Service Director, will retire at the end of April 2020 and will be fêted by the community later this term.
Beland came to King’s in 2004 as General Manager with Sodexo. When Chartwells was awarded the food service in 2017, much to King’s delight, Beland and many of her staff decided to stay at King’s.
Beland’s dedication to and compassion for King’s students is legendary. From accommodating dietary needs and restrictions to sleeping in her office to ensure uninterrupted service on a storm day, Beland and her staff ensure students are well looked after, and well fed. Indeed, many students consider her to be their mom away from home–as do a generation of alumni. Every day, Beland and her team provide delicious high-quality meals and outstanding service. Beland brings just the right touch to important special occasions at King’s: from black-tie dinners at Encaenia, installations and visiting special guests, to multi-day celebrations such as King’s 225th Anniversary, Beland’s thoughtfulness and personal flair are always apparent. Her cheerful, friendly and warm-hearted disposition will be missed most of all.
“My time at King’s was filled with growth, friendships and a sense of community. This has made my decision to retire quite hard to make,” Beland says. “I will miss my wonderful team, the faculty, staff and the revolving door of amazing students and minds that I get to spend time with each day…Je vous aime.”
MAKING US HOPEFUL FOR THE FUTURE
Now as always, King’s students enjoy a variety of interests and pursuits. In this section we profile a decorated student-athlete who holds King’s close to his heart, a 2019 graduate who took a break from her degree to serve her country, and a young scholar who recently shared his knowledge all around the world
by Josh Hoffman, journalism student
BRYCE MASON
KING’S HELPED BRYCE MASON fulfill a childhood dream to play varsity sports. The third-year chemistry student did not know, however, he would be part of an historic run by the Blue Devils.
The team won its second straight ACAA Badminton championship in 2019, before Mason and his doubles partner, Benn Van Ryn, went on to win the team their first-ever national medal (silver) at the 2019 CCAA Badminton National Championships.
“I couldn’t have planned it any better,” Mason said. He cherishes the triumph, but the most special moments at King’s for him will always be the camaraderie.
“My biggest memory is just every day being with my teammates,” he said. “Not one single day that I could pick out, or an event that happened...but just every day.”
Because he lives off campus and also holds down a part-time job, it was athletics that helped Mason find community at King’s. During his first year on the badminton team, veteran players would introduce him to staff and other students to help him get to know people.
“It allows me to get a lot closer to the school.”
Wearing the Blue Devils uniform is something he doesn’t take for granted. Whether he is on the court or off campus in the community, Mason feels he is still representing his school and its values. That means being honest and respectful of everyone else. Coming from a very reputable school, he said, makes him raise his own game.
CÉDRIC BLAIS
AS HE TOOK OFF HIS COAT and sat down in the Wardroom, King’s student Cédric Blais let out something between a laugh and a sigh when asked how busy he is. Blais is an honours student studying both the History of Science and Technology (HOST), and International Development. He is also doing a minor in Contemporary Studies and pursuing a Certificate in Indigenous Studies. It was late March, and he wasn’t concerned about exams or final papers. He was preparing for what he called “a really fun summer of ‘conference-hopping.’ ” Blais spent weeks presenting papers at professional conferences in Massachusetts, Vancouver and Norway last year, highlighting his work on lateral gene transfer and molecular evolution. Back at King’s in Halifax he resurrected the HOST society and held a successful student-led conference in 2019 called “Alternative Histories of Science” which included a keynote speech by Dr. Jonathan Ferrier on Native science and colonialism.
“I was incredibly proud of what the entire [executive] did for that,” Blais said. “We’re kind of building things from the ground up and the fact that it’s gone so well is just incredibly rewarding.”
The young scholar is happy to contribute to the King’s community. “HOST society seemed like such a great opportunity to actually help students engage with the history of science that it felt a shame not to do something about it,” Blais said, admitting his motivations were somewhat selfish. At the meetings they simply talk about whatever they are interested in: microscopes, alchemy, or prisms of light. “It felt like a great way to actually explore topics in house that you wouldn’t [necessarily] get to explore in class.”
LEAH WOOLLEY IN 2016, KING’S STUDENT Capt. Leah Woolley needed to take a break from her studies—to go serve in Afghanistan.
The military reservist was assigned to work as an intelligence officer in an operation to protect the Canadian Embassy in Kabul.
“It was pretty normal to hear explosions just around the city,” Woolley said. She was in Kabul for the May 2017 truck bombing near the German embassy that killed more than 150 people and injured 450 more. It was the deadliest attack the city had ever seen. “There, the warzone is normal,” she said. “Everyone is completely and utterly adjusted to the warzone. You don’t notice that you’ve adjusted to it until you come back.”
The journalism and international development student had to readjust to civilian life when she returned King’s in 2017. But lessons Woolley learned in the military helped in the classroom as well. She admitted it was sometimes difficult getting excited about writing essays when bombs used to be a workplace hazard, but she became more comfortable expressing herself and confident she would succeed in the world beyond King’s.
The Fort Erie, Ont. native was so grate
ful to King’s, she nominated the university for three awards for supporting her decision to serve overseas in the middle of her degree. Woolley and King’s were honoured at a ceremony at the Nova Scotia Lieutenant-Governor’s Residence in March, and Woolley and President Lahey then travelled to Ottawa to attend a ceremony and dinner on May 9 where King’s received the Canadian Forces Liaison Council’s Employer Support Award for Most Supportive Organization to Student Reservists. Woolley’s father and mother both served in the Canadian Armed Forces. After six years in the reserves, she understands the pride they carried with them. “It’s very much about learning constantly and self-improvement and always getting better,” Woolley said. “So, it’s really easy to be proud of that and feel good about it. My mom often talks about military training as being what taught her she could be more than she was.
And for Woolley, the combination of learning from both her military experience and studies at King’s has been powerful. “If King’s told me I couldn’t have done it, I wouldn’t have gone,” Woolley said. “It meant a lot to me for King’s to allow me to do that.”
SCHOLARS ROUND-UP Meet this year’s major scholarship recipients, who have resilience, gratitude and a strong sense of purpose
DR. CARRIE BEST SCHOLARSHIP The Dr. Carrie Best Scholarship is for Indigenous students in Canada and Black Canadian students applying to do a degree in arts, science, journalism (honours) or music. It’s valued at $5,000 a year and renewable for up to three years. It honours Dr. Carrie Best, DCL’92, an African Nova Scotian writer, publisher and broadcaster from New Glasgow, N.S., who was unafraid to call out the racial injustices she witnessed in her lifetime. “T here’s a powerful name attached to this scholarship. It makes me want to have a watchful eye on my community. I also feel a sense of responsibility to take Dr. Best’s values and live them myself, which I try to do,” said this year’s recipient Simone Read.
PRINCE SCHOLARSHIP The Prince Scholarship is awarded to African Nova Scotian students entering the Foundation Year Program and pursuing a degree in arts, science, journalism (honours) or music. It’s a $6,000 scholarship and is renewable for four years.
“It was cold out, and I was job hunting and kind of sad. When I read the [acceptance] letter, I thought thank God, if I don’t find a job right away, it’s OK. The news came at a really good time, ” said recipient Ayele Atiwoto (top). She’d like to become a foreign aid worker and plans to study international development. “I’m grateful for the fact that I can rely on this scholarship to focus fully on my studies. It’s a monetary weight lifted,” said Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) student and Prince Scholarship recipient Isabella Jefferies. The scholarship means that she doesn’t have to work during the school year.
HARRISON MCCAIN SCHOLAR-BURSARY Worth $16,000 over four years, the Harrison McCain Scholar-Bursary is granted to high school graduates in Canada who have a minimum admission average of 80 per cent, documented financial need and a recognized desire to fund their own education. “The scholarship was the difference between university or no university. It’s an honour to receive it,” said one of this year’s recipients, Eliza Murray (top). Though her mental health issues kept her out of school for years, now that’s re-enrolled she’s taking her first steps toward becoming a lawyer. “There were 15 people in my graduating class, and there are 15 in my tutorials, so it isn’t a big change,” recipient Jessica GeneralKnickle (bottom) said of the small class sizes that drew her to King’s. She hopes to one day get a PhD and become a university professor.
CARRIE AND RALPH WRIGHT MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP King’s new Carrie and Ralph Wright Memorial Scholarship is available to incoming Foundation Year Program students. It’s valued at $12,000 and renewable in each upper year for $9,000 to students who maintain their academic standing.
“I always dreamed of receiving a scholarship of this size but I never thought I’d achieve it,” said inaugural recipient Cassie Burbine. If the scholarship’s benefactor Judith Wright were here today, Burbine knows what she’d say to her: “I’d reassure her that I’ll do my best to make the most of what she’s granted me.”
New this year, 14 Debra Deane Little and Robert Little Academic Scholarships for Varsity Athletes are being given out each year. Each $5,000 incoming scholarships is renewable for up to three years, provided the student maintains scholarship standing. Also, for the next three years, 14 additional renewable scholarships are being offered to scholar-athletes in each of the three upper years.
“The Debra Deane Little and Robert Little Academic Scholarship has allowed athletes like me to feel believed in and supported by the greater community for the dedication to our studies and our sport,” said recipient Sophia Tonks, a Blue Devils rugby player.
“It allows me to continue my studies... and be able to take steps toward my future knowing that I have the support and confidence of two outstanding donors who contributed this award,” said Luke Dyment, also a Blue Devils rugby player.
DONALD R. SOBEY FAMILY SCHOLARSHIPS Since 2014, the Donald R. Sobey Family Scholarship has supported 17 King’s students. It’s worth $50,000 over four years. “I think that the [Foundation Year Program] is one of a kind,” said 2019 Donald R. Sobey Family Scholarship recipient Saskia Laufer (top), on her decision to come to move from Toronto to attend King’s. “It’s absolutely excellent in building a foundation for any kind of academia.” “I liked that King’s had the advantages of a smaller school, but…because of its agreement with Dalhousie about classes, offers such a wide variety of classes,” said 2019 Donald R. Sobey Family Scholarship recipient Gwendoline Edith Chant (bottom), who’d had King’s on her vision board since 2015. “I also liked the concept of the Foundation Year Program, moving sort of chronologically through time from the ancient world to the modern day and looking at the thoughts and ideas that people have had at various points in history.”
HOW TO GROW YOUR NETWORK WHEN YOU HATE ‘NETWORKING’
The word “networking,” to some people, has become a pejorative. They imagine pushing their business cards into unwanted hands, making awkward small talk with strangers at events they’re not much interested in attending, or forging what feels like artificial friendships with people they think may be useful connections. We’re here to tell you it doesn’t have to be so. It’s possible to network in ways that feel comfortable and true to who you are, and here are four options:
1. GET SOCIAL ONLINE
Activity on your social media accounts, including regularly updating your profiles, sharing relevant status updates, reposting professional articles, and engaging with your connections (e.g., liking, sharing and commenting on others’ posts to build reciprocity), will push you to the top of peoples’ news feeds and make you more searchable. Yes, this can be time-consuming, but setting boundaries around how many times you check these accounts daily or how long you spend on a social media site per visit can help you feel that you’re controlling your social media consumption—rather than letting it control you.
Don’t forget to highlight your King’s affiliations on social media; for alumni on LinkedIn, please include the University of King’s College under education.
Here’s where you’ll find King’s on social media. We’re hoping that if you aren’t already, you’ll follow us here: IG: @ukchalifax TW: @ukings FB: @UniversityofKingsCollege LinkedIn: University of King’s College
2. BE ACTIVE IN NETWORKS YOU ARE ALREADY A PART OF—INCLUDING KING’S ALUMNI NETWORK
Your King’s alumni network is over 12,000 members strong and it exists to help you. Take advantage of the opportunities this presents to forge professional and personal connections. We are here to help you ask and answer questions. Are you trying to decide what grad school to apply to? Have you just been asked to transfer to a new city? Are you wondering what a job in [name the field] would be like? We can link and introduce you to alumni who can help.
3. VOLUNTEER
Volunteering is great way to meet new people with shared—or different—interests. Young alumni who may not have the financial means to donate find it offers them an alternative way to give back. Plus, it can help you build knowledge and skills. Volunteering can often have direct impact on you and people you know. Or if you prefer to volunteer for a social cause that’s near and dear to you, you’ll meet like-minded volunteers and find satisfaction in helping others.
4. ATTEND EVENTS
In additional to community events that places like your public library may offer, if you live in Halifax or are visiting, King’s hosts many public events open to alumni such as guest lectures. You can find these listed at www.ukings.ca/events and in our newsletter. And don’t forget, Foundation Year Program lectures, which happen Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings during the academic term in Alumni Hall, are also always open to alumni who wish to sit in. Why not make it a tradition to attend a few (or a lot) throughout the year to connect with people while learning something new? Lifelong learning, for the win!
There are other King’s events including Chapel services, King’s Alumni Day, KTS plays, Blue Devils sporting events, and a December holiday party that you can mark in your calendars. If you live outside Halifax and would like some assistance connecting with alumni in your area and planning your own event where you live, please reach out to King’s Advancement Office for assistance. Additionally, in 2020, King’s will also be hosting events across the country. You’ll stay informed by following our social channels and reading our e-newsletter. We hope to see and hear from you.
WHERE DID YOUR LIBERAL ARTS DEGREE TAKE YOU?
Whether going on to take other degrees or entering the workforce directly, many King’s alumni have interesting and meaningful careers that started with a Bachelor of Arts
ON THE WHOLE, a liberal arts degree, typically structured as a Bachelor of Arts (BA), is not qualification for a particular field of employment. It is instead more broad-based and general, teaching what are called ‘foundational skills.’ Foundational skills are not narrow occupation-specific skills, but rather are broad skills related to the ability to work with others, think critically and be a lifelong learner.
A liberal arts degree is often considered a training of the mind, rather than training for a particular job or salary bracket. Yet on the point of salary, a Sept. 2019 New York Times article “In the Salary Race, Engineers Sprint but English Majors Endure,” debunks assumptions many hold about liberal arts grads earning less, showing the salary advantage for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors fades steadily after their first jobs; by age 40 the earnings of people who majored in fields like social science or history have caught up.
Gaining the foundational skills a liberal arts degree confers is believed to help develop well-rounded students who become flexible and adaptable global citizens prepared to build a bright future for themselves and society. And even tech giant Google agrees.
In 2013, Google launched Project Oxygen through which it crunched the hiring, firing and promotion data it had accumulated since the company’s incorporation in 1998. Project Oxygen concluded that the seven top characteristics of success at Google are all soft skills: being a good coach, communicating and listening well, possessing insights into others (different values and points of view), having empathy toward and being supportive of one’s colleagues, being a good critical thinker and problem solver, and being able to make connections across complex ideas.
The employment trend watchers tend to agree. On LinkedIn each year, author Dan Schawbel does annual forecasting to help prepare organizations for the future by collecting, assessing and reporting the trends that will most impact them. For 2020, Schawbel is predicting the return of
the liberal arts major, citing artificial intelligence (AI) as an example of where this will take root: AI will automate technical skills and drive the demand for soft skills like creativity, communications and empathy, he says. Schawbel also addresses the myth of the salary gap, saying, “The fact is that while liberal arts majors have lower starting salaries, their salaries rise much quicker over the course of their lives than STEM majors.” Time and time again, King’s alumni with BAs demonstrate they’re equipped and adaptable in the way today’s work force demands. They understand not only the world but themselves and their place within it. They make meaningful contributions across a broad spectrum of professions within government, education, research, communications, information technology and many other industries.
In the following pages, you’ll meet four King’s Bachelor of Arts graduates who came to understand and achieve their potential.
