Wider Horizons - Fall 2019

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A MATTER OF FACTS: THE TROY REEB STORY PRAIRIE SPIRIT PULL UP A CHAIR: STUDENT STORIES

{ A PU B L ICAT ION OF LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE }

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Editor’s message

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onvocation Day is one of the best days of the year at Lethbridge College. But by the time it rolls around, I am exhausted.

The weeks at work that lead up to the big day are some of the busiest for me and my colleagues on the Communications team, with nonstop writing, countless events to attend and a steady stream of storytelling to prepare and share. So once the ceremony actually starts, I like to make my way up to the media box at the Enmax Centre to catch my breath, settle in and enjoy the speeches.

This year’s speech by honorary degree recipient Troy Reeb has stayed with me since the ceremony. Troy, who has worked his way up in the news and media business for 31 years and now serves as Executive Vice President for Broadcast Networks for Corus Entertainment, is one of the college’s bestknown grads. He is a familiar face not only for his reporting and leadership at Global News, but also because he returns regularly to the city and college where he got his start and gives back in so many ways.

Troy’s speech was a wonderful blend of honesty and inspiration. Yes, he’s had a lot of success. Yes, he’s worked hard. But there have also been struggles and hard times that might not always show up on an Instagram post – or in a typical story written in an alumni magazine.

The words Troy ended his speech with are the ones I can’t forget. “’What can I offer you?’” he asked the students – just as a man who had welcomed him into his home when he was reporting in an impoverished area of Ethiopia asked him once.

What can I offer you? What can this magazine offer our community? What can this college offer our students? We all have so much to offer, as the students listening to Troy must have realized, and as I realized as well listening that afternoon. As editor of the magazine, I am committed to offering our readers the best possible stories and photos of our college community, ones that reflect the grit and greatness of our people and that celebrate their quirks, collaborative spirit and creativity.

My colleague, Paul Kingsmith, has done a wonderful job illustrating all of these qualities in his cover story on Troy.

While we’ve featured Troy in a lot of shorter stories over the years, usually in the context of celebrating the winners of the one-of-a-kind internship he created for our communications students, this is the first time we’ve devoted a full-length feature to Troy and his work.

Our hope is that – as with every story that appears in Wider Horizons – you enjoy the profile and illustrations. But just as Troy inspired me and the graduates at Convocation, I also hope that Paul’s story about Troy Reeb inspires you to ask “what can I offer?” – and then respond with the same generous spirit Troy has throughout his life.

Thank you for reading!

Lisa Kozleski Editor

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President in action Campus in season News and notes

{ V O L . 1 3 | I S S U E 1 | FA L L 2 0 1 9 }

Wider Horizons is Lethbridge College’s community magazine, celebrating the successes and stories of its students, employees and alumni by promoting them throughout the community. This publication aims to educate its readers, engage stakeholders and recognize donors through compelling stories and images.

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From our kitchens Office intrigue Where are they now?

We thank you for picking up this copy and we hope you enjoy the read. If you would like to suggest a story or find out more about our magazine, contact us.

Wider Horizons c/o The Advancement Office 3000 College Drive South Lethbridge, AB T1K 1L6 WHMagazine@lethbridgecollege.ca

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Chronicle of a college grad Vintage vault The last word

In addition to free distribution to our regional community, Wider Horizons is also mailed to all Lethbridge College alumni. Alumni are encouraged to stay connected to the college by emailing alumni@lethbridgecollege.ca or by updating their contact information at the Alumni Relations website: lethbridgecollege.ca/alumni

‘WHAT CAN I OFFER YOU?’ Lethbridge College alumnus Troy Reeb leaves convocates with these inspiring words and shares how this question has guided him along a storied and successful career.

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The support shop: Peek inside the space where two staff members create the materials trades students use to put their classroom lessons into action.

To educate and engage: A Q&A with David Frum at the inaugural Wider Horizons Speaker Series.

Publisher: Dr. Paula Burns Editor-in-chief: Sandra Dufresne Editor: Lisa Kozleski Art director/designer: Dana Woodward Cover illustration: Kagan McLeod Photographers: Jamin Heller, Rob Olson Writers: Paul Kingsmith, Mel Lefebvre, Dawn Sugimoto Illustrators: Eric Dyck, Kagan McLeod

College staff contributors: Kristy Clark, Leeanne Conrad, Greg Kruyssen, Lawrence Krysak, Ron Ostepchuk, Shawn Salberg, Kasha Thurston, Sydney Wakaruk Proofreaders: Melissa Bexte, Linda Sprinkle

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The last word: From banding the tiny legs of ducks to observing larger-than-life wild animals, Environmental Science alumni share their best field trip memories.

To share this issue with others or access even more content, visit us at widerhorizons.ca.

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President in action

Dr. Paula Burns, Lethbridge College’s President and CEO, was one of a dozen college volunteers who took part in instructor Dawn Keith’s basketball class in April in the Val Matteotti Gymnasium. The students held a mini-skills clinic and games-approach to learning the game of basketball.

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With Keith’s guidance (and willing volunteers like President Burns), the students organized, led and coached the clinic for volunteers from across campus, showcasing their passion for the game as well as a life-long appreciation for health and fitness.

Photo by Rob Olson

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Campus in season

Lethbridge College offers a wealth of high-quality trades programming to learners from all backgrounds, much of which takes place in this building, the new Trades, Technologies and Innovation Facility. Measuring 168,812 square feet and costing $77 million to construct, the building provides state-of-the-art training opportunities for students in a variety of skilled trades and technologies programs.

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The new facility also includes 7,000 square feet of innovation space, which is the new home for the Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, as well as the home to ongoing irrigation research and the college’s new XR/VR lab. To read more about the work happening in this building, including the college’s newly launched VR/AR certificate program, visit lethbridgecollege.ca.

Photo by Jamin Heller

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News and notes

News and notes spotlight on: Heather Varty

Heather Varty made a promise to herself five years ago when she received the first Sharon Hendrickson Memorial Scholarship for Upgrading students. She said she would repay ever y dollar when she got her first job as an RN. And in May this year, that’s just what she did.

“It’s not about how much money it was,” says Varty, who started in the Upgrading program at the college in 2014 and went on to complete the Nursing Education in Southwestern Alberta program, earning her Bachelor of Nursing degree in 2019. “It’s about what it meant to me, and what it might mean to the next person.”

Varty, who now works as an RN at Chinook Regional Hospital, says making the decision to go back to school as an adult was not easy. “It can be scary,” she says. “You’re making enough money to pay your bills, and it can be scary to give that up and start school. I didn’t know if I was smart enough, or if I could do it.”

But her Upgrading instructors saw great potential in her, and when the opportunity came to award the first Sharon Hendrickson Memorial Scholarship, named after a long-time Lethbridge College Upgrading instructor who passed away in 2013, they picked Varty.

Varty says she wishes she could have known the woman who inspired the scholarship. The scholarship description, written in partnership with Hendrickson’s children, states that Hendrickson

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“exemplified what it means to persevere. Her journey from a single teenage mother to a successful college instructor was an inspiring one.

Whether her journey was as a single mother, a farmer, a restaurant owner or a grieving parent, she always managed to overcome the barriers and obstacles placed before her.”

Roxanne Dautremont, a retired Lethbridge College staff member who worked with the Upgrading team, among others, wrote in a letter to Varty when she received the award: “When diagnosed with terminal cancer, Sharon faced it head on and lived the year she had left, with joy and humour, dancing all the way out the door. After her diagnosis, the quote at the bottom of her email was changed to say: ‘It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.’ Good advice for you to take from my friend Sharon. Look back and see how far you’ve come… and put some life into the years ahead! Congratulations on being the first recipient!”

Varty explains that sometimes people receive scholarships and think of it simply as a source of financial aid, and nothing more. “But for this scholarship, it was different,” she says. “It meant so much more that I was selected – that they chose me, because they thought I exemplified what Sharon's scholarship sought to reward. And sometimes that was what kept me going, that they had faith, that they believed in me, even in the times when I might not have believed in myself.”

Read more about Varty and her decision to “pay it forward” early in 2020 in Lethbridge College’s annual donor report.

Story by Lisa Kozleski | Photo by Rob Olson

Want to keep up on all of your Lethbridge College news between issues of Wider Horizons? Check out our news and events webpage (lethbridgecollege.ca/news) for the latest stories and all of the college news you need. And don’t forget, you can read past issues of Wider Horizons at widerhorizons.ca.

STUDENT SUCCESS

Plumber apprentice medals at nationals

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irst-year Lethbridge College Plumber apprentice Justin Dekok won a silver medal at the Skills Canada National Competition in May in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dekok, 19, of Picture Butte, also won silver — and a generous prize package of tools — at the Provincial Skills Canada Competition earlier that month in Edmonton, Dekok and fellow plumbing apprentice Dylan Wachtler were encouraged to enter the provincial competition by their college instructors, including Jeremy Bridge, who attended the Edmonton event. Bridge says he was proud of both Dekok and Wachtler, as they appeared to be setting the pace at the competition, getting tasks done before their competitors and being mindful of the clock.

Wachtler finished fifth provincially.

In both apprentices, Bridge saw a level of skill, attention to detail and the potential to gain competitive experience this year in hopes of making a successful run to the next WorldSkills competition to be held in Shanghai in 2021. The international event is only held every two years.

Dekok has benefitted from the experience of his boss at Aquatech Plumbing and Heating, Ken Howe, who advanced to the WorldSkills competition in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2015. That same year, Dekok’s brother Rylan went to worlds in cabinetmaking.

Like his brother, Dekok was pursuing cabinetmaking, until a job offer from Howe more than a year ago introduced him to plumbing. “I never thought plumbing was in the books for me, but I just love it,” he

Photos courtesy Skills Canada Alberta & Skills Canada

says. “It’s a clean job. You start fresh. You lay out your tools, spend time planning, get organized, and at the end you have something you can take a picture of and say, ‘I made this.’ It challenges me every time, and I like seeing a project through from the ground up.”

Skills Canada National Competition is the only national, multi-trade and technology competition for students and apprentices in Canada. More than 550 students and apprentices compete in more than 40 trade and technology competitions.

Three other Lethbridge College students competed in the Provincial Skills Canada Competition in Edmonton: Taylor Scoville in Carpentry; and Arnond Avila and Danny Peters in Heavy Duty.

INAUGURAL INNOVATE AG COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Lethbridge College’s Agriculture Entrepreneur in Residence (AgENT) program is proud to announce the winners of the inaugural Innovate Ag competition. Teams pitched their solutions to industry-provided problems to a panel of expert judges during the April competition. The winning teams were: • First place - “Full Circle Foods” - Grant Vossebelt, Mallory Adams and Evan Weir.

This team’s innovative idea tackled the issue of food waste. They also won the People's Choice award.

• Second place – “Haskii Inc.” - Stefanie Vandenberg and Anjo Van Driel.

Their innovative idea diversified southern Alberta’s agriculture with a high-value crop and value-added products.

• Third place - “Ag Consultants” - Brody Wauters, Joshua Leith, Katy Van Garderen and Ryan Devisser. Their innovative idea addressed the industry-provided challenge of improving communication.

The winning team at Innovate Ag 2019 - (L to R): Grant Vossebelt, student; Cor Van Raay, AgENT donor; Mallory Adams, student; Evan Weir, student.

Photo courtesy Isaiah Mason

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News and notes

KODIAKS NEWS

Laurie Hockridge earns CCAA Hall of Fame induction O

ne of the most dominant athletes to ever don Lethbridge College Kodiaks colours has earned her way to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Hall of Fame. Laurie Hockridge, a women’s basketball star from 1987 to 1990, was inducted in the athlete category at a ceremony in June in Calgary.

Hockridge was a commanding force for the Kodiaks for three seasons, being named Most Valuable Player at the CCAA national championships in both 1989 and 1990. She was also named a CCAA All-Canadian in 1989. Guided by legendary coach John Jasiukiewicz, Hockridge and her team won three-straight Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) championships and back-to-back CCAA national championships in 1989 and 1990.

“The opportunities to play against amazing players is what makes the ACAC and CCAA incredible,” says Hockridge. “Having an amazing coach in Johnny J and the talented ladies that I called my teammates made it all worth it. I couldn’t have done what I did without them.”

Hockridge led the ACAC in scoring in both 1988-89 and 198990 and her remarkable shooting percentage of 64.5 from her final season with the Kodiaks is an ACAC record that still stands today. At an imposing 6-foot-7, she was also a dominant rebounder from the post position.

“Kodiaks Athletics has had a long tradition of success at the CCAA and ACAC levels in both the classroom and on the court,” says Todd Caughlin, manager of Kodiaks Athletics. “Laurie was a shining example in all aspects of these historical successes.”

In her rookie season in 1987-88, the Kodiaks won the conference title but settled for a national silver medal after a loss to the John Abbott Islanders. “We had unfinished business going into the next 8

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season,” says Hockridge. “Only Boomer (Carrie Kuntz) and I were returning players. The rest of the team consisted of rookies and transfer players.”

The new-look squad gelled quickly, repeating as ACAC champions in 1988-89. The Kodiaks met the Islanders for a rematch in the CCAA championship game, and earned the first national championship in program history with a 62-45 win. “It was an unreal feeling, seeing my team run at me in celebration,” says Hockridge. “It was a year in the making and we accomplished our goal, winning the national championship.”

In her final CCAA season in 1989-90, Hockridge led her team to a national championship repeat with a 52-48 win over Collège Ahuntsic.

She then earned a scholarship to play basketball at Florida Institute of Technology. “Being recruited to play at Florida Tech was all thanks to the opportunities that the CCAA gave me,” says Hockridge.

Hockridge was inducted into the ACAC Hall of Fame in 2014, was an inaugural inductee into the Kodiaks Hall of Fame in 2017, and her 1989 national championship team was inducted into the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. She is one of 10 new inductees into the CCAA Hall of Fame.

"It was an unreal feeling, seeing my team run at me in celebration. It was a year in the making and we accomplished our goal, winning the national championship."

Story by Paul Kingsmith | Archive photos supplied

Kodiaks to host ACAC men’s volleyball championship The Lethbridge College Kodiaks will host a conference volleyball championship for the first time in program history. The 2019-20 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Men’s Volleyball Championship was awarded to Lethbridge College at the ACAC’s spring meeting in Edmonton in March.

The eight-team tournament will take place from Feb. 26 to 29 in the Val Matteotti Gymnasium. It will mark the fourth time since 2016 that Lethbridge College has hosted an ACAC championship, after welcoming the women’s basketball and indoor track events in 2016, the men’s basketball tournament in 2017, and the men’s and women’s futsal championships earlier this year.

“It is an amazing opportunity to be able to host the 2020 ACAC Men’s Volleyball Championships for the first time in Lethbridge College history,” says Todd Caughlin, manager of Kodiaks Athletics. “This is such a great chance to promote and showcase how the sport has evolved and developed in southern Alberta.

To be given this chance to host again says a lot about the work our Lethbridge College administration team has done over our previous hosting opportunities.”

The Kodiaks men’s volleyball team has emerged as a consistent ACAC threat, having made the playoffs in four of its last five seasons.

The Kodiaks have made back-to-back ACAC semifinal appearances, and won an ACAC medal for the first time in program history this spring, with a silver medal performance.

The team is positioned to continue its strong showing when the regular season begins in October, as the Kodiaks will return the bulk of the roster that earned that silver medal and posted a 22-2 regular season record – the best record in Kodiaks volleyball history.

IN A CLASS OF THEIR OWN The Kodiaks Hall of Fame was created in 2017, with an inaugural class of four athletes, three coaches and five teams. This year’s hall of fame class will be recognized on Nov. 22 and 23 as the Kodiaks host both volleyball and basketball games as part of alumni weekend. The hall of fame is made possible by the support of the Kodiaks Association, a group of boosters who support the Kodiaks through fundraising and community-building initiatives.

In the photo above, Tim Tollestrup (left), an inaugural member of the Kodiaks Hall of Fame, presents fellow inductees Alvin Tietz (centre) and Knud Petersen (right) with their Kodiaks Hall of Fame pins at the 2017 induction ceremony.

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News and notes

KODIAKS NEWS

Six Kodiaks named CCAA Academic All-Canadians Combining the highest levels of both athletics and academics, six members of the Lethbridge College Kodiaks were named Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Academic All-Canadians in June.

The Academic All-Canadian award is the CCAA’s most prestigious student-athlete honour, epitomizing a commitment to academic success and athletic achievement. To be eligible, student-athletes must earn at least all-conference status in their sport, while also achieving a grade point average of at least 3.3.

The Kodiaks honourees for the 2018-19 season are women’s basketball player Juhee Anderson; women’s soccer players Aimee Santangelo, Kayla Kehoe and Christine Moser; and men’s volleyball players Matthew Primrose and Michael Hummel.

“To not only balance but excel in both competition and the classroom is a testament to the skill and determination of these student-athletes,” says Todd Caughlin, manager of Kodiaks Athletics. “We build our program around the three pillars of academics, athletics and community involvement, and these student-athletes have elevated that philosophy to an even higher level. Their achievements are worth celebrating.”

"To not only balance but excel in both competition and the classroom is a testament to the skill and determination of these student-athletes. We build our program around the three pillars of academics, athletics and community involvement, and these student-athletes have elevated that philosophy to an even higher level. Their achievements are worth celebrating.”

With six Academic All-Canadian selections, the Kodiaks tied NAIT for second-most in the conference, behind only the University of Alberta – Augustana’s eight selections. A total of 173 student-athletes earned CCAA Academic All-Canadians honours, and only six institutions in Canada produced more selections this season than the Kodiaks. A total of 65 Lethbridge College Kodiaks have been named CCAA Academic All-Canadians throughout the college’s athletics history.

Congratulations to the 2018-19 CCAA Academic All-Canadians (from top): Juhee Anderson; Matthew Primrose; Michael Hummel; Kayla Kehoe; Aimee Santangelo; and Christine Moser.

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SEVEN BEST

When our Kodiaks long distance

Nowicki, Clemons named top student-athletes at 2019 KODIs

runners train for their races, having the right music can make

Two Kodiaks who have etched their names in ACAC history have earned top studentathlete honours for the Lethbridge College Kodiaks. Cross country national champion Sophia Nowicki earned the award on the women’s side, while ACAC men’s basketball record holder Michael Clemons was the men’s recipient at the 2019 KODIs in April.

Nowicki and Clemons each earned the Tim Tollestrup Leadership/Athlete of the Year award. Named after long-time Lethbridge College athletic director Tim Tollestrup, the awards honour the student-athletes who best combined the three pillars of Kodiaks athletics: academic accountability, athletic excellence and the student-athlete experience.

The KODIs celebrated all aspects of another very successful Kodiaks season, which saw the program earn 49 conference or national athletic and academic honours.

Nowicki (second year, Nursing, Bragg Creek, Alta.) had a perfect cross country season, going undefeated to win both the conference and national championships. She was named ACAC runner of the year, and helped her Kodiaks team to an ACAC gold medal and a CCAA silver medal.

Clemons (fifth year, Exercise Science, El Paso, Texas) finished his ACAC career as the conference’s all-time leader in both assists

with 868, and steals with 238. In his second season with the Kodiaks after transferring from Grande Prairie Regional College, Clemons led the ACAC in assists, averaging 11.7 per game, which was more than six per game higher than second place in the conference. He was second in the conference with 50 steals.

The coach of the year award went to soccer and futsal coach Sean Carey, who was the first coach to ever win both the ACAC men’s and women’s soccer coach of the year awards in the same season. The Kodiaks men’s volleyball team was named the Val and Flora Matteotti Team of the Year after earning an ACAC silver medal – the first conference medal in the program’s history.

a long slog feel more like a sprint. Here is a sampling from their pre-race playlists, which features a range of pulsating electronic beats and intense alt rock tracks that help them focus on the challenge ahead.

Other award winners include: • Best championships performance – Men’s volleyball’s semifinal win over SAIT, en route to an ACAC silver medal • Best upset – Women’s soccer upsetting higher-seeded The King’s University in the ACAC quarterfinal •

Best comeback – Women’s basketball rallying from 12 points down in the final three minutes to beat Briercrest and clinch an ACAC playoff berth

Stay connected to Lethbridge College all year long by following us online: /LethbridgeCollege

@lethcollege

lethcollege

lethcollege

/LCKodiaks

@LC_Kodiaks

lc_kodiaks

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News and notes

College receives more than $1 million in research grants Lethbridge College will receive nearly $1.15 million in federal research funding, the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, announced in June in Ontario. The college will receive $1 million towards its Centre for Sustainable Food Production through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) College-Industry Innovation Fund (CIIF). An additional $147,023 of funding will provide two Lethbridge College researchers with equipment vital to their work through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) College and Community Innovation (CCI) fund.

The CFI grant will go toward the creation of a new greenhouse on the Lethbridge College campus that will work in conjunction with the existing Aquaculture Centre of Excellence.

Additional funding and announcements about the new Centre for Sustainable Food Production and research greenhouse are expected in the coming months.

The NSERC grants will be used to purchase equipment for the college’s research work in precision irrigation and in antibiotic identification from native plants. The awards come from the Applied Research Tools and Instruments (ARTI) grants, which provide funding for equipment used in the applied research process. These are Lethbridge College’s first ARTI grants, as the college

continues to expand its applied research department. Read more about the research that takes place thanks to these grants in future issues of Wider Horizons.

Bridging Cultures on campus Hundreds of students, employees, alumni and friends of the

college came to campus in March to celebrate diversity during the annual Bridging Cultures event. At the end of a jubilant dance called the Bhangra, which was taught by instructor Gurpreet Singh and performed by international students originally from India, the audience joined in the dancing.

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Wider Horizons and college advancement team earn major awards For the second year in a row and fifth time in six years, Lethbridge College’s magazine has been named the best community college magazine in North America. And for the first time it has been awarded a Grand Gold – one of the highest honours bestowed by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The award is just one of several ways members of Lethbridge College’s Communications, Marketing and Alumni Engagement teams have been recognized in their industries in recent months. The awards and recognition include: National Council for Marketing and Public Relations:

The college received five Paragon awards – the most of any Canadian community college and one of just three institutions to receive five awards.

They included: • Silver award in the Special Event category – for Coulee Fest 2018 • Silver award in the Print Ad-Series category – for the Be Ready ad campaign • Silver award in the Magazine category for the Fall 2018 issue of Wider Horizons • Bronze award in the Magazine category for the Spring 2018 issue of Wider Horizons • Bronze award in the Excellence in Writing – Short Form for “The Last Word,” a special feature in Wider Horizons written by Lisa Kozleski and illustrated by Eric Dyck.

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MOJI’S TALE RESEARCH IN ACTION CHANGING MINDSETS WITH HEADSETS

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{ A P U B LICAT IO N O F LE T H B R ID G E COLLEG E }

College represents at reconciliation workshop Lethbridge College President and CEO Dr. Paula Burns and Lowell Yellowhorn, coordinator of Indigenous Services, attended the Perspectives on Reconciliation Workshop at Yukon College in August. Dr. Burns was part of a Presidents’ Panel, which discussed governance and policy surrounding the indigenization of campuses, while Yellowhorn shared the college’s work so far on indigenization and reconciliation. He was also invited to perform the college’s Honour Song.

Geomatics program receives national accreditation CASE Circle of Excellence: Wider Horizons received a Grand Gold for the spring and fall 2018 issues in the community college magazine category. In addition, the magazine was named a finalist for the Robert Sibley Magazine of the Year award – the most prestigious award given to recognize excellence in the field of post-secondary alumni magazines.

Alberta Magazine Publications Association:

This non-profit association, which supports the Alberta magazine publishing industry, announced its annual awards at a gala in Calgary on April 4.

The finalists from Lethbridge College were: • “Time of His Life,” written by Lisa Kozleski, a finalist in the Alberta Story category • “Time,” with stories by Lisa Kozleski and designed by Dana Woodward, as a finalist in the Editorial Package category

Kudos to the college’s Geomatics Engineering Technology program, which received national recognition in April from Technology Accreditation Canada. To earn the accreditation, an independent team performed an extensive audit of the program, including interviews with employers of graduates, alumni, students and faculty, to determine whether it meets the educational standards of Canada’s engineering technology and applied science profession.

Lethbridge College is proud to launch two new technology-based programs in rapidly expanding career fields: • Virtual and Augmented Reality certificate (one year) • Architectural Animation Technology diploma (two years)

Want to learn more? Just go to lethbridgecollege.ca.

Because what happens next matters most.

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News and notes

STUDENT SHOUT OUTS

Congratulations to these Lethbridge College students making a difference:

COMING UP ON CAMPUS

The Alberta Chapter and Canadian Section of The Wildlife Society recognized Sarah Julin, Kaitlin Machacek and Geoff Sage from the Ecosystem Management applied degree program, along with instructor Dr. Everett Hanna. Machacek won the $1,500 Ian Ross Memorial Scholarship, while Sage and Julin earned third place honours for their student presentations. Hanna received the Kristina Norstrom Dedicated Service Award.

Justin Bruised Head (Ecosystem Management 2019) and Jason Cotton (Renewable Resource Management student) represented the Kainai First Nation at SevenGen 2019: Powering Resilience in Calgary in January. This was the world’s first Indigenous student energy summit and Bruised Head and Cotton were selected as the only two representatives from Kainai.

Last year’s LCSA President Nicholas Coley (Business Administration – Management 2019) worked with various groups within the college to launch the “Borrow a Textbook” initiative, which allows students to access select textbooks through the Buchanan Library.

Interior Design Technology students Jessica Banman and Teunieke Anker won the Ashcroft Master Builder design challenge in 2019. Ashcroft will now build the home, and the two students have been working on the building project as interns. Banman and Anker’s winning design, The Daphne, was selected for its retro-modern look that met with Ashcroft standards as a unique use of space that will meet market demand. The proceeds from the sale of the home will be donated back to the college.

Skylar Peters (Digital Communications and Media 2019) won this year’s Troy Reeb Internship (see p. 23). During his two week, one-of-a-kind internship, Peters spent time in Toronto and Ottawa with the teams at Globalnews.ca, Global Toronto (TV), Global News Radio 640 Toronto, The Morning Show and the Ottawa bureau of Global National. For more details about his experience, check out his blog at lethbridgecollege.ca/reeb-internship-journal.

Sept. 14

Coulee Fest

Join us on campus at our free, fall community celebration. lethbridgecollege.ca/couleefest

Sept. 30

Orange Shirt Day

Recognize the legacy of residential schools in Canada, in the spirit of reconciliation.

Oct. 17

Indigenous Culture Day

Celebrate the pride, history and knowledge of our Indigenous community on campus. lethbridgecollege.ca/indigenous

Oct. 18

Junior/Senior High Night

Free admission to Kodiaks men’s and women’s volleyball games for all junior and senior high school students. gokodiaks.ca

Nov. 7

Fall Open House

DID YOU KNOW? Paul Graham (Civil Engineering Technologies 2019) received this year’s Governor General’s award? It’s the ninth time in the last 10 years that a grad from one of the college’s Engineering Technolgies programs has received the college’s highest honour.

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Experience the hands-on environment that gives students the leading edge and join us for a day of exploration and discovery. lethbridgecollege.ca/openhouse

Nov. 22 and 23

Alumni Weekend

Gather your teammates, throw on your old jersey and meet us in Kodiaks Country for inductions to the Hall of Fame.

Celebrating Pride Promoting a campus culture that is inclusive to all,

Lethbridge College once again raised the Pride flag on its campus in June. The rainbow flag flew outside of the main entrance to the college, in conjunction with Lethbridgewide Pride activities that were taking place throughout June. This is the fourth year that the college has flown the Pride flag in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

Representatives from the college also, once again, marched in the Lethbridge Pride parade on June 22.

Members of the leadership team, employees and students walked together as a symbol of solidarity and support.

Photo by Jamin Heller

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A MATTER

OF FACTS TROY REEB’S RISE TO THE TOP OF THE CANADIAN MEDIA LANDSCAPE HAS BEEN GUIDED BY ONE QUESTION:

WHAT CAN I OFFER YOU? Story by Paul Kingsmith | Illustrations by Kagan McLeod

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The bundle of newspapers sat on the street, waiting for him to get home from school.

Whether it was in Kingston, The Pas, Westlock, or any of the other small town map dots where he lived during his youth, the routine was the same.

He arrived, unbundled the papers and set out on his route. Going door-to-door, he delivered the news to his community.

Once finished, he raced home with his own copy of the paper and read it cover-to-cover, lingering on the sports page to catch up with his beloved Edmonton Oilers. In the evening, he and his older brother, Scott, listened to the radio or watched the TV news, discussing the events of the day – the attempted assassination of President Reagan, the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, the theatrics of national political conventions and more. He consumed as much news as he could.

The news presented him with an understanding of the world and a shared sense of facts. And to Troy Reeb, facts matter. A lot.

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Fast forward approximately 40 years, and that kid who

delivered the news to his neighbours is one of the most powerful executives in Canadian media – delivering the news to an entire country.

In late April, Reeb (Communication Arts 1988) returned to his alma mater, Lethbridge College, to receive an honorary degree for his contributions to his industry, community and the college.

In a speech to peers, family and college supporters on the evening before Convocation, Reeb – ever the consummate news professional – focused his message on how we could all benefit from being a little more rooted in facts.

“Troy is one of those people who's always argued on all levels about the importance of having independent journalists,” says Quinn Ohler (Communication Arts 2009), a news anchor and reporter with Global Edmonton. “Fighting for facts and fighting for the ability to tell the stories that we need to tell is something that's always been really important to him.”

Reeb is Executive Vice President, Broadcast Networks for Corus Entertainment, a recent promotion that recognizes 31 years of experience at all levels of the television and news industry. He now oversees an empire of properties, including Global Television and its 15 local stations across Canada, 37 specialty channels including brands such as W, Showcase, HGTV, Food and History, 39 radio stations and all of Corus’ online platforms and apps.

Gone are the days of a whole town receiving the same news at the same time from the paper carrier. Consumers now get information from an endless choice of outlets. Factor in “fake news” accusations launched at journalists and the prevalence of actual fake news on the internet, and Reeb’s industry is facing unprecedented challenges. But his belief in facts drives him forward.

“As much as I worry about journalism,” says Reeb. “I am confident that journalism has a strong place in our future.”

It frustrates him that journalists have to spend time refuting obvious “fake news,” and he worries about the financial sustainability of journalism when traditional advertisingsupported news delivery models have been “torn down.”

“Anybody can get music without news, they can get classified ads or auto reviews without news, they can get Netflix programs without news,” he says, noting that those types of content used to help subsidize the journalism that was packaged with it.

“That's actually a bigger concern to me – how does journalism stay sustainable in that world?”

But Reeb finds optimism in a new, hungry generation of journalists who bring a variety of skills and fresh ideas to the industry.

“The asking salaries for real journalists have been steadily going up,” Reeb says. “They’re people who want to go out and research and tell stories and can do so in a multi-platform way – good writers who have a great way of presenting content so they can speak clearly and well online, on television and on radio.

Meanwhile, there's been a steady decline in salaries for people who just want to see themselves on TV. And I think that's good for journalism.”

“He was really energetic, had a tremendous voice and was a very colourful, very outspoken guy. I think it

was kind of destined that he was going to wind up in broadcasting.” { Veryl Todd }

Long before he was running a news company, Reeb was a

young, hungry journalist himself.

His family moved to Westlock – a small town about an hour north of Edmonton – in 1983, when Reeb was in Grade 9.

His father, Jim, was a United Church minister; his mother, Donna, was a nurse; and his brother, Scott, went on to study political science at the University of Alberta.

Troy was an accomplished student who graduated high school at 16. His love of the news led him to journalism school and his academics gave him options. He considered Ryerson University in Toronto, NAIT in Edmonton and Lethbridge College.

“I really liked living in Westlock, living in small town Alberta.

And that’s what brought me to Lethbridge,” Reeb remembers.

“It was a small school, and I think that was important for my parents because I was really young. My best friend through high school was coming here to take Culinary Arts, and we decided this is a place where we both could get the programs that we wanted, be in a small environment that was less expensive than having to go to the big city, and I think quite importantly for both of us – it was still a long way away from Westlock,” he laughs.

At just 16, he immediately stood out in instructor Veryl Todd’s Communication Arts classroom. “He was really energetic, had a tremendous voice and was a very colourful, very outspoken guy,”

remembers Todd. “I think it was kind of destined that he was going to wind up in broadcasting.”

Todd used to bug Reeb about his short pants as the student literally grew up before his eyes. “I actually grew more than six inches in the time I was in school,” says Reeb with a smile.

His skills also grew to match his height and booming voice. “He was a natural at reading and a natural at getting it to sound exciting,” says Todd. “And he had a flair for writing.”

Reeb’s first work in the industry came during summers at his hometown radio station in Westlock, CFOK. After graduation, he took a job in Yorkton, Sask., and one of his defining characteristics ensured he would always be in demand.

“He heads off down the road and he was no sooner out of there before I had two other calls,” remembers Todd.

“This guy from Saskatoon called and said, ‘where's the kid with the big voice?’ I said, ‘oh, he's gone.’ And somebody else wanted him, ‘where's the kid with the big voice?’ I said, ‘you just missed him!’”

From Yorkton to Brandon, Man., to Windsor, Ont., Reeb earned a reputation as a reporter with a knack for telling compelling stories. “I was aggressive,” Reeb says. “I was a very ambitious storyteller. And I think that lent itself to some of the stories I told. I pushed hard to get extra, sexy details that would sell the story and make sure it would get on air.”

Reeb’s perseverance led to his first management opportunity at CJCD Yellowknife. The station manager wasn’t aware of just how young his new news director was until he went to pick him up at the airport. “The place is empty and I see this gentleman with gray hair who keeps looking around and looking right through me every time he looks my way,” Reeb recalls.

“Finally I walked over to say, ‘Charles?’ and he's like, ‘yeah?’

Then all of a sudden there's a spark of recognition. ‘Are you Troy? Oh, OK. Yes, yes, come with me.’"

Reeb grins at the memory. “His wife told me a year later, ‘that day he picked you up, he came home and goes, 'Oh my God, I think I've hired Doogie Howser!’”

“As much as I worr y about journalism, I am confident that journalism has a strong place in our future.” { Troy Reeb }

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Again, facts are important to Reeb, and the facts of this

story are that while his rise seemed – and in many ways was – meteoric, it wasn’t without speedbumps.

“While a picture may speak a thousand words, it doesn’t always speak the truth,” Reeb told more than 750 Lethbridge College convocates while receiving his honorary degree at the Enmax Centre in April. He warned the graduating class to guard against the pressures and expectations that come in a world dominated by social media – where personal stories and selfimages are filtered, moulded and twisted to be flawless, void of any hint of imperfection.

Reeb says experience taught him there is no such thing as a perfect life. “Two years after graduating from here, I’d already moved up three times and thought I was pretty hot stuff, until I got fired,” he told the convocates. “When I was being promoted to a network executive, I was also going through a divorce.

And after spending most of my 20s and 30s acting like I was invincible, at 42, I was diagnosed with bladder cancer.”

Those kinds of facts are often omitted when telling one’s life story. Accomplishments are easy to amplify. Failures and discouragements are frequently swept under the rug. Reeb’s new job in Yellowknife only became possible because he was fired from a much larger radio station in Windsor. In the Northwest Territories, Reeb continued to learn important lessons in dealing with adversity.

In 1992, a bitter labour dispute at the Giant gold mine was driving a wedge through the city, eventually resulting in a bombing that killed nine. “This community, which I had grown to love in two years there, suddenly became very polarized and very divided and we were attempting to cover that story,” Reeb recalls.

As a 22-year-old news director, Reeb was in the newsroom when a report came across the police scanner of shots being fired on the picket line. He called a dispatcher to confirm the report then rushed to report the story, which caused panic in the union hall.

There were no gunshots – just a bus backfiring. His reporter on the scene paid a price for the mistake. “He ended up being kind of attacked, pushed to the ground, shoved and really kind of roughed up by some of the picketers,” says Reeb.

Shaken by the incident, Reeb shortly thereafter decided to leave Yellowknife. “It was a real learning lesson for me to not only get the story fast, but to get it right. Because there are real consequences.”

“While a picture may speak a thousand words, it doesn’t always speak the truth.” { Troy Reeb }

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He landed in Saskatoon, and his career took off from there. Reeb went on to become a national correspondent with stints on both Parliament Hill in Ottawa and at the White House in Washington, D.C. He traveled the globe, reporting from locations such as the Vatican and the Kremlin.

He still had the big voice, but now had the experience, confidence and reporting skills to distinguish himself as one of Canada’s greatest news minds. “When you first saw him on the air, saw what he was doing in Washington with that bureau, you just knew he was a born leader and a star on the rise,” says Lisa Ford Clewes (Communication Arts 1984), the long-time news director at Global Saskatoon.

Reeb carved a niche as a reporter able to tell “slice of life” stories that connected with viewers and drove home the importance of big-picture issues. “I used to call them stories that actually aren't that important, but will piss a lot of people off,” he laughs.

“I think the mistake of some journalistic organizations, the CBC sometimes, is that they try to focus so much on preaching the big important stories that they lose connection with the audience.

And as much as you're preaching, nobody's listening.”

Those sensibilities led him to the top of the Global News chain. Under his watch, Global News earned countless awards, including becoming the first Canadian network to win the Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in journalism in 2013 and the first Murrow Award for Innovation in 2017.

“What I'm most impressed with is he never lost his ground, he always stayed grounded,” says Ford Clewes. “He was the same kind and empathetic person from when he first started out with Global to when he became the leader of the entire news division.

Those are things that are very difficult to accomplish in a big leadership position, because you're making tough decisions every day.”

“He was the same kind and empathetic person from when he first started out with Global to when he became the leader of the entire news division.” { Lisa Ford Clewes }

Troy Reeb’s journalism career included stops in Ottawa and Washington. He has reported on stories around the world, including at the Vatican and in Moscow.

As a means to staying “grounded,” Reeb remains closely tied

to his roots.

He’s a frequent visitor to Lethbridge College, where he spends time with students and faculty. He’s taken an active role in furthering the careers of students. Since 2006, Reeb has paid annually for a Lethbridge College student to work with Corus and Global teams in Toronto and Ottawa, earning indispensable major market experience. Fourteen students have completed the internship.

“He's one of those people who, despite his position in this company, I feel like I could call up and ask about my own career and things that I need to work on,” says Ohler, who won the internship in 2009. “To have that with someone who is that high up in the company is invaluable for someone like me.”

His association with the college is just one example of how Reeb has given back to those who helped him. In 2011, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Early detection and a quick reaction by his doctors allowed him to fully recover, but he

immediately took up the fight for others in the same situation.

He is now one of Bladder Cancer Canada’s largest fundraisers and earned the organization’s highest honour in 2016. Reeb also recently joined the board of Stand Up to Cancer Canada, which brings together major musical acts and Hollywood celebrities to help raise millions for cancer research.

Reeb commits time to several boards and organizations, including Journalists for Human Rights – a Canadian group that trains journalists to report on human rights and governance issues in their communities. He completed his Convocation speech with a story that helped to shape his outlook on life.

While reporting in an impoverished area of Ethiopia, Reeb says a man invited him into his family’s hut, “and through a translator this man, who, by our standards, had nothing to give, spoke to me five words.”

Reeb asked the class to remember them as he has all these years. “’What can I offer you?’”

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Troy Reeb addressed a full house at the Enmax Centre in April, when he received an honorary degree from Lethbridge College.

T

hirty-one years after he crossed the stage himself, Reeb allowed himself a rare moment of reflection as he addressed this year’s convocation class. “The more you lift others up, the higher you yourself can go,” he tells a sea of faces who are about to begin their own career journeys.

April was a momentous month for Reeb. Shortly after being named Lethbridge College’s honorary degree recipient, the Radio, Television, Digital News Association (RTDNA) of Canada presented him with a lifetime achievement award.

RTDNA President Fiona Conway called him, “a news leader who represents the best of what we strive for in Canadian journalism. Troy has been a champion and leader throughout his career.”

Reeb admits these honours feel like a mixed blessing – he’s quick to remind people his career is not winding down. He’s actually jumping into a brand new challenge. “In my new role, I still have news in my world, but I've relinquished having any editorial control,” he explains. “I am now a steward of the business, but not of the content.”

Today, Reeb can be found purchasing and commissioning shows for Corus’ wide network of television stations or 22

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discussing music mixes for the group’s radio stations. He’s just as likely to be chatting with celebrities like Bryan Beaumler or Chef Lynn Crawford as he is with the world’s top newsmakers.

He’s come a long way from the days of delivering newspapers in Westlock, or learning about the news business at Lethbridge College before he was old enough to vote. “Kids like him made it worth it,” says Todd, of his 22-year teaching career. “Because he really made something of himself.”

A power broker who can hold his own in Toronto’s largest boardrooms, Reeb still holds on to the values he learned as a small-town prairie kid. “It's a super fun business, and in the end, the job is just as it was when I worked at CFOK, part time, over summers when I was going to college,” Reeb says. “It's not about reaching the whole country – it’s about reaching you – in a city, in a small town, in a neighbourhood.”

He’s still thinking like the paperboy that he once was – delivering a sense of community, one home at a time.

Story by Paul Kingsmith | Illustrations by Kagan McLeod

“It gave me the confidence to know that I could work in a major market, I could – if I worked hard and still had the passion that I had – be able to fill in for Global National or anchor a newscast in a market like Edmonton.” { Quinn Ohler }

THE TROY REEB INTERNSHIP Fourteen Lethbridge College students have taken part in the Troy Reeb Internship program, earning invaluable major market experience. “I don't know where I would be today if it wasn't for that internship,” says Quinn Ohler, who grew up in a small rural farm community and was the fourth winner of the internship. “It gave me the confidence to know that I could work in a major market, I could – if I worked hard and still had the passion that I had – be able to fill in for Global National or anchor a newscast in a market like Edmonton.” Many past winners have gone on to successful media and communications careers.

• 2006 – Callista Mason

• 2013 – Stefanie Dunn

• 2007 – Heather Crowe

• 2014 – Taylor Oseen

• 2008 – Dan Grummett

• 2015 – Katelyn Wilson

• 2009 – Quinn Ohler

• 2016 – Meagan Williams

• 2010 – Sarah Scott

• 2017 – Stephanie Savage

• 2011 – Kirsty Allen

• 2018 – December Burgess

• 2012 – Gabrielle Marchand

• 2019 – Skylar Peters

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PRAIRIE

SPIRIT SOMETIMES THE SIMPLEST SOLUTIONS ARE JUST DOWN THE ROAD

Robert Luco (standing) and his son, Ben Luco (left), collaborated with Chef Rob Sonnenberg (right) on an applied research project.

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Luco Farms – makers of marvelous mustard – had a problem. The seals on

the jars of their artisan mustard, which is made from mustard seed grown in southern Alberta, weren’t sealing properly. While this didn’t affect the quality or safety of the Prairie Flower, Prairie Sun, Prairie Lightning or the other prairie-based flavours, it did leave customers concerned when they didn’t hear the satisfying “pop” upon first opening.

So Robert Luco and his son, Ben Luco, went to the Tecconnect centre for entrepreneurship and innovation in Lethbridge, a vibrant place for entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses within a supportive and innovative environment. There, they connected with Lethbridge College, where food scientist and chef Rob Sonnenberg and his students joined in the effort to find a solution.

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A PE E K AT PART O F T H E MUS TA R D - M AK I NG P RO C ES S 1. Robert and Ben Luco pour a batch of Prairie Spirit mustard into the dispensing machine.

2. The dispensing machine is set to fill the bottles with the perfect amount in a flash. For the sake of the photo shoot, the Lucos slowed the process down.

3. The Lucos hand tighten each jar.

4. Ben Luco places a batch in the vacuum sealer, which was created from an old sink from the Marquis hotel. In just 60 seconds, the lids are sealed.

5. Each label is placed by hand.

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1.

2.

I

n just a year, and with support from an NSERC Engage grant as well as some trial and error, they solved the problem: a new way to vacuum seal the jars, plus a switch of kinds of salt, did the trick. Now, thousands of jars of Luco Farms mustard are making their way throughout the region, each one opening with a pop that reveals a small but significant southern Alberta – and Lethbridge College applied research – success story.

Read more about this partnership in the fall Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Report prepared by Lethbridge College.

Story by Lisa Kozleski

| Photos by Rob Olson

3.

4.

5.

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PULL UP A CHAIR TO H E AR OUR L ATEST STUDENT STORIES

STARTING WITH THE PRIME MINISTER’S SEAT industries, the conservation aspect of the program piqued In his natural habitat, Kelly Riehl is most likely to be wearing hip waders and a ball cap while fishing in a lake, river or ocean. So when he got the call to visit Canada’s House of Commons, he had to make a wardrobe choice.

“I'm glad I wore a suit,” says Riehl, a second-year Renewable Resource Management student. “Part of me told me not to, but I'm glad I listened to the part that did.”

A life-long outdoor enthusiast who worked as a professional fishing guide before coming to Lethbridge College, Riehl was one of 10 winners from across Canada of a prestigious scholarship awarded by the Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus. He was the only scholarship recipient from Alberta, among a field of university, college and technical institute students.

Riehl traveled to Ottawa in February to accept his award and received a guided tour of Parliament from members of the Outdoor Caucus. He was able to sit in the seats of both the Prime Minister and Speaker of the House, and watched a Parliamentary session from the gallery.

“The experience of going to Ottawa was something I couldn’t really believe,” says Riehl. “I never thought that having a fishing problem could take you to the big chair – it’s just the one thing that I love doing in life. It's kind of funny. I enjoyed it, it was a fantastic experience to meet the people that make decisions for fish and wildlife in Canada.”

Riehl was leading fishing expeditions on Haida Gwaii off British Columbia’s west coast in the summer of 2017 when he was accepted to Lethbridge College. Having worked in the outdoor adventure, outfitting and sport fishing

his interest.

It was that change in career path that made him eligible for the Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus award.

“It was designed for somebody who came from a very strong background in hunting and fishing, who was getting out of that and into the realm of conservation,” says Riehl.

“Essentially, moving out of using the resources and moving into protecting them for future generations.”

Riehl will return to Lethbridge College this fall to finish his Renewable Resource Management diploma and may pursue his Ecosystem Management applied degree. His experiences at Lethbridge College, combined with his own interests and background, are starting to shed light on where his career could take him.

“There are the conservation and enforcement ends of this career – and then there is the science side,” says Riehl. “I’ve found that my interests leaned towards the science side, so you could say I found myself at Lethbridge College and I know what direction I want to go to now. It's definitely opened the doors to what's out there. Once you get into school and make that choice to go, it's amazing what you'll discover.”

Riehl’s win earned him a $3,000 scholarship, a medallion from the Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus and, most fittingly, a brand new fishing rod and reel – to honour his roots.

Story by Paul Kingsmith | Photo supplied

Kelly Riehl takes a seat in the speaker’s chair while visiting Ottawa after winning a prestigious scholarship from the Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus.

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MOVING ON TO A SEAT IN A MICROBIOLOGY CLASSROOM It was Valentine’s Day 2019, and Tosin Balogun squeezed Eleven days later – on the Tuesday after the Reading Week

into her desk in Dr. Sophie Kernéis’s classroom. Nine months’ pregnant, she was determined to not let anything get in the way of her goal to be a nurse – not even a few contractions.

Balogun, who had moved to Canada from Nigeria in August 2018, had enrolled in Upgrading classes at the college last fall to prepare to enter the Bachelor of Nursing program offered by the college and university. “So I needed anatomy, physiology, statistics and microbiology – and it had been over 10 years since I had taken these courses. And the last time I took microbiology, it wasn’t so easy for me.”

This time around, there was another factor adding to the challenge: Balogun was pregnant and due in mid-February.

“But I was determined to take these courses,” she said.

“And I was so happy to have Sophie, who made the class very interesting.”

On the first day of class, Kernéis said she always reminds the students that they will be working with microbes, and she asks that they inform her if they think they might be or know they are pregnant, “as they need to take some extra precautions,” Kernéis explained.

So Balogun went to tell Kernéis about her pregnancy, but she had something else she wanted to run by her. “I wasn’t sure that my mom would be able to come to Canada [for the birth of the baby], and I needed to say to her, ‘Sophie, in case I give birth and my mother cannot come and I need to bring the baby to class, you don’t mind?’”

Kernéis was ready to ask the class if it would be okay for Balogun to bring her baby – if needed – and told Balogun it should be possible. (In the end, Balogun’s mother was able to make the trip).

As Reading Week approached, Balogun admits she “wasn’t feeling great.” On Thursday, Feb. 14, she woke up hoping the baby would be born that day as she “wanted a Valentine’s baby,” and she headed off to class. “I was walking slow. It all was a bit heavier than normal.” She got through that last class with Kernéis, and the next day, welcomed her daughter, Ilerioreofe, which means “promise of God’s grace,” into the world.

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break – Balogun was back in Kernéis’ class. She was there in her seat every day of the rest of the semester except one, when she missed a class because her daughter, nicknamed Ivy, was sick. And in the end, despite Kernéis’ offer, Ivy didn’t have to come to class as Balogun’s mother was able to make the trip to southern Alberta and help look after her granddaughter while Balogun finished the semester.

Ivy seems to relax at the sound of Kernéis’ voice, though, especially when Kernéis holds her and starts speaking to the infant in her first language, French. « Bonjour Ivy, comment vas-tu? Te souviens-tu de nos cours de Microbiologie. Tu cherches ta maman? Elle est là… » Balogun smiles as her daughter looks content in the arms of her microbiology teacher. “It’s like Ivy has already taken microbiology, physiology and introduction to psychology,” she says with a laugh.

Kernéis says Balogun’s story can be inspirational to other students looking to push themselves during challenging times.

“I think Tosin is a very big inspiration to our students,” says Kernéis. “Students who are a bit younger are sometimes overwhelmed by our program. I think that it is important to share Tosin’s story, as it is a good example that students can push their limits when they have their goals set. It is also a reminder of the importance of talking to their instructors to let them know about special situations. We are willing to help students succeed and we understand that life can bring challenges.“ All of Balogun’s effort paid off. She successfully completed her Upgrading courses and, this September, she will begin the two-year Bachelor of Nursing after degree program.

“I just wasn’t ready to miss anything or to give up or say maybe I’ll start next year,” Balogun says quietly as she watches her daughter relax in the arms of Kernéis. “I just didn’t want to lose time. There were moments I thought ‘I’m not feeling so good,’ but trust me I am determined to do this. And I did.”

Story by Lisa Kozleski | Photo by Rob Olson

Tosin Balogun snuggles her daughter, Ivy, who was born just before the Reading Week last semester.

She completed her Upgrading program in April and will start the two-year Bachelor of Nursing after degree program this fall.

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Computer Information Technology students Cassandra Olfert (left) and Katherine Campos took part in the CryptoChicks Hackathon May 31 to June 2 in Toronto.

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AND FINISHING WITH A SEAT AT THE CRYPTOCHICKS HACKATHON H

aving completed the first year of their Computer Information Technology (CIT) diploma program, Lethbridge College students Katherine Campos and Cassandra Olfert might have been looking forward to a summer break from tech. Instead, they dove into a coding challenge with five other Lethbridge students, entering an international technology and business case competition in Toronto.

Campos and Olfert joined University of Lethbridge students Kathleen Gonzales, Kairvee Bhatt, Leila Karimi and Mahshid Aghania and high school student Brooklyn Carlson at the CryptoChicks Hackathon May 31 to June 2.

CryptoChicks is a showcase of women in technology and business. Men were allowed in the youth category, but Campos and Olfert were competing with women only.

“It was a great opportunity for us,” says Campos.

“Although it was challenging, tiring, and all that, it was so exciting.”

Olfert says many of the conference experts were women who were generous with their knowledge, and it was inspiring to see so many women in tech. In the CIT program, women are in the minority, mirroring industry demographics.

CryptoChicks competitors chose the problem they wanted to solve. The Lethbridge team focused on something close to southern Alberta’s agricultural heart – providing traceability for the canola industry in response to China’s decision to embargo Canada’s crop.

The solution involved sensors, blockchain and machine learning technology.

Coached by Jefferson Gardner (Business Administration – Management 2009), a Lethbridge-based blockchain expert, and Dr. Muhammad Khan, an assistant professor from the U of L Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, the students divided into two groups, one focused on code, the other on the business case. While their work was judged separately, their presentations were integrated.

Olfert’s focus was on machine learning using Python code. Her goal was to create a system to predict commodity price based on the conditions recorded by sensors tracking the canola from field to final delivery.

Temperature, moisture and other factors can affect the quality of the seed.

Campos’s task was developing “the wallet” using the programming language JavaScript. The wallet is an interface for tracking secure transactions in blockchain, giving the canola traceability on its journey to market.

The students had about a day and a half in Toronto to write the code from scratch and prepare a presentation for judges. They ended up finishing third. Olfert says the event was an exercise in teamwork. “There were four or five of us working on the developer side, and then we worked closely with the business team as well, getting the presentation and all of our ideas together. There was a public speaking aspect as well. I was more worried about our time limit than about being in front of everybody.”

Campos and Olfert say they’d welcome an opportunity to continue working on the project because they see how their ideas could benefit the agriculture industry. It’s a continued commitment their coaches, Gardner and Khan, would also welcome. “Muhammad and I were particularly impressed with Kathy and Cassandra’s abilities to pick up technical skills quite quickly,” Gardner says. “Kathy worked through kinks in the front end and Cassandra picked up on machine learning better than we could have ever anticipated.”

Campos, 35, came to the college with an information technology degree from her homeland of the Philippines.

She plans to pursue a second degree, likely online to accommodate family commitments, after college. Olfert, 28, also plans to transfer her college diploma toward a U of L degree in computer science. “Technology is always renewing and changing,” Campos says. “We’re always finding more to learn.”

Story by Dawn Sugimoto | Photo by Rob Olson

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From our kitchens

{ Chef Tyler Ivey }

HERBED CHICKEN Chef Tyler Ivey looks to local farmers when it comes to cooking up the delicious dishes served at Mocha Cabana, where he has been working as a chef for two years.

For this issue of Wider Horizons, he created a recipe that reflected “the best of summer and the best of fall,” with lots of vegetables that could be found at the farmer’s market or in a backyard garden. He also wanted a recipe that was both flexible and easy enough for college students to make in their residences on a weekend night to nourish and delight their friends.

Ivey said he was inspired to come to the college by his mother, who had completed Culinary courses about 10 years before he started, and he’s been cooking throughout southern Alberta ever since. Given the chance to advise new Culinary students on navigating the gastronomic road ahead, he says he’d tell them that “the best way to learn is through hard work, dedication and commitment. Just hang in there. It is a tough industry to be in, but it's very rewarding in the end. A big reason why I like to cook is just to see the faces of people when they're eating the food I’ve made.”

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Ingredients Serves 2 2 ................................................ chicken breasts – whole 2 tbsp ..................................................................olive oil dash ........................................................ salt and pepper 1 tsp ............................................................... dry parsley ½ cup ............... dry rice jasmine (or your favourite rice) 1 cup .................................................................cold water 1 cup ...................................................diced yellow onion 1 tbsp ..........................................................minced garlic 1 cup ............................................. cucumber – half slices 1 cup .............................................................. diced celery 1 cup ...........................................................diced peppers 1 cup .................................................. halved mushrooms ¼ tsp ............................................................dry oregano ¼ tsp ............................................................... dry thyme ¾ tsp.......................................................................... salt 1 398-ml can ........................................... diced tomatoes ¼ cup ...............................................................fresh basil

WITH RICE AND STEWED VEGETABLES Method 1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. 2. Wash and prep all vegetables.

3. Combine rice with cold water in a pot (use a pot with a lid).

4. Place chicken breasts in a bowl. Add half the oil with a dash of salt and pepper and dry parsley. Toss until evenly coated.

5. Place the chicken on a parchment-lined baker’s tray, and place in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes (or until the meat is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F or 74°C).

6. Bring the rice pot to a boil; cover and reduce the heat to low, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

7. Add the second half of the oil to a small sauce pot. When it is hot, add onions, garlic, cucumber, celery, peppers and mushrooms.

Cook for three minutes or until vegetables are starting to soften.

8. Add oregano, thyme and salt to the vegetables. Turn up the heat and add the can of diced tomatoes. Reduce the liquid by half, cooking for about five minutes.

9. Remove all items from heat. Mix vegetables with the rice.

Slice the chicken breasts and place on top of the rice and stewed vegetable mix.

10. Serve with fresh basil chiffonade, rolling the leaves up and slicing them into thin ribbons.

To book a table at Mocha Cabana, call 403-329-6243. And to book a table in Lethbridge College’s Garden Court Restaurant, where Ivey and other chefs around the region learned the restaurant business, call 403-320-3230.

Recipe by Chef Tyler Ivey | Photos by Rob Olson

35

Office intrigue

Downdraft plasma cutting table – allows to cut with plasma and pulls smoke down, keeping air quality clean.

Bandsaw and ironworker (right), two of the main machines used to prepare the coupons.

Forklift used to move heavy items around shops and labs.

Miller Pipeworx 400 – a multiprocess welding machine.

Welding technician Jared Tymburski (Civil Engineering Technology 2014; Welding Apprenticeship 2014) has worked at the college five years.

{ Office Intrigue }

THE SUPPORT SHOP Jared Tymburski and Mark Marchi’s “office” is a bit hard to find,

but well worth the search. The two spend their days working in a vast, light-filled shop tucked behind the welding booths in the new Trades, Technologies and Innovation Facility, located on the coulee’s edge on the southwest side of campus.

There, they create the materials that students in Welding, 36

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Automotives, Heavy Equipment and other trades use to put the concepts and theories they learn in the classroom into action.

Their jobs are as essential to student learning as the jobs of people who write textbooks, teach lessons and lead labs.

The duo work closely with instructors to understand what support is needed – from the “coupons” (metal that has been cut

Updating motors on stands, including modifications and repairs.

Work area filled with fasteners and mounting equipment.

Foldable engine hoist (left) and a hand-operated arbor press.

A transmission cutaway to show students the internal mechanisms.

Mechanical technician Mark Marchi moved to Lethbridge from Sparwood, B.C., and has worked at the college six years.

and prepared in different shapes and sizes for different welding applications) to the stands to hold engines so students can learn how to diagnose and fix problems in complicated machines.

“This is the best shop I’ve ever worked in,” says Tymburski with a smile. Some of the equipment is as new as the building – which opened in 2017 as the largest trades training space

south of Calgary. Other equipment goes back decades but still works well and lets them – and the students – get the job done.

To learn more about opportunities to study the trades at Lethbridge College, go to lethbridgecollege.ca/trades.

Story by Lisa Kozleski | Photo by Rob Olson

37

SPEAKER SERIES

EDUCATE +

ENGAGE A Q&A WITH DAVID FRUM THE IN AUG UR AL SPE A KE R I N T H E W I DER HO RIZON S P R ESE N T S SPE A KE R SE R I ES As part of his $100,000 gift to Lethbridge College, philanthropist Bruce McKillop wanted to create a new speaker series to educate attendees, engage the community and provide opportunities for thoughtful dialogue on important issues, in an intimate setting providing a unique experience for participants.

On April 3, David Frum delivered.

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39

SPEAKER SERIES

Frum treated students and the public to a thought-provoking discussion of an issue being debated at kitchen tables, both here in southern Alberta and around the globe. His topic could not have been more timely – the changing political landscape and the rise of populism.

O

riginally from Toronto, Frum is a writer at The Atlantic and the author of the 2018 New York Times bestseller, Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic, his ninth book. In 2001 and 2002, he served as special assistant and speechwriter to President George W. Bush during and after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. He is a sought-after political commentator as a conservative Republican who is an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump.

Frum met with students from the Centre of Applied Arts and Sciences during his morning visit to campus.

That evening, he spoke before a sold-out crowd in the Instructional Building, offering a stark and sharp discussion on the rise of populism that was not just confined to U.S. President Donald Trump but extended to European powers and beyond.

He also made time for lunch with members of the Wider Horizons team. Amid the clatter of the Garden Court Restaurant’s end-of-semester buffet prepared by Culinary students, Frum shared more insights and inspiration on citizen engagement, higher education and the importance of personal and professional second acts. An edited version of that conversation follows.

Look to the winter issue of Wider Horizons for details about the 2020 speaker series date and topic. We can’t wait to have you join the conversation.

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Wider Horizons: Lethbridge College launched its new brand last fall, focusing on the idea of being ready, because what happens next matters most. With all the changes that are happening in the world today, what do you think will happen next?

DAVID FRUM: Almost as a matter of principle, I decline to make predictions. Predictions invite you to imagine the future as a thing that already exists – something that can be described and evaluated.

But the future does not exist, not yet.

You’re going to make it. Don’t ask me to tell you what the future is going to be. It’s on you. Human beings make individual ethical and political decisions. Depending on whether more conscientious or less conscientious people get the upper hand, the outcome will be different. So if you have enough breath to be able to ask, "What will happen?," that’s enough breath to get into the middle of the action and actually be a contributing participant.

Wider Horizons: You are known as one of the few vocal conservative critics of U.S. President Donald Trump. Your latest book, Trumpocracy, is described as a warning for democracy and discusses how Trump has undermined important institutions in ways even the most critical media has missed. Can you share a few insights from that work and from what you see happening in the United States now?

DAVID FRUM: The perverse gift of Trump – I end my book Trumpocracy with a section on the unexpected gifts of Trump – is that there are some good things that he’s done unintentionally – and one of them is to make us aware of and appreciate the fragility of some of the American institutions now under attack. And because Trump's also lazy and inattentive, he often fails to do the damage that he wants to do. That may turn out to be a blessing in disguise because he’s exposed the points of vulnerability without having the strength to use those points of vulnerability as fully as he could.

“Predictions invite you to imagine the future as a thing that already exists – something that can be described and evaluated. But the future does not exist, not yet." { David Frum }

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SPEAKER SERIES

Wider Horizons: What are your thoughts on the role of higher education in our world today? What advice would you give to students starting their college careers?

DAVID FRUM: Higher education has too many jobs. We ask higher education to correct the work not done in secondary education – maybe more in the U.S. than in Canada. We ask higher education to output young people with specific skills that may or may not be relevant in their future lives. We ask higher education to certify that the young person is hardworking and intelligent.

We ask higher education to introduce the young person to the proper social networks. We ask it to help them to actualize themselves as a human being. And we ask it to cram into four years, all the arts and letters and history that the person will need to know over their lifetime, because many people stop reading when they leave.

That’s too many jobs. It’s too much.

There is no single institution that is going to give you in four years the knowledge you need for a lifetime. We need to be much more specific about what we ask of each kind of institution of higher education. And maybe what we need most is to have many more different kinds of higher education institutions.

Wider Horizons: Many students come to Lethbridge College later in their lives – maybe they are switching careers, looking for new opportunities or needing a fresh start. Was there ever a time in your life that you started a second act?

DAVID FRUM: Second act? I'm on about my fourth or fifth!

When the financial crisis hit in 2008, I was working at a conservative think tank. I urged the most active possible response to the crisis: monetary stimulus, income support, generous unemployment insurance. To its credit, that is very much what the Bush administration did in its final months, October 2008 to January 2009.

And the Obama administration followed many similar

lines of policy after it took office in January 2009.

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The financial systems stabilized after 2009. The rest of the US economy recovered much more slowly.

Unemployment remained terribly high until 2013-14.

Many people, especially blue-collar men, quit the workforce and never returned. During those hard years after 2008, I came to believe that it was time for the U.S. to extend some kind of universal healthcare guarantee.

Most Americans get their healthcare from their work.

When work is scarce, they lose their coverage. And work was scarce for years.

So I wrote a lot in 2009 and 2010 about the need for Republicans to work with the new administration on a health care bill. That advice was not heeded, obviously – but the Obama health bill passed anyway.

So when the most crucial vote happened in March 2010, I posted a short piece to a website I was running about the wasted opportunity. My site normally got between 15,000 to 25,000 visitors a day, but that day, we got over a million visitors before the server crashed. I was denounced by name in the lead editorial of the Wall Street Journal, a place I used to work, by a person I used to edit. And I got fired from my think tank. At the time, I was highly vexed. But as I look back on it, it was a very personally liberating moment. I came to see the moment as an emancipation. I was given permission to rethink many things, to say things that my previous job would not have allowed me to say. I've done better work since – and I'm grateful for the shock that freed me to do that work.

Story by Lisa Kozleski | Photos by Rob Olson

THE ORIGINS OF THE SPEAKER SERIES The Wider Horizons Presents… speaker series is made possible thanks to a $100,000 gift from long-time Lethbridge businessman and philanthropist Bruce McKillop. The owner and operator of McKillop Insurance and Registry Services for more than 45 years, McKillop took over the business from his father, Bud, who founded it in Lethbridge in 1953. Now retired himself, McKillop has turned over the reins to his daughter, Sonya, making it a third generation family business.

McKillop is an alumnus of the University of Lethbridge, and he took classes in the university’s early days when it was located on the Lethbridge College campus. One of the reasons he decided to make this gift to the college was because he sees the value of supporting all postsecondary education in the city and wanted to help highlight the educational choices at the college.

“We’re thankful to Bruce McKillop for stepping forward to make this project a reality,” says Lethbridge College President and CEO Dr. Paula Burns. “He believes in a culture of philanthropy and finding ways to support initiatives he believes in, which is an example to the entire community.”

The naming of the speaker series builds off the reputation of the college’s award-winning Wider Horizons magazine, which for 13 years has shared thought-provoking and inspirational stories of Lethbridge College people, places and ideas with the college’s vast network of alumni, community and industry supporters.

43

Where are they now?

Where are they CHRONICLE OF A COLLEGE GRAD: Adam Wright (Environmental Assessment and Restoration 2009)

A

mbition doesn’t always lead us down a direct path. Adam Wright (Environmental Assessment and Restoration 2009), indirectly began his career in environmental planning as a land surveyor for pipeline development throughout Alberta and the Northwest Territories for about six years. “I felt the need for more education,” says Adam, “to weave my way and find a path.”

Sustainability, which is the balance between human activity and the needs of the environment for future generations, struck Adam as a key part of the work he wanted to do. During his time at Lethbridge College, Adam continued fieldwork for oil and gas 44

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Trent University, followed by a Master of Science in Planning from the University of Guelph. He credits Lethbridge College with giving him the confidence to pursue further studies. As a mature student, the positive experiences and feedback from instructors helped him gain the confidence he needed to stay in academia.

It also paved the way for an enriching and varied professional path.

Adam’s career has included employment as a recycling ambassador with the Recycling Council of Alberta; a sustainability coordinator at Trent University; an environmental planner with AECOM; a special project officer with the Ontario Ministry of Environment; and an adjunct faculty member in Rural Planning and Development at Guelph University.

A father of two, Adam has also kept an active volunteer profile, and he currently serves as a director for the Ontario Professional Planners Institute, and chairs a task force that works to better engage Indigenous people in planning and land companies, and he witnessed the impact development processes. While he currently economic development was having on works as an environmental planner with Indigenous communities. “I was seeing Dillon Consulting in Kitchener, Ont., he will these communities that weren’t really benefitting from resource development,” soon be transitioning within the company to a position in Calgary. he says. “It made me think more about Adam is an optimistic force within how to help infrastructure and resource the consulting world. He notes the development be a bit more sustainable, advances that have been made through and more strategic.” This realization the Truth and Reconciliation Commission inspired Adam to explore development strategies that were more in line with the of Canada. “There seems to be a strong needs of the people most directly affected recognition of how we can be better as a society, and I think we’re making those by it, so he returned to school after changes. I want to continue moving things graduating from Lethbridge College. towards a positive trajectory.”

Adam went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts with honours in environmental Story by Mel Lefebvre | Photo submitted studies/environmental planning from

now?

We love hearing from Lethbridge College alumni, and our readers do too! You can find additional updates online at widerhorizons.ca.

To submit your news to share with your classmates and the college community, drop us a note at WHMagazine@lethbridgecollege.ca.

2019

Lizzie Black Plume Business Administration – Management After graduation, Lizzie started working as an administrative assistant at the college throughout the summer. In the fall, she is planning to continue her education at the University of Lethbridge in the management program.

2018

Tyson D. Baldrey Engineering Design and Drafting Technology Tyson recently sent this update to the Alumni office: “Following graduation in the Spring of 2018, I began working with a local mechanical engineering firm. During the final year of studies in the E.D.D.T. program, a group including myself and two other alumni began working on a capstone research project involving the assessment of bamboo as a viable alternative to steel reinforcement in concrete. Our efforts were rewarded in the form of selection as one of two teams chosen to represent Lethbridge College on a provincial level.

Ultimately, my group was selected from eight nominees by the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta (ASET) to receive the 2019 ASET Capstone Project of the Year Award.

We were invited to attend ASET's Awards Gala and General Assembly Meeting where our work was formally recognized in front of ASET's pool of members. The trophy

CELEBRATING THE SUCCESSES OF OUR ALUMNI IN THEIR CAREERS AND THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES.

John Manyok (General Studies – Psychology and Sociology 2016) Sam Mathon (General Studies 2016)

C

ongratulations go out to John and Sam, who received their Bachelor of Social Work degrees from the University of Calgary in June. John and Sam were featured in the 2017 Wider Horizons cover story recounting their experiences as “Lost Boys of the Sudan” and the path they took to Lethbridge College and beyond. One of their instructors, Keith Dudley, was there at graduation to celebrate with them. Keith told Wider Horizons: “We went up to Calgary yesterday and watched Sam and John walk across the stage; it was quite a day. They even did a formal tribute to these two boys in the President’s address before reading out all the names and had them both stand and wave; they told a bit of their story and summarized much of what you had written in Wider Horizons. There was major applause and even a few audible gasps.” Thanks to Keith for the update and photo, and best wishes to these two inspiring alumni.

Photo courtesy of Keith Dudley

accompanying this honour now resides with Bill Smienk, chair of the School of Engineering Technologies, and is in the care of Lethbridge College for a year. All three members remain active in our volunteer work with Lethbridge College – Engineering Technologies and are currently working on furthering alumni feedback and student engagement with ASET.”

2017

Jessica Giles

Business Administration – Marketing Jessica was featured in an April article in the Canadian Cattleman celebrating

her work as one of two people enrolled in the 2018-19 Cattlemen’s Young Leaders Program. The article states that Jessica’s “love for the beef industry was sparked on the family farm, a mixed grain and commercial cow-calf operation, and fuelled by her experience in the Longview 4-H Beef Club.” After graduation from the college, she returned to her family’s mixed grain and commercial cowcalf operation. She is now based near High River where she’s an agriculture reporter for Golden West Radio. She has also been building her own small herd over the last several years and is a 4-H project leader.

45

Where are they now?

2016

Connor J. Benis

Civil Engineering Technology “I was hired by Stantec in February 2017 for the role of CAD technologist,” Connor recently told the Alumni office. “Since then I have been involved with a variety of work including design and drafting, construction inspections and surveying. I have completed many topographic surveys including construction layout surveys for underground utilities and surface works.”

2015

Marc Plamondon Conservation Enforcement, Natural Resource Compliance Marc was one of the new recruits featured in an April story from the government

of British Columbia celebrating the new seasonal officers added to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service. The article said that working as a conservation officer was something he had thought about since Grade 10, and that a seasonal position in Terrace was the perfect opportunity to get a feel for the job. “I was educating the public about how to prevent bears getting into their garbage, responding to various calls and doing basic angler checks,” said Marc about his time in Terrace in the article. “There's no better way to prepare for the job than to be a seasonal conservation officer. You are doing exactly what the regular officers are doing and learning how to do the job.”

At the end of six months, Marc was offered another seasonal position. This time it was for eight months in Vernon, where, in

College grads recognized as some of chamber’s Top 40 under 40

College graduates continue to populate the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce and BDO’s list of the Top 40 under 40. Receiving recognition the last four months were: Jill Manning (General Studies 2005), the Managing Director of ARCHES, a passionate human rights advocate who focuses on raising community awareness around issues of addictions and mental health.

She was recognized for her tireless dedication to fight for at-risk groups in our community.

Rianna Wilson (Business Administration 2011), the co-owner and business manager at Adaptive Technologies Inc., a prosthetic and orthotic care facility in Lethbridge with a patient-centred focus, who was recognized for her dedication to helping improve the quality of life for those in our community.

July 5 : @CJOBSkylar Wishing good luck to a life-long friend and fellow @LC_Alumni, @FraserC_ who is making his debut on the call of the @lethbridgebulls game tonight!

Skylar Peters (Digital Communications and Media 2019) Cole Fraser (Multimedia Production 2019)

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addition to his regular duties, he patrolled B.C.'s backcountry enforcing snowmobile regulations in protected caribou habitat.

That experience led to a third seasonal position in Maple Ridge, where Marc was recently hired on full time.

2013

Jennifer Callihoo Fashion Design and Marketing Jennifer was featured in a March article in the Georgian Strait, the Vancouver-based newspaper that is Canada’s largest urban weekly. The Q&A focused on Jennifer’s work as a designer, including the unveiling of her Clara/Callihoo line, which took place in April at Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s newly opened Wilson School of Design building in Richmond. The article states that Jennifer “sees design as an opportunity to make a positive impact on people and the planet through ethical practices. She puts emphasis on maintaining her values throughout the creative process and this is found in her final line.”

Danielle B. Jackle Office Administration Danielle is a park administrative supervisor working at Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park for the Government of Saskatchewan. She told the Alumni office that after graduation, “I was fortunate enough to get a job at the college as a program assistant in the Centre of Applied Arts and Science. I really enjoyed my time working there and I will always treasure the relationships and experience I gained at the college, but Saskatchewan is home.

So, in May 2016, I moved back to my hometown of Maple Creek, and I was extremely lucky to land my dream job of being the Park Administrative Supervisor of Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park within a few weeks. This job challenges and thrills me every day. I am very fortunate to do what I love in a place that I love with an amazing staff. I do credit my education and my instructors in the program for getting me where I am today and I couldn't be more thankful.”

“I’ve been running my own massage therapy business since the day I graduated.

It is thriving and better than I could have ever dreamed.”

2012

Raiki Yago

General Studies Raiki recently sent this update to the Alumni office that after graduation, “I joined a Canadian recruitment firm in British Columbia [and] then moved back to Japan and joined the Tokyo branch for the same recruitment company. I currently work as talent acquisition specialist at Syneos Health Japan. My role here is not only to recruit talent, but also to brand Syneos in Japan by working with various companies to increase brand awareness.”

Mathew D.Young

Environmental Assessment and Restoration Mathew told the Alumni office that after graduation, “I went to the University of Alberta to finish my degree and continued working summers with Golder Associates in Calgary where I was a vegetation technician until I graduated and became a biologist. I worked on and off with Golder until I started my own company last year – Palea Eco Services. About three months in, I found out I would need a knee surgery for an old injury so I would need an office job for a year or two. I’ve been at Golder as a full time biologist since then but am well into my recovery now and looking forward to getting back outside!”

{ Jan Van Kasteren }

2011

Michael R. Hayward General Studies – Psychology and Sociology Michael is a housing support worker at McMan Youth, Family and Community Services Association. He recently told the Alumni office: “I have been in the Human Services field since 2012. I’ve spent nearly seven years working in residential and group care, in an emergency youth shelter and most recently in an outreach capacity with a housing and support team that provides housing and wrap-around support to youth aged 16 to 24.”

2010

Bryce Dudley Civil Engineering Technology Bryce told the Alumni office that since graduation, “I have dabbled in many aspects of civil engineering but the primary focus of my career has been urban land development and geomatics. In late 2018, I took on the role of geomatics lead for Stantec’s Lethbridge office and am currently growing the business locally.”

Erin N. Halma Business Administration – Accounting Erin writes: “I am a tax litigator for the province of British Columbia. I originally decided to pursue a career in accounting, so I enrolled in the 2+2 program.

During my first year of the program, one instructor commented to my class that we should consider going on to law school after, as accounting and law went well together. At the time, I dismissed the comment: if I wanted to do that much school I might’ve considered medicine, and business law was one of my least favourite classes (mostly due to the lack of math). But, halfway through my time at university, I began to reconsider my prior and quick dismissal of law school and took the LSAT. Fast forward through three years of law school, a year of articling, and a clerkship… and I finally made it back to the world of tax, which I was first introduced to by instructor Dave Kennedy at the college. I was a bit dismayed to find out that tax litigation rarely involves math.”

2008

Jana Van Kasteren Massage Therapy Jana told the Alumni office: “I’ve been running my own massage therapy business since the day I graduated. It is thriving and better than I could have ever dreamed. The longer I’m in the massage therapy world, the more I realize how amazing the program was for me at Lethbridge College. It truly is the BEST program for massage and I will stand by that forever!”

We are looking to honour the leaders, thinkers and doers who got their starts at Lethbridge College.

Nominate a deserving alumna or alumnus today.

lethbridgecollege.ca/honouringexcellence

47

Where are they now?

FAMILIES IN FOCUS

The Fehr Family Everyone in Jess Fehr’s family attended Lethbridge College.

Her parents met in the Communications – Radio Arts program, and after graduating in 1977, they married and moved to Saskatchewan to pursue careers in the media. They loved their time at Lethbridge College so much that in 1995, when their eldest son, Dave, was still in high school, all five Fehrs returned to Lethbridge. Their parental sights were set and hopeful that their three children would attend and enjoy the college as much as they did.

Jess knows it was the right move, and says it was pretty cool of her parents to go back to their academic roots for their children’s benefit.

Dave completed the Business Administration certificate in 2002 and added a Business Administration – Marketing diploma in 2004. He played on the Kodiaks men’s soccer team throughout 2002. Their sister, Lauren, completed a Teaching English as a Foreign Language course in 2010, and attended volleyball camps there. Dave’s wife, Alison Hawkins Fehr, earned a Communication Arts – Broadcast Journalism diploma in 2007. And finally, Jess was recruited to play for the Kodiaks as well, hitting the courts as a volleyball player while earning her General Studies diploma in 2005.

“My time at Lethbridge College was invaluable,” says Jess.

“It opened my eyes to the world, taught me to embrace change and adapt, and maybe most importantly, helped me find my passion for my community and the people in it.”

After graduation, Jess spent one year traveling throughout Asia, Australia and Europe. She credits her instructors with helping her appreciate and see other cultures, which nurtured

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her career trajectory. “The broad learning that happened at the college allowed me to adapt to any career that is relationshipfocused,” says Jess, who recently celebrated two years as the faculty development officer for the Dhillon School of Business at the University of Lethbridge.

The imprint Lethbridge College had on all of the Fehrs is notable to Jess, who grew up witnessing her father, Erv, apply everything he learned from his diploma to his exciting career as a broadcast journalist. While Jess credits her own time at the college with her love of postsecondary education, it’s clear that it actually began in the 1970s when her parents pioneered the family’s Lethbridge College way of life.

Story by Mel Lefebvre | Photo by Rob Olson

Joanne Fehr

Communications Arts – Radio Arts 1977.

Currently the accounts payable coordinator at the Holy Spirit School Division.

Erv Fehr

Communications Arts – Radio Arts 1978.

Currently a TV and video producer at EFP Productions.

Dave Fehr

Business Administration certificate; Business Administration – Marketing 2002.

Currently a senior operations manager at Sun Life Financial.

Alison Hawkins Fehr

Communication Arts – Broadcast Journalism 2007.

Currently a full-time parent and part-time restaurant employee.

Jess Fehr

General Studies 2005.

Currently the faculty development officer with the Dhillon School of Business at the University of Lethbridge.

Lauren Fehr

TEFL 2010. Currently an architect with Robert Pashuk Architecture.

2004

Corey W. Greene Civil Engineering Technology Corey is a construction project manager at Stantec. He recently told the Alumni office: “I do project site inspections and construction management and so I help the engineers with designs and field revisions when applicable. My education at the college – more specifically the drafting, report writing and the survey classes I took – have really helped with my understanding of the industry and helped me get where I am today.”

2003

Travis R. Jensen Geomatics Engineering Technology “Since 2016, I have been the division manager for the Lethbridge and Medicine Hat offices in our Alberta South operation, comprised of approximately 30 full time staff,” Travis recently told the Alumni office. “Our local expertise focuses on transportation, municipal and urban development projects. Earlier, I specialized in project management, urban development and municipal infrastructure design projects. Prior to joining Associated Engineering in 2005, I worked as a surveyor for a local geomatics firm.”

2002

before joining the Nature Conservancy of Canada team in 2015 as the natural area manager for prairie grasslands. She was recently featured in a news story on the Nature Conservancy’s website.

2000

Sheryl Cody Criminal Justice – Policing The Tofield Mercury newspaper featured Sheryl in a March story about her recent arrival to work at the Tofield RCMP detachment. She told the reporter: “I have lots of family that is either involved in policing or Canada Border Services. At the time, I was looking for a job that would offer adventure and a chance to travel and the Mounties had that." She has achieved

that in her career, which has included being part of the Musical Ride touring North America and eventually working her way to become a trainer in the Musical Ride Branch training horses and riders.

Bradley D. Schmidtke Engineering Design and Drafting Technology Bradley told the Alumni office: “Since graduating from Lethbridge College, I have been working within the field of community development and have experienced all aspects of community planning, design and construction. I am currently a senior associate with Stantec Consulting, supervising a team of nine people in Lethbridge.”

From the vintage vault Members of the Lethbridge Junior College student council meet during the 1968-69 academic year, in a room clearly marked as being “for student council ‘only.’” In the yearbook, council President Scott McKinnon wrote: “I hope that in some way this institution has helped each student form a certain philosophy about life. On behalf of the Students’ Council we hope you have found a stepping stone in the Junior College.”

This philosophy carries on to this day, supported by the current Lethbridge College Students’ Association.

Do you have a favourite Lethbridge College photo and story you'd like to share?

Tell us about it! Email WHMagazine@lethbridgecollege.ca or share it socially by tagging @LethCollege.

Leta Pezderic

Renewable Resource Management, Fish and Wildlife Technology Leta is the natural area manager of prairie grasslands for the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Alberta Region.

After graduation, she transferred to the University of Lethbridge where she earned her degree in environmental science. Leta spent her summers working in Waterton Lakes National Park. After graduating from the U of L, she worked at a variety of places, including Cows and Fish, Lethbridge College and Alberta Environment. She spent nearly seven years with the Oldman Watershed Council as their program coordinator 49

Where are they now?

Barb Coffey Bajraktarevic (Engineering Design and Drafting Technology 1996)

A

fter Wider Horizons editor Lisa Kozleski discovered her soccer teammate was a college grad, Barb graciously sent in this update for fellow alumni: “While I was at the college, I did my two-week practicum at Canbra Foods. I was quite fortunate as at the end of my practicum, I was hired on full-time. Canbra was a great place to work, as it gave me a vast variety of experience in all the types of drafting I studied. I was fortunate to be out in the plant all the time, getting hands-on experience. Within my first month there, I worked on a million dollar project – pretty cool. Because it was my first project, my boss at the time let me watch this vessel being delivered and installed that day. It was pretty incredible.

I worked there for six years on multiple expansion projects. Unfortunately, a major company bought out Canbra foods and one-third of the employees were laid off. At this point, I had my son who was just a baby at the time, so I decided to contract myself out. I worked mostly with engineers, as my first love of drafting is industrial and manufacturing and this area has so many different facets to it and is never boring. I did this for six years as well and then decided to seek employment again with a company. I started here at Meridian 11 years ago, and I love working here. Again, it is in manufacturing, so I use many different types of drafting here. In the last five years here, I have moved from drafting to drafting manager, which is a little different role. I oversee the drafting department, which I quite enjoy as well. I have been doing this for 24 years now and I have always enjoyed it. It has been challenging and fun!”

ALUMNI IN THIS ISSUE 30 33 20 52 33 52 34 18 33 16

Tosin Balogun (Upgrading 2019; Bachelor of Nursing student) Katherine Campos (Computer Information Technology student) Lisa Ford Clewes (Communication Arts 1984) Jonathan Friesen (Renewable Resource Management 2006; Fish and Wildlife Technology 2007) Jefferson Gardner (Business Administration – Marketing 2009) David Haight (Renewable Resource Management 2005; Fish and Wildlife Technology 2006) Chef Tyler Ivey (Cook Apprentice 2012) Quinn Ohler (Communication Arts 2009) Cassandra Olfert (Computer Information Technology student) Troy Reeb (Communication Arts – Broadcast Journalism 1988;

28 25 36 52

Kelly Riehl (Renewable Resource Management student) Rob Sonnenberg (Renewable Resource Management 1992, Fish and Wildlife 1993) Jared Tymburski (Civil Engineering Technology 2014; Welding Apprenticeship 2014) Tyler Waldron (Renewable Resource Management 2002; Fish and Wildlife Technology 2003)

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Distinguished Alumnus 2003; Honorary Degree 2019)

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1999

Crystal F. Edvardson

Information Specialist – Administrative Assistant Crystal recently told the Alumni office: “I never left. LOL! I went straight from finishing the two-year diploma program and into a position in the English Language Centre as an office assistant, was reclassified to an administrative assistant, then reclassified again to a program assistant, and now am acting as the coordinator for International Services.”

Andre P. Royer Engineering Design and Drafting Technology Andre is a senior roadway designer whose work involves following local, provincial and federal guidelines to design roadways, site accesses, parking lots and more. He recently told the Alumni office that most projects he works on involve deep utilities, drainage accommodation, lighting, signals, and coordinating with shallow utility companies. He added: “It was nice to have a “hands-on” education. What we were taught in class translated directly to what I needed to know in the design and consulting business. It also taught me how to work well, both in a group and by myself.”

1978

Victor Roxburgh

Environmental Science Victor recently told the Alumni office that, after graduation, he worked as a fishery officer with Fisheries and Oceans Canada “and became a lead player in a variety of management and enforcement initiatives… eventually [becoming] chief of training and recruitment. Upon retiring, I developed a method for telling the time of death of salmon and successfully used my skills in a number of court cases. I became a private investigator for 10 years, dealing primarily with insurance fraud. Now retired, I teach Introduction to DSLR Cameras and Adobe Photoshop Elements. I am currently writing my memoirs, which is becoming a fulltime job on its own.”

FAMILIES IN FOCUS

The Martinez Family Odette Martinez

Practical Nurse 2013

Shelley Campos BNAD 2019

Emmanuel Campos

BNAD 2012

Joseph Martinez NESA 2016

From left: Joel Martinez, Odette Martinez, bride Jocelyn Dufresne Martinez, groom Joseph Martinez, Shelley Campos, Emmanuel Campos and in the front, flower girl Megan Campos.

T

he call to the art of healing was answered by the whole Martinez family. Joseph Martinez and his parents – Odette and Joel – and his mother’s sister and brother – Shelley Campos and Emmanuel Campos – are all nurses. And four of the five of them studied nursing at Lethbridge College.

Joseph and Odette both credit Joel as their foremost influence for pursuing a career in health care. He embarked on his nursing studies in the Philippines before the family moved to Canada in 2009.

“I grew up with my dad being a nurse, and his stories from his units gave me a new perspective,” says Joseph, who graduated from the Nursing Education in Southwestern Alberta (NESA) program in 2016 and currently works as a nurse in the geriatric assessment and rehabilitation unit at the Chinook Regional Hospital. “My mom had a previous job involved in marketing, but there’s not much of a great need for that in Lethbridge, and she took a liking to what my dad did.”

In the NESA program, which involves two years of study at the college and two at the University of Lethbridge to earn a Bachelor of Nursing credential, Joseph discovered he enjoyed all aspects of nursing. “I’m not going to lie – I always just saw what was on Grey’s Anatomy for what was the main place for nurses – best suited in hospitals,” he says with a smile. “But coming out of college, I was like, wait! There’s so much more out there in the whole big world! I can’t wait to explore.”

Odette studied in the Practical Nursing program at the college and graduated in 2013, and she now works as a nurse at Covenant Health. Her sister, Shelley Campos, who also works as a nurse at Covenant Health, earned her Bachelor of Nursing after degree credential in August. The BNAD program involves returning to school after earning a degree in a different subject, and taking two semesters of nursing courses at Lethbridge College and four semesters at the university. And Odette and Shelley’s brother, Emmanuel Campos, completed the BNAD program in 2012 and now works as a registered nurse in California.

“There’s so much more out there in the

whole big world! I can’t wait to explore.”

Joseph said the college’s friendly, approachable instructors helped him be open-minded about nursing, and he now enjoys calling some instructors colleagues. The Martinez nursing connection is not lost on them. “We joked with a doctor who we are friends with that if we opened a clinic, we could all work together,” Joseph laughs.

Story by Mel Lefebvre | Photo courtesy Standout Photography

Are you a multi-generational Lethbridge College family? If at least three members across one or more generations attended Lethbridge College, let us know by emailing WHMagazine@lethbridgecollege.ca. We’d love to profile you.

51

The last word

THE LAST WORD Illustrated

by Eric Dyck

We asked our alumni to tell us their best memories of taking field trips as part of their Environmental Science programs

– and from banding the tiny legs of ducks to observing largerthan-life wild animals, these three alumni had a lot to say.

It was neat handling live ducks. The ducks were in these big traps and we’d go in there and scoop them out and weigh them and measure them and put a band around their legs. So we as students are doing this and, you know, we’re feeling like we’re real life biologists at this point. But it was just terrible weather and our instructor was worried that the ducks were getting stressed because it was so wet and cold. So we had the vans all running, and we sat with the ducks, just holding them there in the warm van on our laps, and the windows got all fogged up and they just sat there and it was adorable.

Jonathan Friesen, equipment technician Renewable Resource Management 2006; Fish and Wildlife Technology 2007

So, this happened when I was staff, not a student. It was in the fall with our third year students, and our two vans pulled in to park in Mammoth, Yellowstone. And as the students were getting out, this bull elk decided to charge everybody. Between 800 and 1,200 pounds of elk. There were about 20 or 25 students, and they were jumping under the vans and back in the vans. Thankfully nobody got hit by it. But a BBC film team happened to be there and caught it all on camera!

David Haight, science lab technician coordinator Renewable Resource Management 2005; Fish and Wildlife Technology 2006

I was out on my forestry field trip to Beaver Mines and on the second day, the 9/11 terrorist attacks happened. We had just left Camp Impeesa and went to Beauvais Lake where we ran into Terry Kowalchuk and others and they were asking us “Have you heard?” Well, how would we have? Today, with our phones we would have all heard about it instantly, but back then we didn't even hear about it until hours later. To this day, it’s kind of surreal because I didn't even see any footage of it until after we got back four days later. We had one newspaper somebody bought at the 7-11 in Blairmore and that was the only way we saw any pictures of what was going on.

Tyler Waldron, lab field technician

Renewable Resource Management 2002; Fish and Wildlife Technology 2003

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fall 2019

NEXT ISSUE:

The last word is yours...

Order in the court One of the most memorable experiences for Criminal Justice students is “testifying” in the campus courtroom as part of the scenario-based training that gives students a sense of what real-world policing is like. Do you remember stepping into the witness box? Send us your stories (200 words max) of your most memorable Lethbridge College moment in the mock-courtroom. We’ll share a sampling with readers in our Winter issue.

Just email WHMagazine@lethbridgecollege.ca. You can also share your stories socially by tagging @LethCollege and #LastWordLC. We can’t wait to read your submissions!

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT matters most.

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Mar 13-15 ACAC Championships @ Lakeland

INDOOR TRACK

Jan. 25 Grand Prix #1 – MacEwan Mar. 7 Grand Prix #2 – Red Deer Mar. 20-21 ACAC Championships @ Edmonton

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Nov. 22-23 Hall of Fame and Alumni Weekend Feb. 26-29 ACAC Men’s Volleyball

Championships @ Lethbridge College

This schedule is subject to change. For up-to-date game times, visit:

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