Wider Horizons - Spring 2019

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16 STUDENT POVERTY PROJECT 46 CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR CONVOCATES 48 WALKING WITH OUR GRANDMOTHERS

{ A PU B L ICAT ION OF LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE }

Editor’s message

Sometimes, the big stories for

Wider Horizons are dictated by circumstance, like the naming of a new president, the passing of a major anniversary or the arrival of an opioid epidemic.

Other times, the big stories are dictated by chance. In 2015, for example, we had a number of really interesting news items come in to the office. One of our grads had driven the Zamboni for the gold medal hockey game at the Vancouver Olympics. Our Culinary students were learning how to do ice carvings as part of their curriculum. Another grad had just finished a stint as a polar bear jail warden in Churchill, Man. So in our winter 2016 issue (it had to be a winter issue, right?), our theme was “ice.”

While these stories don’t mark major chapters of the college’s history, they do provide a sense of the colour and character that make this place and its people unique.

This current issue of Wider Horizons was inspired by both circumstances and chance. The circumstances are difficult ones to wrestle with – Canada’s efforts to confront its painful history of its treatment of Indigenous peoples and its work toward truth and reconciliation. The legacy of residential schools still reverberates throughout the country, including in our own region, which is situated on traditional Blackfoot territory and was home to four residential schools. These chapters comprise an undeniable and difficult part of our country’s story, and it is important they continue to be told.

The chance part arose much like it did with the “ice” stories.

In the last year or so, news of several inspiring Indigenous women came to our department. We read of young grads making a difference in their communities, leaders striving to embrace new roles, elders sharing the wisdom of their grandmothers… there was an abundance of good stories to tell.

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President in action Campus in season News and notes

{ VO L . 1 2 | I S S U E 3 | S P R I N G 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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So I went to my colleagues, Marcia Black Water and Shanda Webber, to help figure out the best way to tell them. With their guidance, we created a special section celebrating these women.

This is by no means a definitive list, but rather a small sampling of some of the inspiring Indigenous women in our community.

And, in an effort to connect past, present and future in these pages, we will keep telling new stories that will come our way in future issues, and we made sure to include links to earlier stories that appeared in Wider Horizons that showcased some other memorable grads, staff and friends of the college.

In creating this issue, it was important to us to include as many Indigenous women’s voices as possible – not just as the subjects of the stories, but as the writers as well. So there are many new writers in this issue, and we are grateful to them all. Many other stories are told in the first person, either as written by the subjects of the stories or as told to me and my colleagues. This shift from our usual style is an attempt to maintain the individual voices and power of the women we are featuring. Perhaps one step Wider Horizons can take toward truth and reconciliation is to honour and amplify these voices, providing a new platform to share their stories.

We hope you enjoy reading this special issue. And as always, feel free to let us know what you think by emailing WHMagazine@lethbridgecollege.ca. We love hearing from you.

Lisa Kozleski Editor

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

‘I HAVE ALL THE GRANDMOTHERS HOLDING ME UP’ Savour the stories of Indigenous women connected to Lethbridge College who have led the way and inspired those around them in their lives and work.

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Crisp delight: A Culinary alumna offers a new recipe that blends a food from her childhood with foods she loves today to create a savory, satisfying meal.

Digging deep: New donation to Lethbridge College unearths endless learning possibilities.

Publisher: Dr. Paula Burns Editor-in-chief: Sandra Dufresne Editor: Lisa Kozleski Art director/designer: Dana Woodward Cover photo: Rob Olson Photographers: Jamin Heller, Jeff Hinman, Leif Norman, Rob Olson, NAIT Athletics, Gregory Thiessen Writers: Marcia Black Water, Paul Kingsmith, Mel Lefebvre, Seth Slomp, Dawn Sugimoto

Illustrators: Brent Bates, Eric Dyck College staff contributors: Kristy Clark, Leeanne Conrad, Greg Kruyssen, Lawrence Krysak, Ron Ostepchuk, Shawn Salberg, Kasha Thurston, Sydney Wakaruk Proofreaders: Melissa Bexte, Sylvie Bilodeau-Goeseels, Cathie Carlson, Michael Doughty, Linda Sprinkle

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The last word: Twenty-five years later, members of the 1994 Kodiaks women’s soccer team remember a last-second goal that led to gold.

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, laughs with Sangita Thapaliya (centre) and Cindy Wilmore (right) as they take part in a Paint-and-Sip Pub Night on campus in January. Lethbridge College alumna Sandra Kabatoff (Communication Arts 1988) of Kaba Krafts and her daughter, Rachel Navitikula, led the session.

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Seventeen staff members participated in creating their own “Starry Night” as part of this special program earlier this year. The college’s Employee Engagement Committee sponsored the event, which was a special offering at the regular weekly Pub Night held on campus.

Photo by Rob Olson

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Campus in season

The robin’s return to campus is always welcome, although, according to the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation, some robins choose to overwinter in Alberta. Whether they decide to head south – some flying as far as southern Mexico and Guatemala – has less to do with the temperature and more to do with whether there is enough food to sustain them over the winter.

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While this fine-feathered-friend didn’t divulge its travel routes, spotting a robin on campus is a true sign of spring. Hearing one is an even greater pleasure – as robins sing when they arrive in their breeding territories.

Robins usually lay two sets of eggs a year, starting in late April or early May. Both females and males feed and care for three to four nestlings once they hatch.

Photo by Rob Olson

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News and notes

News and notes spotlight on: Bill and Sue Smienk

As a couple, what do you do when one person loves to explore other cultures, and the other doesn’t enjoy travel? You bring the world to your door. That’s what Bill and Sue Smienk have done nearly ever y week for the past four years.

It began when Sue Smienk, a research technician at the Lethbridge

Research and Development Centre, started Friday Afternoon Conversations in English at the Smienks (FACES). Bill Smienk, chair of the Lethbridge College School of Engineering Technologies, initially went along for the ride, but today’s he’s fully engaged in this unique exploration of language and culture.

On any given Friday, five to 25 English language learners from around the world drop in. Some are young adults attending college.

Others have careers in the city.

“It’s so amazing,” Bill Smienk says. “We’re so thankful to be part of it, getting to know them and watching them grow as people.”

Bill Smienk, whose parents were immigrants, knows how much his family benefitted from the support of others. Sue Smienk took a course at the college on teaching English as a second language. It inspired her to provide more opportunities for individuals to practise their English.

They hope others may be inspired to help in their own way.

There is no shortage of learners. The college’s international student program doubled in one year to 471 in Fall 2018. That’s not including students in English as a Second Language(ESL) programs.

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Visitors to the home can experience Bill Smienk’s passion project — an HO (1:87) scale model train layout that dominates the basement.

His guest book has been signed by people from all over the world.

The afternoons might be filled with presentations about home countries or exploring aspects of Canadian culture. Some guests pop by once or twice. Others are regulars.

The Smienks say they have been treated to dance and drum lessons, made friends around the globe and gained invaluable cultural understanding from their guests.

Camila Santos, now a career and academic advisor at Lethbridge College, accompanied her husband Vini Illana to the Smienks’ home at the urging of a friend. The couple had just arrived in Lethbridge from Brazil.

“We come from a country where people don’t open their doors to strangers,” she says. “I thought, are we intruding?”

That was more than three years ago. They’ve been going back ever since.

“They are our home away from home,” Camila says. “Bill and Sue let our family know we’re good. They understand what it’s like to have their kids away and they take that worry away for our families.”

Sue Smienk says the couple has learned as much from FACES as the people learning English.

“You’re investing in our lives,” she tells a typical Friday gathering that sees people from Brazil, Mexico and Italy hanging out in her kitchen. “Bill and I are so blessed to have you in our lives.”

Story by Dawn Sugimoto | 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.

PHILANTHROPY

Matteottis support student-athletes with $100,000 gift to Kodiaks Athletics Lethbridge College Kodiaks Athletics received a game-changing $100,000 gift from long-time booster Flora Matteotti, on behalf of her late husband Val and herself, in December. The announcement fittingly took place just steps away from the entrance to the Val Matteotti Gymnasium – the home court for Kodiaks Athletics – as the Matteottis continued a long tradition of supporting the Kodiaks and the college.

“I find it tough to explain just how much of an impact this gift will have on the Kodiaks,” says Todd Caughlin, manager of Kodiaks Athletics. “We pride ourselves on building our programs around student-athletes who fit our three pillars of academic accountability, athletic excellence and community involvement, and those are values Flora and Val have always championed. This gift will help us to support more student-athletes than ever before as they pursue their educational and athletic goals.”

The gift will go to support the newlynamed Val and Flora Matteotti Kodiaks recruitment fund, the Kodiaks team of the year award winners and athletics scholarships. The Kodiaks team of the year award will be rebranded as the Val and Flora Matteotti Kodiaks Team of the Year award and given annually to the Kodiaks team that best represents the three pillars of Kodiaks Athletics.

The Matteottis have been long-time supporters of Lethbridge College. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Matteottis’ gift that led to the construction of the college’s Physical Education building and the Val Matteotti Gymnasium. Another major gift, in 2000, led to the creation of the Flora

Matteotti Centre for Teaching and Learning.

The Matteottis have also supported events such as the Clayton Allan Wine Auction and the Lethbridge College Golf Tournament. Val and Flora Matteotti have both been inducted into the Lethbridge College Hall of Fame for their outstanding contributions to the college.

“We are so thankful for the ongoing support of the Matteotti family and their commitment to the college and to the Kodiaks,” says Dr. Paula Burns, Lethbridge College President and CEO. “Our student-athletes are a shining example of what we embody at Lethbridge College, and they are ambassadors both while they’re at the college and once they enter their careers and communities. This gift will benefit them both directly and indirectly for years to come.”

The Matteotti family has a long tradition of supporting young athletes, including multiple decades as name sponsors of the Val Matteotti Golden Hawks bantam hockey team, the first sports team sponsored by the family. “Val always had a soft spot for sports, as he loved them but

was never able to participate as a young boy because he was busy working on the family farm,” says Flora Matteotti. “So I can continue to honour Val and his passion for sports by supporting the Kodiaks and these studentathletes. It is great to continue our long-time support of the college and the Kodiaks.”

"It is great to continue our long-time support of the college and the Kodiaks." { Flora Matteotti }

Val and Flora Matteotti have been honoured with countless awards for their generous philanthropy over the years, including being named Philanthropists of the Year by the Alberta Association of Fundraising Professionals in 2001. Val passed away in 2014 at the age of 101. His wife of 66 years, Flora, continues to be a passionate supporter of a wide array of causes across southern Alberta.

February 12 : @JoyanneMitchell

What a great night @LethCollege recognizing donors with @LC_President #DonorAppreciation #HubbardLab What Happens Next Matters Most { Joyanne Mitchell }

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News and notes

KODIAKS NEWS

KODIAKS STRIKE SILVER T

he Lethbridge College men’s volleyball team wrapped up its best season in program history with an ACAC silver medal in February.

“I’m so proud of this group of young men, and I’m thankful for the joyful run we had together,” says Greg Gibos, Kodiaks men’s volleyball coach. “They deserved the best experience because they are simply the best people. To everyone who took time to text, tweet and interact with this team – we heard and felt you. The amount of support we’ve received has been the incredibly humbling."

The historic season included a new record for wins (22), the team’s first-ever ranking in the CCAA top three and the first conference medal in program history. “What an incredible ride for this group of student-athletes,” Gibos adds. “I’m so happy that each one of them has been able to chase after their dreams of 8

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playing post-secondary volleyball, and had an amazing run into the conference championship. This group of student-athletes is resilient, relentless and has become a family."

"What an incredible ride for this group of student-athletes. I’m so happy that each one of them has been able to chase after their dreams of playing post-secondary volleyball, and had an amazing run into the conference championship.”

Volleyball honours abound At the end of their historic volleyball season, four Kodiaks – Carter Hansen, Michael Hummel, Matt Primrose and Dax Whitehead – were named to the men’s ACAC south all-conference team, while three of them – Hansen, Primrose and Whitehead – were also named ACAC tournament all-stars.

Hansen, who finished second in the ACAC in kills, was named to the all-conference team for the first time in his four-year Kodiaks career. Whitehead was named to the allconference team for a third straight year after he became the all-time ACAC and CCAA leader in kills. This is Primrose’s second straight season on the all-conference team after he finished sixth in the conference in digs, and the first appearance for Hummel, who finished sixth in the conference in blocks.

Whitehead completed his ACAC career as the all-time leader in kills in Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association history, finishing the regular season with 228 kills, giving him 1,336 career kills.

A COMMENDABLE COACH My Kodiaks Moment supports student-athletes The Kodiaks launched their inaugural My Kodiaks Moment giving campaign last fall, raising $10,119.65 to support scholarships for Kodiaks student-athletes. The campaign was boosted by a $5,000 gift from noted philanthropist Flora Matteotti, on behalf of herself and her late husband Val. All admission donations from the inaugural Kodiaks alumni weekend on Nov. 23 and 24 also went directly to the campaign.

Kodiaks student-athletes are strongly encouraged to focus on academics and community involvement, in addition to their athletic pursuits. Kodiaks student-athletes continually post grade point averages equal to, or better than, Lethbridge College’s general student population. Former Kodiaks say their time in the program taught them invaluable life skills such as time management, leadership, working as a team and overcoming adversity.

Kodiaks men’s volleyball head coach Greg Gibos was named south division coach of the year at the ACAC awards banquet in February and went forward as the ACAC’s nominee for coach of the year at the CCAA awards banquet in March. Gibos is in his third season as Kodiaks coach, and he led his team to their best record and finish in program history.

“When I hired Greg, he displayed a level of enthusiasm to not just coach at the collegiate level but to commit to grow the game of volleyball in southern Alberta,” says Todd Caughlin, Lethbridge College Athletics manager. “He has built a program that has been long overdue at Lethbridge College and with the type of student-athletes he has constructed it with – it’s an incredible accomplishment.”

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News and notes

KODIAKS NEWS

Women’s basketball bounces back into postseason

Basketball players swoop up conference awards

The Kodiaks women’s basketball program returned to the ACAC championships in March after a one-season playoff absence.

The Kodiaks finished the regular season with a 13-8 record, placing third in the ACAC south division. In her second year at the helm, head coach Deanna Dotts retooled the club and found success with a team that had the third best defence in the south division. “The girls bought into the type of game that we wanted to play and were willing to put in the work,” says Dotts.

“We said from early on that defence was where we were going to excel this year, and I believe we did just that.”

Jocelyn Neilson was named ACAC women’s basketball south division rookie of the year. Neilson was also one of five Kodiaks basketball players named to ACAC all-star teams at the conference awards banquet in February in Fort McMurray. Neilson was named a south division second team all-star, while teammate Juhee Anderson earned first team all-star honours. On the men’s side, Michael Clemons was named a south division first team all-star, while both Lincoln Anderson and Orin Porter Jr. earned second team honours. Clemons finished his ACAC career with his name firmly planted in the conference record book, as the all-time leader in both assists (868) and steals (238).

February 25 : @LC_Kodiaks

A career that re-wrote the @ACAC_Sport record book.

The leader in all-time steals with 238.

The leader in all-time assists with 868.

What an amazing five seasons for Michael Clemons. #ThankYouMike { Kodiaks Athletics }

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Familiar face takes over Kodiaks cross country and indoor track teams The Lethbridge College Kodiaks didn’t have to look far for a new indoor track and cross country head coach, as co-coach Simon Schaerz has been promoted to the top job.

Schaerz takes over from Bertil Johansson, the winningest coach in Kodiaks history, who retired in November following 32 years at the helm of the Kodiaks.

Schaerz joined the Kodiaks as an assistant coach in 2015 and was promoted to co-coach in 2017. A former Canada West track athlete at both the University of Lethbridge and University of Calgary, Schaerz is also a faculty member at Lethbridge College.

“We have a legacy, and with that comes a pressure that we continue to perform,” says Schaerz. “There is a little apprehension with Bertil leaving, because he’s been such a fantastic mentor. But I’m excited to get in and make the program my own, and live up to the expectation that we perform and not just go to nationals, but finish in the top three.”

First-year EMT student rushes to bronze at ACACs

SEVEN BEST

Danna DeGagne, a first-year student from Calgary studying in the Emergency Medical Technician program, ran her way to a bronze medal in the 300-metre event at the ACAC indoor track championships in March. DeGagne finished the race in 44.96 seconds, less than a tenth of a second behind the silver medalist.

From coach to keeper: Ferguson commits to Kodiaks

College hosts successful ACAC futsal championships A total of 18 teams and more than 300 student-athletes converged in the Val Matteotti Gymnasium in March as the Kodiaks hosted the 2019 ACAC men’s and women’s futsal championships.

One of the most thrilling of the 40 actionpacked games was the bronze medal match on Sunday, March 17, when the Kodiaks’ men’s team faced the Olds Broncos. Skilled plays, ferocious comebacks and heated emotion were all on display in a game that couldn’t be contained to 50 minutes, as the Olds College Broncos earned the ACAC bronze medal with an 8-7 overtime victory over the host Kodiaks. The Kodiaks led for most of the game, but the Broncos scored in the last minute of both regulation and overtime to secure the victory.

Later on Sunday, the Ambrose Lions won the women’s championship match while the Keyano Huskies’ men’s team won gold.

This marked the third straight year that Lethbridge College was chosen to host an ACAC championship tournament. The Kodiaks hosted both the women’s basketball and indoor track championships in 2017 and the men’s basketball championship in 2018.

Most coaches only dream of returning to the glory of their playing days. For Lethbridge College Kodiaks goalkeeping coach Cody Ferguson, it will soon become a reality. Kodiaks head coach Sean Carey has announced that Ferguson will rejoin the Kodiaks active roster as a goalkeeper in the fall of 2019. Ferguson played for the Kodiaks in 2010-11, and again in 2013. He posted a 6-2-2 record in his final season and was named to the ACAC south division all-star team before transitioning immediately into his role as Kodiaks men’s and women’s goaltending coach.

Ferguson says it was a “perfect storm” of circumstances that led to his decision to return.

“Personally, I own my own business right now so I’ve been looking at taking some business classes the last couple of years,” says Ferguson.

“After talking to Sean [Carey] and some of the veterans on the team, it was a perfect time for me to take those classes and transition back into playing soccer.” Ferguson is widely considered one of the best keepers in southern Alberta, and Carey sees his signing as a testament to the team’s changing culture. After making the ACAC semifinals last season, the Kodiaks believe Ferguson’s signing will send a signal to potential recruits that the team is serious about making a run at a championship.

Music brings life to any event – and sports are no exception.

Before our Kodiaks men’s volleyball players take to the court, they fire up a carefully curated mix of adrenalinboosting warmup tunes to prepare them for battle. Here is a sampling of their playlist, which features a range of catchy electronic house beats that get the rafters of the Val Matteotti Gym vibrating with anticipation.

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

EMTs’ commitment to blood donation recognized Chris Tomaras, coordinator of the Emergency Medical Technician (Primary Care Paramedic) program, and his students won a Canadian Blood Services Shuttle Up to Save Lives draw in February for having group appointments from October to December. For their commitment to donating blood, they won a $300 gift card to Tim Hortons, which Tomaras put to good use during a multi-casualty scenario that took place in March.

College wins big at CASE VIII awards

U.S. presidential speechwriter featured at speaker series

Lethbridge College arrived on the speaker

series circuit as Wider Horizons: An evening with… launched in April. Bestselling author David Frum, who served as special assistant and speechwriter to former United States President George W. Bush in 2001 and 2002, spoke at the inaugural event. The series will take place annually and is made possible as part of a $100,000 gift from Bruce McKillop.

Frum spoke on the rise of populism in politics at a ticketed evening event open to the entire southern Alberta community on April 3. He also offered a separate session with students from the Centre for Applied Arts and Sciences earlier that day.

McKillop was the owner and operator of Lethbridge’s McKillop Insurance and Registry Services for more than 45 years. He stressed the value of supporting all postsecondary education in the city and said he wanted to help highlight the educational choices at the college when the series was announced in March.

“The college has so many different types of programming, and I think it’s important to elevate the recognition of those programs, and what the college can provide as a whole,” says McKillop. “The speaker series aligns with that vision and I’m excited to see how it grows and supports academics at the college. I had a good career and Lethbridge supported me. I’m fortunate to be in a position where I’m able to give back, and I think this is a great way to do that.”

The Wider Horizons: An evening with… community speaker series celebrates diverse stories and perspectives, from world-renowned speakers each year. “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.”

Check out the fall issue of Wider Horizons for an interview with Frum.

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Lethbridge College’s Advancement team was recognized for its outstanding work by winning six CASE District VIII 2019 Communications Awards at a ceremony in February in Vancouver. The college received five awards for exemplary achievement in marketing and communications while senior communications specialist Paul Kingsmith received a Rising Star award. The Communications awards included: • A gold award in Branding and Image Development for the college’s new “Be Ready” brand campaign.

• A gold award for “Time” in the Editorial Shorts category.

• A silver award in the Marketing and Brand Video category for the “Be Ready” brand video.

• A silver award in the Feature Writing category for the story “Time of His Life.”

• A bronze award in the Individual Illustrations category for the illustration “South of 60.”

CASE’s Rising Star award, presented to Kingsmith, honours individuals with three to five years of experience working in an advancement field “whose early success bodes well for future leadership and achievement.”

Electric vehicle charging network announced Against the backdrop of the Lethbridge College Crooks School of Transportation shop, partners from the Government of Alberta, as well as the public and private sector, announced the Peaks to Prairies electric vehicle charging network for southern Alberta in February. The network will have 19 fast-charging and Level 2 charging stations from Medicine Hat to the Crowsnest Pass and Waterton Lakes National Park to Morley by the end of this year. The college was a fitting setting as Automotives students are learning how to service electric vehicles and the college is committed to the renewable energy sector.

Town of Coaldale supports Culinary composting efforts Culinary Services and the Facilities Department have been recycling materials for several years. In addition to recycling plastics, glass, cardboard and tin, the college composts its kitchen waste and trim. Chef Stephen Klassen, who lives in Coaldale, approached the Town of Coaldale and asked them to donate three green compost bins to Culinary. This collaboration will help to streamline compost collection in the kitchen and help the college to increase composting potential.

Criminal Justice, ESL students break the ice

During a class assignment that involved interviewing international students, Justice Studies

student Landon Malinowski noticed something unusual. The person he was interviewing seemed afraid. “She hated cops,” said Malinowski. And after doing some research, he realized that some recent immigrants bring the fear and distrust of law enforcement they may have experienced in the countries they left with them to Canada.

But the police force in Canada is generally recognized as looking out for “the great good of the people,” says Malinowski, and he hoped to reassure her about that. After the interview, Malinowski proposed that the college’s Criminal Justice and ESL students engage with one another over lunch at a meet-and-greet event. That’s just what more than 140 students did in late February in The Cave over pizza and potluck food items from the home countries of many ESL students.

Emil Cipion, a first-year ESL student, grew up in the Dominican Republic where he said police officers would just pull you over for nothing and take your money. Cipion said both international and CJ students benefit from socializing over lunch. “The international students will get a feeling about how the police force in Canada works here,” said Cipion. “But the Criminal Justice students get the chance to learn about different cultures and beliefs.” The Criminal Justice program and the LEO Club plan to continue this event in the coming years and hope to see an increase in attendance.

Story and photos by Seth Slomp (Digital Communications and Media 2019)

March 21 : @LC_President

I was moved to tears as our students danced at Bridging Cultures @LethCollege. These students got the whole crowd moving. So proud to celebrate our #globalculture. { Dr. Paula Burns }

May 5 – Aug. 15

Summer Housing Planning a family reunion, business conference or sports tournament? Rest easy in our fully-furnished residences.

Book your stay at lethbridgecollege.ca/summer-housing.

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News and notes

Alberta’s history that police recruits and community peace officer recruits are training side-by-side. The cadets include 23 from Lethbridge Police Service, three from the Blood Tribe Police Service, one from the Taber Police Service, four from the Canadian Pacific Police Service and three from the Manitoba First Nations Police Service.

Partnership trains Indigenous front-line cooks Indigenous students taking a front-line cook program on campus had their first opportunity to work in the kitchen as the new term started in January. Chef Doug Overes snapped this photo of the first cohort on the night of their first lab. The students are part of a partnership between Lethbridge College Corporate and Continuing Education and Saamis Aboriginal Employment and Training Association. The partnership also sees Indigenous students taking pre-employment carpentry and an administrative professional fast-track program on campus. A similar front-line cook program was offered by Corporate and Continuing Education to students on the Blood Tribe First Nation, but this iteration brings students — including many who live off-reserve — to our campus. All three programs wrap up in April.

LC, LPS team up to provide training to police cadets

Lethbridge College’s Police Cadet Training program welcomed a new class of 34 cadets from five different agencies in January. This class is unique as it marks the first time in

College joins national journalism collaboration

Lethbridge College and 11 other journalism schools from across Canada have joined forces to strengthen journalism education, creating a new organization called J-Schools Canada/ ÉcolesJ. Acknowledging that journalism faces a range of threats around the world, the agreement allows the partner institutions to share best teaching practices and knowledge to help bolster the quality of journalism education in Canada. Instructors and students in Lethbridge College’s Digital Communications and Media program will gain additional access to resources and opportunities to share ideas.

Students get real-world experience making a pitch

Multimedia Production and Digital Communications and Media students practised the art of the pitch at February’s Tecconnect Challenge. During an intense five hours, they worked in groups to create marketing materials and a distribution strategy for KJ Concepts. The business, founded by Kenny Joss (Engineering Design and Drafting Technology 2005), is a design and drafting company that uses 3D scanning technology.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

MATTERS MOST. At Lethbridge College, we understand that success does not happen by chance, but takes an open mind, a creative vision and an eagerness to embrace and explore new ideas.

Be ready to embrace the opportunities in our new one-year Virtual and Augmented Reality Certificate program.

Apply at lethbridgecollege.ca.

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Student projects receive prestigious provincial award Randy Holmberg, Tyson Baldrey and Allan Johnston, all 2018 Engineering Design and Drafting Technology graduates, have been selected for the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta Capstone Project of the Year Award.

The award recognizes originality, quality and relevance of the research, and real-world applicability. The trio’s project was one of eight selected and featured in ASET’s quarterly magazine, Technology Alberta, in the fall.

DCM students make home reno series

From Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to Love It or List It to Property Brothers, home renovation shows are a television staple.

This past year, Lethbridge College’s Digital Communications and Media (DCM) students threw on their work boots and hard hats to produce a show of their own. The students were in charge of scripting, filming, editing and producing Flipped Out, a six-episode web series.

BY THE NUMBERS

CAMPUS KUDOS

Congratulations to these Lethbridge College community members making a difference:

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Kristin Ailsby, who had served as Lethbridge College’s chair of the Board of Governors starting in 2015, was appointed a judge on the provincial court in February. She stepped down from her role on the board after the appointment was announced; vice-chairs Kristine Cassie and Tracy Zappone will serve as interim chair for the remainder of Ailsby’s term.

Sheldon Anderson (Automotives 1987) started his new role as Dean of the Centre for Trades in December. He has worked at the college since 2004.

Number of faculty members who presented their work at the Western and Northwestern Region Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing conference in February.

91%

Madisyn Chambers, lab technician, SPHERE, School of Health Sciences, Centre for Health and Wellness, won the college’s Strong Start Award.

Patrick Dudley, customer relationship management administrator/ senior analyst, Information Technology Services, won the college’s Service Innovation Excellence Award.

Percentage of grads who passed the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Exam last fall (the Alberta average is 88%).

Kirsten Fantazir, instructor in Criminal Justice, and Janet Yorke, associate dean in the Centre for Health and Wellness, received this year’s annual NISOD Excellence Awards. NISOD’s Excellence Awards recognize men and women each year who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment and contribution to their students and colleagues.

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Lisa Halpen, program assistant, School of Health Sciences, Centre

Times the Tiffin Conference has provided an important platform for discussing current issues and trends in the red meat industry.

for Health and Wellness, won the college’s Leadership and Creating Community Appreciation Award.

Dave Maze, faculty member, School of Justice, Centre for Justice and Human Services, won the college’s Leadership and Creating Community Excellence Award.

Francis Rankin, project manager, Facilities, won the Leadership and Creating Community Appreciation Award.

Number of blood donations made as part of the Be Ready to Save a Life blood drive.

1,442 km

Lina Wiebe, Interior Design Technology student, designed a home that was voted as a finalist in the annual Building Industry and Land Development Association Lethbridge Awards of Excellence in Housing in the $230,000-$260,000 single family category. Student Jada Kot brought the home to life through 3D animation.

Pedalled by 11 teams participating in Biker Buddies in February.

4 500+ $5,000+

$ ,

Amount of money the Biker Buddies raised for student scholarships and awards.

Raised by the Hairy Cousins Gang to support men’s health research during Movember.

Save the date

COULEE FEST SATURDAY, SEPT. 14

lethbridgecollege.ca/events/coulee-fest-2019

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WALKING WITH THE WISDOM OF OUR

MOTHERS AND GRANDMOTHERS Stories by Marcia Black Water, Lowa Crowshoe-Beebe, Rachel CrowSpreadingWings, Joyce Healy, Beverly Hungry Wolf, Jean Philistine Old Shoes-Maurer, Tawyna Plain Eagle, Candace Coby Royal, Kimmy Shade, Roberta Smallbones, Janetta Soup, Nikki Soup and Roxy Weasel Head Stories told to Marcia Black Water, Lisa Kozleski and Dawn Sugimoto | Photos by Rob Olson and Leif Norman

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For more than six decades,

Lethbridge College has been an important waypoint in the life journeys of tens of thousands of people. Whether they came to study, to work, to teach or to support others, their time in these classrooms and corridors shaped and steered them in a variety of exciting and enduring ways.

For many of the Indigenous women who have spent a semester, a year, a decade or more at the recently named Ohkotoki’aahkkoiyiiniimaan, or Stone Pipe, the journey to Lethbridge College was made possible through the support and guidance of their mothers, grandmothers and other women in their lives.

Beverly Hungry Wolf (Honorary Bachelor of Applied Arts 2011), one of the first people from the Blood Reserve to attend Lethbridge College in the 1960s, says “one of the reasons I feel so confident is because

I have all the grandmothers holding me up. All the knowledge that my grandmothers gave me – I believe in that knowledge. I know that it worked for thousands of years for them, and it can still work in this day and age.”

IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES, WE INVITE YOU TO READ THE STORIES OF INDIGENOUS WOMEN CONNECTED TO LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE WHO HAVE LED THE WAY AND INSPIRED THOSE AROUND THEM IN THEIR LIVES AND WORK. THEY ARE A SMALL SAMPLING OF THE MANY INSPIRING INDIGENOUS WOMEN WHO ARE PART OF THE LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE COMMUNITY AND WHO CARRY THE WISDOM AND WALK IN THE WAYS OF THEIR MOTHERS AND GRANDMOTHERS.

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MARCIA BLACK WATER I was in Thunder Bay a couple years ago and listened to an early 20-something young woman share her experience as an Indigenous student.

She told the story of the success, the struggle and her will to keep going. It was a familiar story that she summed up eloquently: “I go to college to honour my family. My grandmother did not have the opportunity I have. I feel as though I am carrying my grandma along with me.”

I carry my mother and grandmothers with me, everywhere I go. They came with me several years ago when, for the first time, I travelled alone for my work at Lethbridge College. I would be getting to the airport alone and be far up in the Canadian north in the middle of winter alone. It was my first speaking engagement for the college and in all honesty, it was as nervewracking as a whiteout winter road.

While it was an empowering moment for me as a Blackfoot woman to be asked to present at a prestigious conference, even still, a few days before I left I was on the phone in tears with my mother. I was relating to her a news story I read about the history of assaults on women by taxi cab drivers in the Yukon. With all the media coverage on murdered and missing Indigenous women in Canada, I was worried about travelling alone. To ease my worry, I decided to rent a car. It might sound like a strange thing to worry about; however, as Indigenous women, we think about such dangers. My mother found the positive response to my worry: “You like travelling!

Just enjoy yourself. Rent a car. Don’t worry. My prayers are with you even when I am not.”

Despite the historical reality of the lives and moments in time where we did not seem to matter, Indigenous people in Canada have endured and persevered. I have been fortunate to live with an upbringing guided by my cultural Blackfoot ways of life, Niipaitapiiyssini, wherein life always matters.

The learning of my Blackfoot ways began as far back as I can remember. The earliest memories are songs and stories shared by my mother Delores, Aapaisaapiiaakii; they were the same as ones my mother’s grandmother Aahkiaapikkitstaakii (Annie Mountain Horse) shared with her. The song my mother would hum to my sister and me is a song that remains in my memory.

When I was four years old, my mother and her sister Alvine joined the Maotokiiks (Buffalo Women's Society). This moment began a life in which, as my mother said to me, “We will walk in this world differently; it is a blessed and honoured life.” My mother wore the same sacred headdress as her grandma.

My mother danced many dances in her life and guided me through mine. As I reached adulthood, I realized how protected I was in the space my mother created for me. She ensured I knew she would support me in whatever it was I ventured to do, including getting an education. “You need to get your education,” she said. “I never finished college, but you go to university.You are different, Marc, and you do not have anything to worry about.”

When I graduated from college, I was the mother of three beautiful children and they, along with my supportive, loving husband, my amazing parents and my siblings, watched me cross the stage. As I began walking out of the gym, I heard a voice calling, “Mom, wait for me!”

I turned and there were my little children running through the river of blue gowns toward me. I took their hands and walked with them.

That moment was pivotal for me. I realized my journey was different than my mother’s, than my grandmothers’. I was getting a choice of what education would be for me as a Blackfoot woman. In my walk through my life, I am always carrying my mother’s and my grandmothers’ love and prayers along with me.

IITO’TAWAOHKAAKII – WALKING BESIDE

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MARCIA BLACK WATER IS A MEMBER OF THE KAINAI FIRST NATION, WHICH IS PART OF THE BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY. SHE GRADUATED FROM THE GENERAL STUDIES PROGRAM AT LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE IN 2004 AND EARNED A BACHELOR OF ARTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE IN 2009.

SHE NOW WORKS AS THE COORDINATOR OF INDIGENOUS SERVICES AT THE COLLEGE.

DESPITE THE HISTORICAL REALITY OF THE LIVES AND MOMENTS IN TI ME WHERE WE DID NOT SEEM

TO MATTER, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN CANADA HAVE ENDURED AND PER SEVERED.

READ MORE FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Go to lethbridgecollege.ca/iiw to read the Fall 2018 feature on Diandra Bruised Head, “Chronicle Of A College Grad.”

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CANDACE COBY ROYAL Oki, Niistohaniikok Ksiskiniikakatosaki.

Hello, I am called Morning Star woman.

The literal translation of my Blackfoot name means I am the first to see the morning star. My name is also Coby Royal. I have been able to overcome many obstacles with the support of my family. My parents are Alphonse and Nora Eagle Bear.

I became a young parent at the age of 15. This is not to say I was raised poorly or that my parents didn’t care about me – it was the opposite. My parents spoiled me with love, kindness and patience. I am very grateful for when I look back, my life experiences made me who I am today. I am a proud Blackfoot woman.

What I remember most growing up was how the community was always talking about post-secondary education. I understand now that they were talking about education being the new buffalo. At 15, I registered myself into a homeschooling program through an alternative school, and at the age of 17, I graduated from high

school. At that time, I moved into low-income housing in Lethbridge and started attending the college.

After graduation, I earned a BA from the University of Lethbridge. I also had my son while I was attending university. My purpose in life was to provide for my children and give them a good life. My work ethic developed at a young age and came from my father, mother and grandmother. I learned to be kind and patient from my parents who took care of my grandmother Gwen Healy and my two handicapped uncles. Today, I work as an advocate for men, women and children within the First Nations communities I serve.

If there is any advice I could give to students at the college, it is that everyone needs a purpose in life, a reason to wake up. Set goals and find out what motivates, inspires and drives you. Obtaining a post-secondary education is hard work and there are supports to help students. Graduation – or convocation – is one of the most gratifying experiences you’ll have in life.

KSISKINIIKAKATOSAKI – MORNING STAR WOMAN

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CANDACE COBY ROYAL IS A MEMBER OF THE KAINAI FIRST NATION (BLOOD TRIBE), WHICH IS PART OF THE BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY. SHE HAS WORKED IN A VARIETY OF ADVOCACY ROLES IN ALBERTA AND IS NOW LAUNCHING HER OWN CONSULTING BUSINESS. SHE GRADUATED FROM THE GENERAL STUDIES PROGRAM AT LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE IN 2004.

WE HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN IN CHARGE OF OUR OWN NARRATION AND IT IS TIME WE AS INDIGENOUS PEOPLE TAKE A LEAD ON THAT.

TAWNYA PLAIN EAGLE

TAWNYA PLAIN EAGLE IS A MEMBER OF THE PIIKANI NATION, WHICH IS PART OF THE BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY. SHE GRADUATED FROM THE COLLEGE’S DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA PROGRAM IN 2016 AND IS EXPECTED TO RECEIVE HER BACHELOR OF COMMUNICATIONS DEGREE FROM MOUNT ROYAL UNIVERSITY THIS SPRING. SHE IS ALSO AN EDITOR OF PIIKANI NATION NEWS.

SA’ CII NAKI

I love being able to tell a story, whether that is my own story or not. Being a Blackfoot person and seeing how some of our stories get misinterpreted or looked over in the media has inspired me to continue sharing our own stories through film, writing, photography and beyond.

When I complete a story and it is received well by my community, I know that I am doing the right thing.

We haven't always been in charge of our own narration and it is time we as Indigenous people take a lead on that.

I like writing Indigenous stories that have a political twist. In the last municipal election, I wrote one titled "Reconciliation is more than saying sorry." It looked at how the City of Calgary can address truth and reconciliation better than they have been in the past. I also wrote a story about an Indigenous model that was helping youth break out of their shell and work with their low self-esteem

through fashion shows.

I also wrote another story titled "The Empty City: Life between two worlds."

It was a self-reflection of my own life growing up in Calgary and constantly visiting the reserve. I incorporated how my mom, who was a single mother, had to do what she needed to do to give me the best life possible. Through that, I mentioned the Indian Act and the barriers it places on Indigenous reserves when creating jobs.

To this day, I'll still get random people who will message me on social media and email that say they've read my story and how inspired or moved they were by it. One girl emailed me and told me that I have a gift for writing from my heart then applauded my mom for the sacrifices she made.

She also wrote that my writing "will help build a bridge of understanding between the two worlds." This is what I strive to do with anything that I write that has an Indigenous focus.

READ MORE FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Go to lethbridgecollege.ca/iiw to read the Summer 2008 story about Carol Melting Tallow, “‘Eagle Woman’ Sets Sights on Fashion Heritage.”

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BEVERLY HUNGRY WOLF I am working on two new writing projects now. The book I am most happy about is The Ways of my Grandmothers, which was finished in 1980, the Year of the Woman. Later, I did another book, Daughters of the Buffalo Women.

This is about women in my mother’s time – when the tradition went from being at home all the time to going to residential school. I am hoping that when I retire I can do another book called Sweet Grass, or The Women who Walk in Two Worlds. It would be about my own experience – about girls and women who went back to our traditional culture and helped to revive it.

It seems my life work is to share the positive stories about native women, because they’ve always been marginalized since the coming of the settlers. I’ve always considered my work to make non-natives understand about our ways. Our ways are very intricate. As a woman, I would love to be living in the old days, I would have all kinds of people looking out for me, and here, in this lifestyle, I sometimes feel scared because of the people. I am not scared to be out in the woods but sometimes I am scared to be in the city.

In the old days, the men would ask the women, “OK, what do we need?” Our ways were different.

In our culture, most of the holy things, the ceremonies, they are given to the women and shared with the men. We are the knowledge keepers. We keep the bundle. We take care of it.

Our husbands, they run the ceremony because that’s what we want them to do. But the most holy things, the ceremonies, they were given to the women and shared with the men. Our husbands always deferred to us and they asked, when we had our meetings, the women got asked first, the men would say, well, we will follow, because the women knew what our tribe needed, what our family needed, what our children needed.

With the coming of the settlers, but especially the church, our culture became very paternalistic. It feels like for thousands of years there was a really nice balance, and they disturbed that balance. Things that worked for us for thousands of years – suddenly we were to believe something from someone who came here 150 years ago. And we were forced to believe because the non-natives had the bigger guns.

[Despite the challenges,] you keep hope by believing in the Creator. If you believe in the Creator, you know that there is a path set out for you. I never knew I would be on this path, but everything was just falling in place for me. I had a wish to learn about my culture, and everything fell in place. And I was very, very fortunate that the last of our old people were still around, and those were my teachers. They taught me how they were taught – you only get told something once and you’d better remember it. That was our learning style.

If you believe in the Creator, you will find that right path.You might get a few bonks on the head but eventually it will work through. It is the same with dying. It doesn’t matter who you are.You are going to die sooner or later. I am not going to have any fear of dying. I’ve tried to be kind and tried to follow what my traditional people taught me, which is basically do unto others.

One of the reasons I feel so confident is because I have all of the grandmothers holding me up. I have all the knowledge that the grandmothers gave me, and I believe in that knowledge. I know that it worked for thousands of year for them, and it could still work in this day and age. My grandmothers told me: “This is how you do things. This is what life is about.

Whatever you do, always remember it will come back to you.”

SIKSKA-GHEE – BLACK-FACED WOMAN

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BEVERLY HUNGRY WOLF IS A MEMBER OF THE KAINAI FIRST NATION, WHICH IS PART OF THE BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY. SHE IS AN AUTHOR, ACTIVIST, EDUCATOR, ELDER AND LIFELONG SOUTHERN ALBERTAN WHO HAS DEDICATED HERSELF TO LEARNING AND RESTORING HER BLACKFOOT CULTURE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. SHE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE FROM THE BLOOD RESERVE TO ATTEND LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE, AND, IN 2011, SHE RECEIVED AN HONORARY DEGREE FROM THE COLLEGE.

MY GRANDMOTHERS TOLD ME: “THIS IS HOW YOU DO THINGS. THIS IS WHAT LIFE IS ABOUT. WHATEVER YOU DO, ALWAYS REMEMBER IT WILL COME BACK TO YOU.”

READ MORE FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Go to lethbridgecollege.ca/iiw to read the Spring 2017 feature on Tiana Weasel Moccasin, “Lethbridge College at 60.”

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AT THE SIGNING OF TREATY 7, CHIEF CROWFOOT PROCLAIMED: “WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE PLAINS, IT IS OUR HOME.” THESE WORDS ARE A POWERFUL REMINDER TO OUR YOUTH THAT WE ARE STRONG, PROUD PEOPLE WHO STILL INHABIT OUR TERRITORY.

LOWA CROWSHOE-BEEBE While I was a student at Lethbridge College, I won the Charles S. Noble Award for leadership, from the Government of Alberta. I was president of the First Nations club, which at that time was the largest club at the college, and we were very active that year. We did many things as a club that I was proud of. That next year, I ran for students’ association and lost by one vote.

After I graduated in 1996, I moved to Calgary and worked for Xerox Canada and then moved to Telus Communications. I had an amazing 11-year career there, working in communications, consumer and corporate sales and mobility. I left in 2007 with social media taking off on the internet, I joined the new era. I understood the purpose of social media to connect people, I understood the reach of it, and I am amazed what it’s

NATOYI’SOKASIIM

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brought into my life. Today, my social media reaches hundreds of thousands of people a month and engages First Nations and non-First Nations people alike.

I take pride in my Blackfoot heritage and thank my grandparents who forged the way for me and showed resilience in their efforts. My grandfather, Howard Beebe Sr., was a founding member of the Indian Association in 1939, an organization that changed many laws for our people in this country. My other grandfather, Joe Crowshoe Sr., won the Order of Canada for his cross-cultural work in bridging the gap with Canadians.

My most recent accomplishment came this year. I ran for Piikani Nation Chief and lost by a few votes. I am proud of my accomplishments and will continue to work to advocate for my people and change people's perception about who we really are.

LOWA CROWSHOE-BEEBE IS A PROUD MEMBER OF THE PIIKANI NATION, WHICH IS PART OF THE BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY. SHE GRADUATED IN 1996 FROM LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE’S INFORMATION SPECIALIST PROGRAM AND NOW WORKS IN PUBLIC RELATIONS, ADVOCACY, MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS.

READ MORE FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Go to lethbridgecollege.ca/iiw to read the Spring 2015 feature on Thelma King Murphy, “Carving A Piece of History.”

JEAN PHILISTINE OLD SHOES-MAURER

JEAN PHILISTINE OLD SHOESMAURER IS A MEMBER OF THE BLOOD TRIBE, WHICH IS PART OF THE BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY. SHE GRADUATED FROM THE COLLEGE’S CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROGRAM IN 1998 AND WENT ON TO EARN A BACHELOR OF PROFESSIONAL ARTS – CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEGREE FROM ATHABASCA UNIVERSITY. SHE IS ONE OF THE CO-FOUNDERS OF APIISTAMIIKS, WHITE BUFFALO TRAIL BLAZERS, A GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO GIVING A VOICE TO THOSE WHO FEEL THEY CANNOT SPEAK UP FOR THEMSELVES AND BRINGING AN END TO RACIST AND DISCRIMINATORY ACTS.

I was working on my Indigenous Bachelor of Social Work at Red Crow College at the end of our first year, in 2018. Instead of doing a practicum, myself and two fellow students - Nadine Eagle Child and Melodie Bastien – chose to do a group project.

We wanted to see if we could create an advocacy group that would address and bring awareness about discrimination to Lethbridge and southern Alberta. We came up with our group – Apiistamiiks, White Buffalo Trail Blazers – to address racism and discrimination.

Our Blackfoot people have been affected by colonization and are afraid to speak up. Our advocacy group is speaking up for our people, who may not be familiar with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms or know about racial profiling or systemic racism. We want to be a safe space where people can come out and tell their stories and get help speaking up. Now that the government has acknowledged what has happened with residential schools and is working toward reconciliation, we can help people start healing. This is one way I can give back to my community and my people, and to help them through this process.

The three of us are all educated, and we have life experiences that have made it so we’ve been able to stand up for ourselves. We also understand our Blackfoot traditional ways of life (Niitisitapiiysinni).

I am very fortunate to have been raised with two grandfathers, Mark Old Shoes and Pete Weasel Moccasin, who were very prominent spiritual Elders in our community. My parents, Joyce and the late Percy Old Shoes, instilled strong ethics, morals and values throughout my upbringing. My mother was my first role model. She would encourage me and lift me up and tell me life is going to be hard at times, but don’t ever give up. There’s a Blackfoot word – iik-ak-imat – that means try hard. Our parents and grandparents would tell us that.

My aunt Loretta Many Bears and my sister Sylvia Old Shoes were also role models. They were the first two people in our family to get a degree. I feel like they are the ones who started the path of academics for myself. When my aunt and sister went to school and were successful, I saw that if they could do it, I could do it too.

AAKAI’PO’TAKII – MANY FLYING WOMAN

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RACHEL CROWSPREADINGWINGS Before I attended Lethbridge College, I produced my own television show that aired for over a year and a half on Shaw-Lethbridge.

It was called Prairie Phyre First Nations News in Southern Alberta and its mission was to raise awareness in the mainstream culture about First Nations communities. With the encouragement of my producer at Shaw, I returned to postsecondary and attended Lethbridge College. For the next three years, I was a full-time single parent and student.

After I graduated in 2015, I did contract work for two-and-a-half years as a weekend anchor, reporter and producer for ABC/FOX Montana.

I was the only Indigenous reporter working in the mainstream media in Montana. Last October, I started working as a video journalist at CityNews in Winnipeg – and I am now one of three Indigenous reporters in Canada working for CityNews. What I love most about my work is that I get to learn new things – every day.

Some of the stories I tell are wonderful and heartwarming. For example, I recently learned what goes into making chocolate. From the tree to the bean to the chocolate bar, and it really blew my mind. Most stories, however, pull at my heartstrings. There was the grieving husband whose wife died after giving birth and the grieving mother whose daughter died on a mother-daughter vacation. I cried during both interviews. But the ones that really get to me are the ones about missing and murdered Indigenous women and men. Not just because I know families who may never get closure, not just because I know some who may never come home, but also because I am an Indigenous woman, and it’s scary to know I have a target

on my back by simply existing. Every time I leave a building, am alone in a stairwell or walking to my vehicle, I have to watch my back.

I knew I wanted to get into journalism as a career when I was 7. My mom went to an interview at a TV station in Missoula, Mont.

I was being homeschooled and the director let me operate the camera. I looked up into the lens and realized I could grow up and talk to people. I was hooked. I pursued it as a career because I never saw anyone who looked like me on TV. Ever. I think I was 16 and had just moved to Cranbrook, B.C. I had turned the TV on, and there was a show – I think it was called The Rez – and I couldn’t believe there were actually “real” natives on TV. It blew my mind.

I realized I had never seen that before besides the Calgary Stampede or the news. I was floored. I wanted to change that and be a voice for my people. That way I can also break down stereotypes. I want it to be a normal thing that Indigenous people are on TV all the time.

Every time I meet other Indigenous people, I encourage them to keep in contact because helping one helps us all. Until it is normal to have our faces on TV (and probably after too), Indigenous people will always fight ingrained and unconscious stereotypes. I want young people – like my sister, Stephanie Brave Rock – to know they can do anything. I want children – like my boys Bert and Hunter – to know they can do anything. Your background shouldn’t define your success in life. The colour of your skin shouldn’t define how far you can go.

We are all human and in this world together.

We only have one Earth, so let’s cheer each other on instead of being blinded by race.

NAATOIIKIIMAKII – HOLYFEATHER WOMAN

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RACHEL CROWSPREADINGWINGS IS A MEMBER OF THE KAINAI FIRST NATION, WHICH IS PART OF THE BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY. SHE GRADUATED FROM THE COMMUNICATION ARTS PROGRAM AT LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE IN 2015 AND CURRENTLY WORKS AS A VIDEO JOURNALIST AND HOST OF CITYNEWS IN WINNIPEG.

I WANT YOUNG P EOP L E TO K NOW TH E Y CAN DO ANYTH ING. YOUR B ACKGROUND SH OULDN’ T DEFINE YOUR S UCCE S S I N L I F E .

T H E COLOUR OF YOUR S K I N SHOULDN’T DEFINE HOW FAR YOU CAN GO. WE ARE ALL H UMAN AND IN TH I S WORL D TOGE TH E R.

READ MORE FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Go to lethbridgecollege.ca/iiw to read the Fall 2014 feature on Thelma Chalifoux, “Passion and Purpose.”

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I HAVE SO MUCH ADMIRATION AND LOVE FOR ALL THE DUSTING OFF AND LIFTING UP

KIMMY SHADE I have an amazing circle of strong family and friends who inspire me to challenge myself on the daily. My grandparents and parents are all extremely hard workers and have instilled a work ethic in me that is based on our Niitsitapi ways and always being helpful in any situation, while at the same time knowing when to ask for help.

That relates to the advice I would give to people just starting at the college. I would encourage them to get some strong mentors who they can relate to, pray, set good intentions for their school year and utilize student services to help them reach their academic goals. When I started at the college, I was a young mother and struggled financially. Christmas was coming and I saw a sign at the college offering Christmas hampers. I felt so reluctant to apply. I didn’t want anyone to know I was struggling. After arguing with myself for a good few minutes, I finally applied and when I received the hamper, I felt instant relief, gratitude and a sense of belonging with the

I’VE RECEIVED FROM SO MANY STRONG, RESILIENT INDIGENOUS WOMEN.

college. I learned quickly how my pride can be a good thing and a bad thing all at the same time. Always ask for help, you’re not alone.

And as your start in your career, don’t get discouraged if you don’t find a job in the field you studied for. Try out different jobs for the experience – who knows where it will take you. Working with my own people has been such a gift – learning from our Blackfoot Elders, youth and technicians. And the older I get, the more connected I feel everything is. Working on environmental issues, you see the domino effect of one decision and the interconnection among things you never thought possible. The holistic-ness of everything is ever more present in every fibre of my being.

I’ve had the best of all worlds from my grandmothers, mother, aunties, sisters, daughter and friends. They all have influenced me in ways I never thought possible. I have so much admiration and love for all the dusting off and lifting up I’ve received from so many strong, resilient Indigenous women.

AAAKAIKAAMODAKI – SURVIVES MANY CHALLENGES

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KIMMY SHADE IS A MEMBER OF THE KAINAI FIRST NATION, WHICH IS PART OF THE BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY. SHE GRADUATED FROM THE COLLEGE’S BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION PROGRAM IN 2001 AND WENT ON TO EARN A UNIVERSITY DEGREE IN MANAGEMENT. SHE NOW WORKS AS THE CLIMATE LEADERSHIP COORDINATOR FOR THE BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY TRIBAL COUNCIL.

READ MORE FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Go to lethbridgecollege.ca/iiw to read the Spring 2013 feature on Melissa White Grass, “Her Work Is Not Finished.”

JANETTA SOUP

JANETTA SOUP IS A MEMBER OF THE KAINAI FIRST NATION, WHICH IS PART OF THE BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY. SHE GRADUATED FROM THE COLLEGE’S BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION PROGRAM IN 2003 AND EARNED A BACHELOR OF MANAGEMENT DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE IN 2007. SHE NOW WORKS AS A PROJECT COORDINATOR FOR THE CANCER PREVENTION AND SCREENING PRACTICES PROJECT AT THE ALBERTA FIRST NATIONS INFORMATION GOVERNANCE CENTRE.

The role of grandmothers, their guidance, is prominent for most First Nations women. For Janetta Soup, a significant person in her life is her grandmother Clotilda Soup. The path of strength that Soup’s grandmother provides to her and her family is remarkable. “I recall her working hard, managing three jobs at once and still finding time to spend time with her grandchildren and going to play bingo,” Soup says. “Without her support, I would have struggled a lot more.”

From struggle, First Nations people have many stories of resilience and success. Soup’s current work involves advocating for First Nations people. Relationship building with the community is at the heart of her work, and integrating Niitsitapi values of reciprocity relative to the transfer of knowledge is important.

“I have learned from and witnessed the strength when Elders and traditional knowledge holders are involved (in the development) of protocols and best practices,”

says Soup. “Advocating is more than an opportunity. I see it as a way of reciprocity, to strengthen our First Nations communities and honour our responsibility to the past, present and future generations.”

Connection to community is meaningful. In her time at Lethbridge College, Soup remembers how seeing a familiar face from home meant so much. “The connection kept me sane,” she says. Education has made a huge difference in her life, because “situations in life always change, but the lessons and teachings that you gain allow you to grow and make better decisions from day to day."

“The best advice that I can offer young women starting out in their education journey is to be kind, be strong, be courageous, be adventurous, be genuine and be safe. Trust your instincts and keep your attitude in check. Interesting fact I learned – add up the chronological placement of each letter in the alphabet – the word attitude equals 100 per cent.”

KANAH’SOYI – STAR SHINING BRIGHTLY

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ROBERTA SMALLBONES I believe I got my strong work ethic from both my mom and dad. When I was 10, I started babysitting. I started in the work force when I was 13, cleaning rooms at a local hotel in Fort Macleod. I later got a job as gas attendant – or a “gas jockey” as they would say – and then started working in a laundromat. I think I got the zest for life from my mom. She always tried to be positive and treated people with dignity and respect no matter their background or walk of life.

I was on my own at a young age – 15. I had to learn to navigate the world on my own from what my parents taught me when I was younger. It was a huge learning curve. I entered a relationship at the age of 15 and became the victim of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of my partner. At the age of 18, I became a mom to my beautiful daughter, Sharissa.

After Sharissa was born, she became my hope and inspiration to create a better life for the both of us. I made a conscious decision that I was going to finish my high school education. After completing my GED, I continued to work at a clothing store in Fort Macleod and made my way up the ranks to assistant manager. It was during that time I decided that I wanted to go to college and get a business diploma. I made an appointment to meet with an academic advisor at Lethbridge College, and while I was waiting for my appointment, I remember flipping through a college program booklet and reading about the Criminal Justice program. By the time I met with my advisor, I had decided that I wanted to go into Criminal Justice.

It was during my time in the Criminal Justice program that a light finally turned on for me and I made the decision to get out of my abusive relationship. I knew that if I

didn’t leave, my daughter and I would become another statistic. That year, I left my abusive partner. I was now a single mom, going to college and trying to make ends meet. The first semester was the most difficult but after I left my partner, the other semesters were a breeze.

I had made some new friends who became my support system at college and my friends in Fort Macleod were my other support system.

In March 2002, I was hired as a constable with Lethbridge Police Service. I was the first Blackfoot Indigenous female from the Piikani Nation to be hired with LPS. I started my career in Patrols. I was also a school resource officer and my last position was as the FASD Youth Justice Officer. I met my current husband shortly after being hired, and we were married in 2004, becoming a blended family. In 2005, we had a daughter, Danika. In 2017, I took a leave of absence from LPS to be a full-time faculty member at Lethbridge College in the Justice Studies program, and I retired from policing in January this year to continue teaching.

As silly or twisted as it sounds, I think being in the abusive relationship helped me in many ways to grow as person. I wanted out and I was determined to make a better life for myself and my daughter. That was the end goal and we made it. There were definitely many obstacles and barriers and times that I wanted to give up but keeping my eye on the goal helped me get through.

I have had young Indigenous women say to me that I have inspired them to either finish their education or go into law enforcement.

I know that I cannot change the world but if I can help at least one person, I think that is success. I have learned to be proud of who I am and proud to be an Indigenous person and where my family came from.

O-TAH-KOY-PI-KSSII I-PITT-AA – YELLOW FLYING BIRD

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ROBERTA SMALLBONES IS A MEMBER OF THE PIIKANI FIRST NATION, WHICH IS PART OF THE BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY. SHE IS A 2000 GRADUATE OF LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE’S CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROGRAM AND WENT ON TO EARN A BACHELOR’S AND A MASTER’S DEGREE. SHE RETIRED FROM A SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND NOW TEACHES IN THE JUSTICE STUDIES PROGRAM AT LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE.

I HAVE HAD YOUNG INDIGENOUS WOMEN SAY TO ME THAT I HAVE INSPIRED THEM TO EITHER FINISH THEIR EDUCATION OR GO INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT. I KNOW THAT I CANNOT CHANGE THE WORLD BUT IF I CAN HELP AT LEAST ONE PERSON, I THINK THAT IS SUCCESS.

READ MORE FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Go to lethbridgecollege.ca/iiw to read the Spring 2015 feature on Annette Bruised Head, “Strong And Free.”

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NIKKI SOUP I recently had a loss in my family.

He was a great man, an uncle of mine.

I brought food to the family meeting.

That’s what I do. I struggle a lot just like everyone else, but one thing I’m happy I can do is give people joy and bring them together with food.

Through cooking, I found my passion.

I’m a Red Seal Chef now. I remember when I met my wife and one day I bought food and made stew and bread. After that, I got to marry my best friend.

The majority of my kitchen time includes cooking for the Elders on my reserve and that’s where I really learned to work hard and always show respect through my food. I started a business in spring of 2018 and it’s still growing. It’s just a baby. I’m also learning and paying attention to my traditional food ways more. But I make sure to discover all types of foods and cultures. I find it funny, because when

my dad was still alive, I’d be going through something and he’d tell me to cook. I wouldn’t be in the mood, but I would, even if it just meant for suppertime with him, my mom and my two little sisters. I remember I would always feel good after they ate.

Now I find myself, when I’m going through something in life, whether it be bad or good, I’m cooking. I’m preparing a meal. I’m shopping for food for my family. I’m prepping for a funeral or I’m planning a wedding menu. I’ve made so many friends and have gone to places I never thought I would have if it weren’t for cooking.

I had a dream to be the best cook I can be. I’m not. But with every meal I gain more patience, more knowledge and more love for what I do. I hope that many more will find something to do or a dream that they can fall in love with – that wonderful, hard and “it-was-allworth-it” type of love.

SII’PIAA’POWAHKAA – WALKS AT NIGHT

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NIKKI SOUP IS A MEMBER OF THE KAINAI FIRST NATION, WHICH IS PART OF THE BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY. SHE GRADUATED FROM THE COLLEGE’S CULINARY ARTS PROGRAM IN 2015 AND FROM ITS CULINARY APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM IN 2016, AND CURRENTLY OWNS HER OWN CATERING BUSINESS, SOUPER FOODS AND CATERING. SHE PROVIDED THE “FROM OUR KITCHENS” RECIPE FOUND ON PAGE 36.

READ MORE FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Go to lethbridgecollege.ca/iiw to read the Spring 2016 feature on Chelsea Low Rider and Henny Bruised Head, “Bringing Farming Back to the Blood Tribe.”

TO KNOW OR HAVE AN IDENTITY, WE MUST KNOW OUR HISTORY AND LANGUAGE THROUGH STORIES, CEREMONY AND PRAYER.

ROXY WEASEL HEAD

ROXY WEASEL HEAD IS A MEMBER OF THE KAINAI FIRST NATION, WHICH IS PART OF THE BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY. SHE GRADUATED FROM THE COLLEGE’S GENERAL STUDIES PROGRAM IN 2003 AND EARNED HER TEACHING DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE IN 2009. SHE NOW WORKS AS A TEACHER AT SAIPOYI COMMUNITY SCHOOL IN STANDOFF.

Oki. Nistoo Aniikook Naatoo Kooh Komii.

My Blackfoot name is “Woman who Calls Twice,” better known to my family and friends as Roxy Weasel Head. I have been happily married to my amazing husband Lionel for 23 years, although we have been together for 28 years. I have five beautiful daughters: Brittany, Mercedes, Keely, Madison and Layla, and an adorable sweet grandson Holden Finnley. We are a very busy family!

I owe my traditional teachings to my parents Andrew and Margaret Weasel Fat. They are spiritual role models for our community. They instilled the importance of language, learning our history, and practising our ceremonies.

I attended Lethbridge College and graduated in 2003 with a General Studies diploma. In my last semester at college, I took a work experience course and was placed at a head start program, working with young children ages three to five. This is when I decided I wanted to become a teacher. I love spending

time with children. I wanted to help in shaping the person they will become and I love learning.

I have been an educator for 10 years.

I love my job and the students. I believe in teaching our youth about the importance of knowing who you are and where you come from. I invite Elders into our class to help with these teachings. To know or have an identity, we must know our history and language through stories, ceremony and prayer. Land-based teaching is one way to teach our youth, visiting local sites, knowing its history – picking berries, sweet grass or sweet pine.

I treat the students the way I was brought up: to respect themselves and others. An Elder once said: "People are always watching. Carry yourself with pride, not arrogance." Teachers are held to a higher standard, and I live my life this way. As a woman, teacher and spiritual leader in our community, I carry on our traditions, knowledge and teachings for the next generation.

NAATOO KOOH KOMII – WOMAN WHO CALLS TWICE

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JOYCE MARIE HEALY My first ugly experience with language was at the residential school at St. Mary’s [on the Blood Reserve]. I was called down to what we called “the parlour.” Two women who worked there came in. One of them asked me in Blackfoot what I was doing in the parlour. I just kept looking at them. She repeated again in Blackfoot. I just shook my head. Even if they were my own people, I wasn’t going to jeopardize anything by speaking Blackfoot.

I said in English, “I don’t know what you’re saying.” They laughed... I had to lie about my own language, not speaking it, not understanding it.

I cried the whole time at the boarding school. My way of resisting was just through crying. My grandmother and parents had some pull and were able to get me out of the residential school to a school in Cardston. It was almost a schizophrenic experience, really.

We’d have our normal Blackfoot existence in my Grandma’s little one-room cabin in Moses Lake across the highway from the Mormon town of Cardston. Before the sun rose, my grandmother would have the fire stoked up in the wood stove. I woke up to the smell of sweet grass and sage and wood smoke. We’d start our day with prayers in Blackfoot.

Then, the moment I crossed that highway, I was going into a different world. They were modernizing. They had running water and electricity. The moment that road was crossed, I became a different Joyce Healy.

I went to school, the only native in the class, and classmates started to notice the

differences. The smells that I emanated were considered stinky. And, I couldn’t speak English, so I was dumb. That was my second horrible experience with language.

Language is how we express our true selves. It’s about identity. Language articulates the belief system, principles, world view of peoples. If you don’t understand who you are, then you’re not ever going to be whole. There is going to be part of you that’s missing. Blackfoot was always a spoken language. Our history was oral history, stories told from one generation to another for thousands of years. The Sikatsitapi (Blackfoot People) genesis and history from the beginning of time has been passed from one generation to the next generation. Our beginnings in this universe, our way of life, our history, our culture. That’s how I teach the language, the oral history of my people, you cannot teach language without context. I teach the language phonetically. It’s recognizing the sound of words, and sounding them out. Having your language to speak your story validates your existence as Niitsitapi, the real people. It’s the language that connects me to culture and history from the Niitsitapi, Blackfoot perspective. Of all the things I have done in my life, teaching Blackfoot and sharing the culture is at the top of my list. That’s for me, my identity. That’s for me to be able to express myself in an adequate way, to express who I am and to get to know who I am. The language made me whole.

US SAN GAH GEE – ALWAYS SINGING WOMAN

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JOYCE HEALY IS A MEMBER OF THE KAINAI FIRST NATION, WHICH IS PART OF THE BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY. SHE TEACHES BLACKFOOT LANGUAGE AND INTRODUCTION TO NATIVE STUDIES AT LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE.

LANGUAGE ARTICULATES THE BELIEF SYSTEM, PRINCIPLES, WORLD VIEW OF PEOPLES. IF YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND WHO YOU ARE, THEN YOU’RE NOT EVER GOING TO BE WHOLE. THERE IS GOING TO BE PART OF YOU THAT’S MISSING.

SHARE YOUR STORY: Do you know an inspiring person who studied or worked at Lethbridge College? Contact us at whmagazine@lethbridgecollege.ca.

We’d love to hear from you.

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From our kitchens

{ Chef Nikki Soup }

CRISP DELIGHT When it comes to cooking, Chef Nikki Soup (Culinary Arts 2015; Culinary Apprenticeship 2016) strikes to find a balance between her traditional roots and the latest food trends.

Take the “Crisp Delight” she created for this issue of Wider Horizons. “It starts with a little bit of what I grew up with,” she says – the fried bread, or bannock. To that, she adds two foods she likes – egg and avocado – and tops it off with a food she loves – crisp Italian prosciutto.

It makes for a savoury, satisfying meal.

Recipe by Chef Nikki Soup | Photos by Rob Olson

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Ingredients For the fry bread 1 cup ...............................................................................all-purpose flour 1 tbsp. ...............................................................................baking powder 1 tsp. ................................................................................................... salt 1 tsp. ................................................................................................ sugar 1/2 cup ....................................................................................warm water 1/2 cup .................................................................................................milk 1 tbsp. ..................................................................................vegetable oil For the toppings 2 slices..................................................................................... prosciutto 2 tsp. .....................................................................................brown sugar 1 .......................................................................................... ripe avocado 1 .......................................................................................................... egg

Method 1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a pan with parchment paper.

2. If you have a deep fryer, fill it with vegetable oil and turn to medium high. If you have a cast iron skillet, fill it with vegetable oil and heat to medium high.

3.

While oil is heating up, assemble the dry ingredients of the bread dough. Then assemble the liquid ingredients of the bread dough.

Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients, kneading a few times to make sure all of the ingredients are incorporated and the dough is soft.

4. Separate the dough into two balls. Dust your cooking surface with flour. Place the dough down and flatten it with your fingers or palm to make small pancake, about 1/2 inch thick.

5. Once the oil is heated (you can check by sprinkling a few drops of water in and see if they sizzle), place each piece of dough into the oil carefully. Cook until each side is golden and light brown.

6.

While the bread is frying, place the prosciutto on the parchment-lined pan and sprinkle it with brown sugar. Place the pan in the oven and cook until the prosciutto is crisp. This can take a few minutes to nearly 10, depending on the thickness of the prosciutto.You can also pan-fry the prosciutto.

7. Peel and slice the avocado. Set aside.

8. Check on the bread and flip it, if needed, using tongs. Once the bread is cooked, remove it from the oil and place it on a cooling rack with a pan underneath it to collect the oil drippings. Allow it to cool.

9. While the bread cools, grease the pan and fry the egg to whatever preference you like.

10. Finally, assemble your sandwich by slicing the bread in half, placing the prosciutto on the bottom half. Add the avocado, and top with the egg.

Enjoy!

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Office intrigue

The Leica Geosystems ScanStationC10 3D scanner allows students to collect information about everything from coulees and flood plains to mechanical rooms and bridges.

Students taught by Geomatics instructor Andrew Bowen are in high demand by employers.

Many have job offers before graduation.

Geomatics technologist Jim Pinches works with 20 to 50 students daily in the classroom, in the field or at the equipment sign-out counter.

Macie Noftle is the program assistant for the School of Engineering Technologies.

A global navigation satellite system – or GNSS – allows users to determine their exact location, velocity, and time 24 hours a day, in all weather conditions, anywhere in the world.

{ Office Intrigue }

THE FLUIDS LAB T

he sun-drenched fluids lab at the south end of the college’s new Trades, Technologies and Innovation Facility allows instructors like Douglas May to transition easily from traditional classroom lessons to a hands-on laboratory where students can put the theoretical lessons he has just taught about into practice with real-world experiences and experiments.

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The centrepiece of the lab is the 10-metre open channel flume, which runs down the long length of one side of the room.

When filled with water, it can simulate channel flow, allowing students to see and apply the concepts they have studied about how water behaves. If reconfigured, the flume could also serve as a wind tunnel for other hands-on learning activities.

The forerunner to the 3D scanner is the Total Station. It measures a single point at a time with high accuracy.

Engineering Design and Drafting Technology instructor Warren Salberg (Civil Engineering Technologies 1985, Distinguished Alumnus 1992) has taught at the college since 1990.

The 10-metre open channel flume can simulate channel flow, allowing students to see and apply the concepts they have studied about how water behaves.

Douglas May has been working as a Civil Engineering Technologies instructor at the college for 19 years, teaching students how to build society’s infrastructure, including roads, urban subdivisions and water systems.

The college’s engineering technologies programs have a long tradition of training outstanding engineering technologists. With small class sizes, experienced instructors, state-of-the-art facilities and industry accreditation, grads are sought after by employers around the country and often have multiple job offers before they cross the stage at Convocation.

To learn more about Engineering Technologies at Lethbridge College, call 403-320-3468 or email engineeringtech@lethbridgecollege.ca.

Story by Lisa Kozleski | Photo by Rob Olson

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RESEARCH in ACTION

SOIL EDUCATION ROOTED IN THE GROUND

NEW DONATION TO LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE UNEARTHS ENDLESS LEARNING POSSIBILITIES 40

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IT’S A COLLECTION SHROUDED IN MYSTERY. Its history is murky.

Its journey to its new home is the result of 30 years of hard work and partnership.

And any firm answers to fill in the blanks may have disappeared with an old photograph and the passing of one of southern Alberta’s leading soil scientists.

But when it comes to its importance as a learning tool, there is no mystery.

“It’s an enormous benefit to our students,” says Dr. Edith Olson, an instructor in Lethbridge College’s School of Environmental Sciences.

“Instead of listening to us talk and maybe showing a pretty picture, we can say ‘Here it is. This is what it looks like.’”

The collection is 110 soil monoliths – vertical cross-sections of soil about one-metre long that show the soil in its natural state. It now resides at Lethbridge College. The monoliths are a donation from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, which housed the collection for decades at its Lethbridge Research and Development Centre – known locally as the research centre – until parties on both sides agreed that the college made a natural home.

But why the collection ever came into being is another story completely.

“WE MIGHT NEVER KNOW” The collection is undoubtedly impressive. It contains soil samples from across Western Canada, stretching as far north as the Yukon. Each one is as unique as a fingerprint, and the effort that went into creating the collection was enormous.

“A considerable amount of resources, staff, labour, travel and time would have been invested in building this collection,” says Dr. Jim Miller, research scientist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

“Some of these would have been remote locations. You’ve got to travel to the sites, dig a huge soil pit and carefully cut out and excavate a large intact soil monolith.”

The process of mounting the monoliths is also arduous, as each has to be carefully mounted to a backboard while preserving its physical features, a truly meticulous combination of art and science. “It is a very slow and delicate process to excavate an intact soil monolith and a lot can go wrong and then you might have to start over,” says Miller.

“In addition, it is a very laborious and delicate process to fill the soil pores with epoxy resin or glue back in the laboratory to ensure the soil structure remains intact and doesn’t fall apart.

Given how much time was spent building the collection, surprisingly little information exists about why it was collected.

“We know the collection was complete by roughly 1965, so it was probably made in the '50s and early '60s,” says Dr. Francois Eudes, Alberta Director of Research, Development and Technology for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. “We tried to reach out to our retirees and question them to see if they had any knowledge about who collected these, but we couldn’t really find out whether it was a group of people or one individual in charge of creating this collection.”

What little research is available leads representatives from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to believe federal and provincial soil surveyors likely collected the samples in an effort to better describe soil conditions in Western Canada. But the one man who might have had the knowledge to fill in the blanks passed away in 2011.

“If John was here, he might have known the answers,” says Miller, referring to Dr. Johan Dormaar, one of Western Canada’s leading soil scientists and a long-time presence at the Lethbridge research centre. “But, unfortunately, we might never know.”

“John became kind of the curator,”

says Ken Perl, a long-time Lethbridge College environmental sciences instructor. “He was the go-to guy if you wanted to view them or get any information about them.”

The college received a donation last year of 110 soil monoliths and now displays them on the third floor of the Cousins Building, right outside of the soils lab.

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“A LIVING, BREATHING ORGANISM” In fact, Perl remembers a photograph that may have been one of the few clues as to who collected the monoliths – and he believes Dr. Dormaar was at least somewhat involved.

“There are two specimens labelled ‘Mud Lake’ and I have seen a photo that shows John and his technologist of the day collecting those on the dry lake bed during a drought,” says Perl.

He assumes the photo came from the early 1960s, based on the vehicle that was visible in the photo.

“I’m kind of a car buff,” he laughs.

“And it’s an old ’60 Chevy, which shows how bush league things were back then. Today they have four-byfours but back then they just drove a car out there.”

That attention to detail offers a glimpse as to why Perl became known as the resident monolith collection expert. He first saw the collection while he was a summer student at the research centre and knew its value as an educational tool when he joined the college as

an instructor in 1980.

The monoliths are a donation from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, which housed the collection for decades at its Lethbridge Research and Development Centre.

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“I would take students over there on field trips in our soil classification and taxonomy class,” says Perl. “It was integral to my course to show the students that soil isn’t just something you dig up and arbitrarily manipulate, it has many different classifications.

“If you stretch your imagination, soil really is a living, breathing organism like a coral reef and really just as complex.”

Miller compares the collection of monoliths to a form of taxidermy used by scientists to preserve soils. “A soil monolith collection is analogous to a natural history museum, but instead of preserved animals or plants, you have preserved intact soil monoliths,” he says. “Soils are not classified as species like animal and plants because there is a gradation of soil types in natural landscapes and soils are not discrete units like animals and plant species.”

These differences are what make the collection such a valuable learning tool.

“LET’S GO INTO THE HALLWAY!” Perl and his students became well-known fixtures at the research centre, dedicating hours to studying the collection. “He probably knows those monoliths better than anyone else,” says Miller.

To Perl, the monoliths’ value are their ability to fill in the blanks where a literal field trip – to a field, where he and his students would dig into the ground – falls short. “We could only do one or two soil types on a field trip,” he says. “But these are fantastic because they represent all of southern Alberta and beyond.”

As new faculty members have joined Lethbridge College, they have shared Perl’s vision of the monoliths as educational instruments, a capability that will only increase now that the collection lives at the college.

Displayed on the third floor of the Cousins Building, the monoliths can now be examined right outside of the college’s soils lab.

“We’ve already said ‘OK, we’re talking about this, let’s go into the hallway and take a look,’” says Olson.

“We can speak even more to ‘why is this soil different from that soil? What are the processes that are acting on this one as opposed to that one?’”

“People would say ‘that must get boring,’” says Perl of all the time he’s spent with the monoliths over the years. “But I would say, ‘no, every time I look at those, there’s some other detail, some value-added insight.’

It’s amazing how you can look at them in a different light and

say, ‘this is what that profile is telling us, not only about the soil resource, but also the climatic and ecological conditions that shaped the soil, and in turn how the soil affected the related ecosystem.’’

“WE’VE ALREADY SAID ‘OK, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THIS, LET’S GO INTO THE HALLWAY AND TAKE A LOOK.’” 43

“DID NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT”

Perl and his students were the perfect audience for the monoliths and their frequent trips to the research centre delighted the soil scientists with Agriculture and AgriFood Canada.

“They’re not used for research purposes, they’re essentially for education,” says Eudes. “They show people, in particular students, how soil is formed.”

As students were the main audience, experts on both sides agreed the collection would be best served by being at the college, but making that happen was easier said than done. The monoliths were the property of the research centre, and as such were a Crown asset – meaning any transfer had to be approved by the federal government.

An initial round of discussions about transferring the collection took place in the late 1980s.

Those talks planted the seeds

The monoliths are appraised at more than $240,000, but those who work with them believe the actual value of the collection is priceless.

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that eventually sprouted into the collection’s new home at the college.

“It did not happen overnight,” says Olson. “I kept sending emails asking ‘where are we at with the soils collection?’ And I have to give a lot of credit to Jim Miller because he wouldn’t let it die on the vine over there.”

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is quick to credit a team effort involving many employees and management who persisted in the approval process. Minister of Agriculture, Lawrence MacAulay, officially approved and signed off on the transfer of the soil monolith collection to Lethbridge College on Jan. 24, 2018.

“All the soil scientists here are pretty happy that it has been transferred to the college because everyone agrees that it will definitely get more use over there,” says Miller.

The replacement cost of the collection was appraised by Lethbridge College at over $240,000, making it a significant financial donation from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to the college.

But those close to it believe its actual value is priceless.

“Transferring the collection allows us to achieve a greater public result than just keeping it for ourselves, where it’s not open to visitors,” says Eudes. “So not only is it of benefit to students, but to other individuals and Canadians who will now have easier access to it.

“It’s another example of the strong relationship between the college and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.”

“MY OWN LEGACY PROJECT” While its origins are murky, the future for the monoliths collection is much better defined. Beyond their obvious teaching uses, instructors at the college are already planning on how they can build out the information around the collection.

That includes further researching the monoliths and using new digital technologies to build a database that can be used by everyone.

“It’s not just placing pictures of the monoliths online, but also connecting them to maps,” says Monica Batista Benke, an environmental sciences instructor, “where they are found, where the samples were collected, and using digital tools to create something really useful.”

It’s a fresh start for the collection, and a proud moment for Perl, who saw its value early on and has used it to help teach hundreds of students through the years.

“Personally, that is my own legacy project,” says Perl. “After 35 years, it’s great to leave something of value at the college that students can use.”

And can now use much more easily, thanks to the combined efforts of those at both Lethbridge College and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Story by Paul Kingsmith Photos by Jeff Hinman

DIGGING DEEPER INTO THE MONOLITH COLLECTION “Classification is a science and an art.” That’s how Ron McNeil assessed the challenge he faced as he volunteered to classify all 110 soil monoliths in Lethbridge College’s newly-acquired collection.

“There are rules in the classification process, but then there’s latitude in how those rules are applied, so that’s the art,” says McNeil, President of LandWise, Inc. He cautions that no classification is perfect, but with more than 30 years of experience mapping and characterizing soils across Western Canada, including in all the areas represented in the monolith collection, he brings a unique expertise to the job.

McNeil donated his time to categorize each monolith based on its distinguishing soil characteristics.

The collection, donated to the college

by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada features samples taken from across western Canada, and was most likely collected and classified in the 1950s and 1960s. “I was trying to go through and bring the classifications up to date,” he says, pointing out that the classification system has

been occasionally updated since the samples were originally gathered.

His career began at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, where the collection was previously located. That connection inspired him to become involved once it was transferred to the college. “I'm one of the only pedologists in Lethbridge and I thought it's natural for me to give back.”

McNeil also helped to identify which samples will have the most value in a classroom setting, and worked closely with faculty members Edith Olson, Monica Batista Benke and Shane Porter to discuss the classification process and pass along some of what he’s learned in his career.

“My offering is just a step towards building what everyone feels confident with. There will be things in what I've provided that need further discussion so, I’ll probably come back in at times to help,” says McNeil. It’s a partnership that’s helping the college fully capitalize on this one-of-a-kind resource.

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Story by Lisa Kozleski | Illustration by Brent Bates

Three Lethbridge College colleagues – instructors Shaylene Wall and Jennifer Davis, and chaplain Erin Phillips – had a question. They knew anecdotally that finances were a concern for many Lethbridge College students, but they wondered what the data would show. So between Feb. 26 and March 27, 2018, they sent a survey to 4,823 students to start to get some answers, and 802 students replied.

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Some of the results were surprising, while other results reaffirmed what they saw in their classrooms and on campus.

The three researchers have plans for more work to analyze their results as well as information collected in April 2018 in interviews. Until then, here is a glimpse of some of the survey findings, as well as the services the college provides to help students and some ways the community can ease some financial stresses of today’s students.

Want to help? You can donate directly to the LCSA or Student Awards, and your donation will go directly to students in need. Stop by the LCSA office in Centre Core to drop off non-perishable food items or grocery store

gift cards. Or contact Development (call 403-320-3457) or Student Awards (call 403-320-3372) to contribute to emergency funds for students or create an ongoing scholarship or award for a student in need.

“This research has opened my eyes to the diversity of challenges our student population faces on a day-to-day basis. As challenging as this social issue is, I am also proud to know that our research highlighted areas within this institution that really do care about our students. Without knowing what exists, we cannot move forward in a direction of positive change. { Shaylene Wall } 47

CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR CONVOCATES Some soon-to-be-grads share memories and insights about meaningful Lethbridge College people, practicums, projects and places Story by Lisa Kozleski | Photos submitted

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very moment of Convocation day supports the college’s message that “what happens next matters most.”

To get some perspective on what these soon-to-be-grads are thinking and feeling as they approach this important moment of transition, Wider Horizons collected names from instructors of students who were especially inspiring, innovative and interesting. We asked them to share a photo from their college years that was meaningful to them, and then to tell us a little bit about that place and their time as a Lethbridge College student.

Some excerpts of their replies are below – and you can read all of their answers at widerhorizons.ca.

Here’s what they had to say:

Chelsi Cochrane Child and Youth Care • Kainai Blood Reserve, Alberta When I began my educational journey in 2011, I was very much unaware of myself and what my new environment inside the college would have to offer. I left in 2012 to start my family and returned in 2017 to complete my education. I really want to emphasize the encouragement and guided support I received from the beginning from many of the departments and staff and how many various supports and coordinated assistance there is here at Lethbridge College to encourage student success.

During my time here at Lethbridge College, I was able to really explore and facilitate my goals and aspirations.

Living in the experience of Child and Youth Care helped me to know what my own needs are and where those needs stem from and has given me opportunities to be more engaged and present, to form new relationships and to connect to my surroundings. In my time here at the college, I’ve really grown to see life from a more positive perspective and foster my growth into becoming effective professionally as well 48

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as in my everyday living interactions.

I hope to inspire others from my home community to step out of their comfort zones to explore the options of postsecondary and explore and experience what strengths and potential they hold and can share with the world.

I hope to continue my education following graduation and pursue my degree in a related field to eventually be in a position to encourage and facilitate growth and positive development in my home community of the Blood Tribe.

I feel I have come into a position of responsibility of reciprocity where I want to be able to give back to my community and contribute to the healthy growth of the new generations who I strongly believe will continue breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and abuse.

Kayla Teichroeb

Child and Youth Care • Lethbridge, Alberta

My greatest, most life-changing experience was my opportunity for an international practicum through Lethbridge College. I had never left Canada before this trip.

I spent five weeks in Cusco, Peru. I worked in a school for grades kindergarten to grade 12. Words could not describe the experience, and being among the first group of students to have this opportunity in Peru is incredible. After the trip, I was able to attend meetings to voice my experiences and promote the practicum to other students who are thinking about going.

In Child and Youth Care, you can understand and know the textbooks and the courses inside and out, but that one-onone connection, those life altering moments that you will experience with children and youth you work with on your practicums, those are the moments that truly educate you.

Those are the moments that define and confirm that you are doing the right thing with your career path.

I was lucky enough to gain employment to the career of my dreams, directly through my practicum placement.

So not only do the practicum placements give you learning opportunities, but incredible employment opportunities

Bernard White Man Left

you wouldn’t have otherwise. Now I am able to say I completed the program of Child and Youth Care, and soon will be employed at my dream job!

I moved out of my grandparents' home at 15. I faced numerous struggles life handed me. I wanted to have the chance to share my life experiences with others who may have experienced similar situations in their childhood.

I want to be there for children and youth, and I want to be that “person” who I didn’t necessarily have growing up. Often times I felt alone. But being a part of Lethbridge College has recreated my sense of belonging, and my sense of hope. The only way I can explain my experience here at Lethbridge College is being completely blown away.

“I was lucky enough to gain employment to the career of my dreams, directly through my practicum placement. ” { Kayla Teichroeb }

Open Studies • Stand Off, Alberta

This photo was taken in the LCSA office. The staff at the LCSA are kind, caring individuals who have been big supports for me throughout my time here at the college.

My most memorable experience is actually the first time I walked through the doors of Lethbridge College.

I was nervous, but also excited and full of anticipation.

I remember my first impression: it seemed like a very warm and friendly place.

What I am looking forward to most after graduation is the possibility of getting a job and moving out on my own.

My college experience has been very rewarding and I have really enjoyed my time here. I have grown a lot as a person. I know a lot more than I used to, especially about psychology, and I am much more outgoing now and comfortable in my own skin.

Cole Hoover Criminal Justice – Policing • Delia, Alberta This place is special to me because it is the focal point for the LEO Club. As this year’s president, I work hard with my other executives to make sure the board is always filled with volunteer opportunities. These opportunities help my Criminal Justice peers in building life experience and enhancing the community they live in.

One great memory for me is returning as a second year policing student this September. I was given the honour to introduce first year Criminal Justice students at NSO to the opportunities that can be found in the LEO Club. It made me realize how amazing the program is and the amount of great people that are drawn to Lethbridge College because of it.

I’m looking forward to applying the knowledge and skills that I’ve gained from the diploma program to the career in policing that I’ve always dreamed of. I want to continue building community relations wherever I go and garnering positive relationships with supervisors and colleagues.

The past two years at Lethbridge College have given me a fantastic base to build my profession on. Every experience I’ve obtained in my time at the college has increased my drive to be a police officer and given me the tools to make it happen.

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Where are they now?

Where are they CHRONICLE OF A COLLEGE GRAD: Anne-Marie Jackson (Communication Arts – Print Journalism 2007)

In the span of a decade and a half,

Anne-Marie Jackson went from pursuing journalism at Lethbridge College to creating a documentary that won Best Documentary Shorts at the LA Film Awards. But throughout her professional journey, she never forgot her roots. “All of my dreams came true from this small town in Alberta,” she says.

Anne-Marie’s film, Fentanyl and the 14th Floor: The life and death of Justin Lidstone, explores the heartbreaking consequences of opioid overdose. “It was the culmination of all of my years of journalism training and I needed every skillset that I acquired over 15 years,” says Anne-Marie. Interviewing grieving family and friends meant gaining and maintaining trust to tell a story with many dark corners, which is an important 50

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journalistic skill, in addition to the actual storytelling. It can be viewed online at vimeo.com/amjvisuals.

Anne-Marie says journalism can be a daunting field. To inspire her students at Centennial College, she uses many of the same techniques her teachers used during her student years at Lethbridge College. “I specifically wanted to teach in the college setting, and impart all of the things my teachers did with me,” she says. “I want to encourage them to explore what their interests are, and open their minds to the different types of media they can be involved in.”

Anne-Marie’s exploratory roots of the world of journalism began in Edmonton through an elective that opened her eyes to the field. Lethbridge College’s reputation as a hands-on school compelled Jackson

to move to southern Alberta. While she was still a student, she was hired at the Lethbridge Herald after a brief internship.

“Lethbridge College is where I found my passion and desire to be a journalist, and honed those early skills I needed to build up to where I am today,” says Anne-Marie.

After graduation, she went on to earn a diploma in photojournalism from Loyalist College, and then worked for a number of news organizations, including Thomson Reuters, the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail. Now, Anne-Marie focuses on teaching while managing two media companies: First Capture Studios, which teaches visual journalism to marginalized communities; and AMJ Visuals, where she has her eye out for the next big project.

Story by Mel Lefebvre | Photos by Johan Hallberg-Campbell and Anne-Marie Jackson

now?

We love hearing from Lethbridge College alumni, and our readers do too! You can find

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

Rick Lewchuk (Communication Arts – Broadcast Journalism 1979)

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.

2017

Taylor Holtorf Criminal Justice – Policing 2017 After graduation, Taylor started work as a community support worker, supporting people with a variety of mental and physical disabilities. “My role is to help my individuals live their best lives, and to support them to be successful members of the community,” Taylor told the Alumni office.

2016

Nevin D. Sereda Digital Communications and Media 2016 The Alumni office recently received this update from Nevin: “It’s been a busy time for me since I finished my schooling at the college! Bouncing around to different stations until I found the right fit is what took up most of the time, including stops in Cranbrook, Medicine Hat and now Lethbridge.” Nevin currently works as a reporter at Country 95.5 in Lethbridge.

Nico Pasquotti

Engineering Design and Drafting Technology 2016 Nico, a former member of the Lethbridge College Kodiaks men’s soccer team, signed to play with the Cavalry Football Club earlier this year. Nico, a winger/forward, made Calgary soccer history when he scored the winning goal during extra time of the 2018 Premier Development League championship game for Foothills FC last summer, and was subsequently named Man of the Match.

“Nico is a really exciting player who adds

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS

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ick Lewchuk is this year’s Lethbridge College Distinguished Alumnus. During a 40-year broadcasting career, Lewchuk has worked his way from local television in Lethbridge all the way to CNN in Atlanta. He is currently Senior Vice President, Creative Marketing and Brand Standards for CNN Worldwide, overseeing brand and marketing for all CNN Worldwide businesses including CNN, CNN International, CNN Español, HLN, CNN Go, CNN Airport and CNN Digital. His team has been recognized as the Global Marketing Team of the Year for four years running by PromaxBDA and with the Emmy for Outstanding Promotional Announcement in both 2016 and 2017.

Lewchuk maintains ties to Lethbridge College’s Digital Communications and Media program as a way of supporting future broadcast professionals.

2019

The Distinguished Alumnus award recognizes college graduates who have distinguished themselves in their chosen careers, made significant contributions to their communities and demonstrated service to the college and its students.

exceptional pace and drive to our team.” said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. in a club media release. “He’s someone who will excite the fans and inspire his teammates.”

2015

Michael Geuze

“I like using the resource and I want to protect it for future generations.”

Geuze was sworn in to the position last spring with 16 other new recruits, and then moved on to complete his training at the Western Conservation Law Enforcement Academy in Hinton, Alta.

Photo courtesy Brittany Gervais/Black

Press Media Conservation Enforcement 2015 Michael was featured in a November story in the Terrace Standard announcing his new appointment as a conservation officer in the Terrace detachment, which covers Terrace, Kitimat, Prince Rupert, up to the Meziadin and Kitwanga, B.C. “I just wanted to make a difference and do a job that I love,” Geuze said in the article.

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Dr. Sandra Davidson

(Nursing 1994)

C A R E E R V I RT U O S O AWA R D

D

r. Sandra Davidson is this year’s Career Virtuoso award recipient. Dr. Davidson was appointed as the University of Calgary’s Dean of the Faculty of Nursing in August 2018, following a previous role as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta.

At the U of A, she oversaw the largest portfolio within the faculty and co-led a Curriculum Renewal Project that resulted in a renewed undergraduate curriculum. She has served in a variety of positions in the United States, including Dean of Nursing and then Senior Director of Academic Affairs for Carrington College in Phoenix, Ariz., and as Director, Master of Healthcare Innovation Program at Arizona State University.

2019

The Career Virtuoso award is presented to alumni who have made significant contributions to their professional fields through their diligence, talent and dedication. Nominations for these awards are accepted year round. More information and nomination forms are available at lethbridgecollege.ca/alumni/nominate.

2014

Michelle R. Brink

Practical Nursing 2014 Michelle works for Alberta Health Services as a practical nurse.

Raiki Yago

Business Administration 2014, General Studies 2012 Raiki recently sent the Alumni office this update: “I entered Lethbridge College as an international student and finished General Studies in 2012 and Business Admin in 2014. I joined a Canadian recruitment firm in British Columbia and worked for one year. Then, I 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. Syneos is an American healthcare service provider working with pharmaceutical and medical device companies to develop 52

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and commercialize therapies to be delivered to the world. 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.”

2013

Christopher D. Unruh

Agriculture Sciences – Plant and Soil Science 2013 and Animal Science 2011 Christopher recently sent this update into the Alumni office: “After completing my diploma, I was unsure of what I wanted to do with my life. I took a couple different jobs in the year following graduation, but none were a career I was satisfied with for myself. That’s when I made the decision to go back to school and complete my plant and soil science diploma. After graduation, I took advantage of the post-diploma program with the University of Lethbridge and graduated in the spring of 2015 with

a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Studies. I then took a job with CHS and worked there until spring 2017, when I started in my current position with Western Tractor. My job requires me to use the knowledge and skills I learned while at Lethbridge College, from irrigation management to soil sampling to weed identification, just to list a few.”

2011

Helena T. Wall Office Administration 2011 Helena works as the office manager at Peak Physical Therapy.

Rianna Wilson

Business Administration – Management 2011 Rianna was featured in a March story on Lethbridge News Now, highlighting a new business that she and three friends created – Adaptive Technologies. The new facility provides prosthetics, orthotics and more, all of which are manufactured in house. After graduating from the college, Rianna earned her bachelor’s of Business Management in Australia.

After returning home, she found a job doing business management in the orthotic/prosthetic industry, and enjoyed working in a job that allowed her to truly help people. She then decided it was a business she wanted to own and run.

“It truly is the best job!” Rianna said in the article. “Just being able to change someone’s life, even in a tiny way, is really an awesome feeling.”

2009

Travis Dosser Communication Arts – Broadcast Journalism 2009 Travis recently started working as a reporter at the Sherwood Park News. He hopes to take the lead on writing crime stories for the region as well as report on politics. He had previously worked at 630CHED and iNews880 in Edmonton, where he reported on everything from crime to politics to business, entertainment, technology and sports.

TROY REEB RECEIVES HONORARY DEGREE

L

ethbridge College selected Troy Reeb to receive a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree at this year’s Convocation.

A 1988 graduate of the college’s Communication Arts – Broadcast Journalism program, Reeb has become one of the most successful media executives in Canada, recently being promoted to Executive Vice President, Broadcast Networks for Corus Entertainment.

It’s the latest role in a storied career that began as a small town radio reporter and included stops as a parliamentary reporter in Ottawa and then later as the Global Television’s Washington Bureau Chief on his way to the executive leadership team at Corus/Global. Reeb is a devoted alumnus who has sponsored a one-of-a-kind internship for Digital Communications and Media students for the past 13 years.

In his role with Corus, Reeb oversees Global Television and its 15 local stations, as well as 44 specialty television stations, 39 radio stations and all of Corus’ online platforms and apps. Under his leadership, Global News became the first Canadian network to ever win the Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in

“I have long been a strong believer in the unique blend of academic and practical education offered by Lethbridge College.” journalism in 2013, and followed it up a year later with the award for Best Website, and two years after that with the first-ever Murrow Award for Innovation.

He is the 19th person to receive an honorary degree from Lethbridge College since the award was first given in 1986. “I have long been a strong believer in the unique blend of academic and practical education offered by Lethbridge College,” says Reeb. “From the first day I walked through its doors when I was 16, I knew it was a special place. To be invited to cross the convocation stage once again in 2019 is humbling and a tremendous honour.”

Check out the Fall 2019 issue of Wider Horizons to read more about this outstanding alumnus.

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Where are they now?

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: Amber Jensen

(General Studies 2006), the founder of Sweetgrass Youth Alliance and a Career Practitioner with Lethbridge School District # 51. She was recognized for her tireless dedication to fighting Lethbridge’s opioid crisis and improving quality of life for vulnerable people in our community.

Travis Jestin (Electrician Apprenticeship 2009), residential operations manager and partner at Neu-Lite Electric, a full service electrical contractor owned and operated in Lethbridge. He was recognized for his unparalleled work ethic and dedication to his customers and staff.

Kristen Mrazek

(Fashion Design and Marketing 2012), a professional makeup artist, esthetician and the owner of Mrazek Makeup Artistry who strives to bring out the inner beauty of every person. She was recognized for her work to empower women, volunteer time and drive to improve the lives of those around her.

Javier Moreira-Jovel (General Studies student), professionally

known as L Rev, a hip-hop artist based in Lethbridge who is a part of the Canadian hip-hop scene bringing a diverse repertoire of battles, performances, promotions and recording. He was recognized for his dedication in giving back to the community and helping improve the lives of those at-risk through hip-hop.

Corlee Torok (Communication Arts – Broadcast Journalism 2003), a radio announcer for Clear Sky Radio’s 98.1 The Bridge who hosts The Bridge Breakfast, and who considers herself a champion of all things Lethbridge. She was recognized for being an ardent champion for the community and striving to make it a better place.

January 30 : @LC_Alumni We are thrilled that four Business Administration Accounting alum's completed their CPA designation this year. Congratulations Helena Brink (2010), Stephanie Ellis (2014), Dustin Lehmann (2010) and Ryan Vanderploeg (2014).

LethCollege Alumni

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2009

Adam J. Wright Environmental Assessment and Restoration 2005 After graduation, Adam earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, Sustainability and Environmental Planning from Trent University and a master’s degree in Planning from the University of Guelph. Adam had worked for more than two years as a special project officer for the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks. He is currently a director on the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and recently started work as an environmental planner for Dillon Consulting Limited in Kitchener, Ont.

2008

Jana Van Kasteren Massage Therapy 2008 “I’ve been running my own massage therapy business since the day I graduated,” Jana told the Alumni office. “It is thriving and better than I could have ever dreamed of. 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!”

2006

Miranda R. Lynn

Office Administration 2006 Miranda recently told the Alumni office: “I treasure the years I spent at Lethbridge Community College. It prepared me well with a strong technical foundation for my career development, which university can’t provide. It opened up my horizons.”

FAMILIES IN FOCUS

The Johnson Family R

ebecca Johnson counts herself lucky. She has been in the same job, as an administrative assistant in Alberta Health Service’s communications department, for 20 years, and couldn’t be happier. “It seems like a rare thing these days,” Rebecca laughs.

A combination of becoming a parent and having a Bachelor of Music in piano from the University of Lethbridge inspired Rebecca to return to school for something that made her more readily employable. “Music is kind of all-consuming, and you pretty much have to not live in Lethbridge (to be a professional musician), and I didn’t really want to move away because my family is here,” says Rebecca. It was the right decision. Rebecca’s Administrative Office Professional diploma led directly to the job she wanted very soon after graduating.

“Lethbridge College focuses on giving you the hands-on education you need to be successful in a job right away,” says Rebecca. The college’s reputation for easing students into the workforce helped other Johnson family members decide it was the right school for them. Rebecca’s sister, Cindy, graduated from the college’s Computer Information Technology program in 1999 and has been an informatics support analyst for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for 20 years. Rebecca’s son, Julian Higgins, graduated from the Automotive Systems program in 2017 to pursue his life’s passion of building, restoring and fixing cars. “The college gave him the chance to do what he loves for a living,” says Rebecca, which includes working on his white 1973 Monte Carlo.

“Lethbridge College focuses on giving you the hands-on education you need to be successful in a job right away.”

Rebecca’s mother, Mary Fulton-Schroeder, also graduated from the college’s Information Specialist program in 1994. “She did it more to self-improve, and didn’t really work after that,” says Rebecca. When her mother learned Rebecca was returning to school, she decided it sounded like fun, and the two completed the program together. “She got her one-year certificate and decided that was enough,” says Rebecca.

Rebecca’s youngest son, Noah, also has his sights set on Lethbridge College. “He’s a world-class disc-golfer,” says Rebecca, proudly. “He wants to go into exercise science at the college to both help him in his sports career and make him employable.”

Story by Mel Lefebvre | Photos submitted

Rebecca Johnson Administrative Office Professional diploma 1995

Administrative Assistant – Alberta Health Services, Communications and Community Engagement

Mary Fulton-Schroeder

Administrative Office Professional certificate 1994

Retired

Julian Higgins Automotive Systems 2017

Lube tech – Northside Lethbridge Dodge

Cindy Johnson 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.

Computer Information Technology 1997

Informatics Support Analyst – IT Client Services, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Information Services Branch 55

Where are they now?

2005

2004

Renewable Resource Management 2005 The Fort Macleod Gazette announced Cal’s appointment as the new youth coordinator of the Fort Macleod Community Aquaponic Greenhouse Society in January. Cal is building a small aquaponics system in W.A. Day School and other schools in Livingstone Range School Division. The project is the result of funding, through to 2020, from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s EcoAction Community Funding Program.

Environmental Science 2004 Justin is a planning supervisor with West Fraser in Chetwynd, B.C., working with planning and developing forest resources. He had previously worked as a land referral officer with McLeod Lake Indian Band in northeast British Columbia, where he researched and developed consultation procedures for First Nations communities.

2003

Upgrading 2003 Dustin signed a contract in November to pitch for the Québec Capitales of the Can-Am League. Dustin is a former PBA baseball player who was the college’s first-ever former student to play in the majors. He has played in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, and in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers.

He has also competed for the Canadian national baseball team. This will be his 16th season in the pros.

Business Administration 2003 Doane was re-elected as a councillor to the Piikani Nation Chief and Council in January. The contest drew 54 candidates.

2002

Justin W. Keutzer

Cal Braid

Becky A. Daly

Dustin Molleken

Criminal Justice 2005 Rebecca works as a police officer with the RCMP.

Doane Crow Shoe

Jason VandenHoek (Business Administration 1999)

Janine Paly

CO M M U N I T Y L E A D E R AWA R D

Jason VandenHoek is the recipient of this year’s

Community Leader award. Currently the Executive Director of the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation, VandenHoek thrives on community involvement and relationship building. An active member of southern Alberta’s development community for over 13 years, he demonstrates the importance of philanthropy by supporting a variety of initiatives through the Chinook Regional Hospital, Lethbridge College, the University of Lethbridge, the Southern Alberta Art Gallery, the City of Lethbridge, Fundraising Professionals, Canadian Gift Planners and more. VandenHoek’s community involvement began at Lethbridge College, where he was President of the Lethbridge College Students’ Association. His passion and desire to affect change in his community has also been recognized through the Chamber of Commerce’s Top Forty under 40 campaign.

2019

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The Community Leader award is presented to alumni who have made contributions to their communities through their work or personal interests. Nominations for these awards are accepted year round.

More information and nomination forms are available at lethbridgecollege.ca/alumni/nominate.

Agriculture Technology 2002 Janine was elected to the director-atlarge position with the Alberta Wheat Commission. She started her term at the end of January. "I am honoured that farmers have put their confidence in me to take on this important leadership role," she said. "As a farmer, I've watched the sheer strength of this organization grow and I'm excited to bring the unique perspectives I've gained throughout my career to continue building on that."

Janine and her husband, along with their two young daughters, operate a 1,100 acre farm in Thorhild County, Alta.

1997

Margaret D. Plumtree

Business Administration 1997 Margaret has been mayor of the town of Vauxhall since November 2013 and is currently the owner of Vauxhall Penalty Box Snack Bar. She had previously owned a dance studio for 15 years and was a community service and addiction instructor at the Academy of Learning Career College in Brooks.

1994

Curtis W. Dyck Business Administration 1994 Curtis is in his 17th year of work at North West Terminal Ltd., currently serving as a client relations manager.

1993

Penny A. Brauer Professional Cooking 1993 Penny sent the Alumni office this update: “After college, my career took me to work in educational camps, hospitals, nursing homes, and a bakery. I also took sugar work/cake decorating training from world-famous sugar artists from the United States and Australia, and I do cake decorating and make sugar flowers. My best friend from college, Scott Cook and I renewed our friendship in 2014 and we are now married. Our catering company, Cooks Catering S&P, has grown and we were awarded the food and beverage contract at the local golf course. We now have a restaurant, Cast Iron Grill, in Fernie, and we keep very busy with that.

Scott L. Cook

Professional Cooking 1993 “I had spent some time teaching at the college in the Culinary program but had to leave for family reasons,” Scott recently told the Alumni office. “I started my catering company upon my move back to Fernie, obtained the food and beverage contract at the Fernie Golf Club in 2018 and now have a restaurant called the Cast Iron Grill. I married my best friend from the cooking program at the college, Penny Brauer in 2017 and we run the restaurant and our catering company Cooks Catering S&P. We cook from scratch and offer home-cooked meals to all our clients. We specialize in buffets for weddings, golf tournaments and Christmas parties.”

From the vintage vault The 1972 Lethbridge Community College Food Fair featured an elaborate set-up and decorations that included octopi, fish and birds as students demonstrated their abilities both in the kitchen and in meal presentation. At the time, the college offered Food Services, Commercial Cooking and Meat Technology, Technician and Cutting programs.

Did you create something for a Food Fair? Serve up a memorable meal in the Garden Court? Tell us about it! Email WHMagazine@lethbridgecollege.ca or share it socially by tagging @LethCollege.

ALUMNI IN THIS ISSUE 15 Sheldon Anderson (Automotives 1987) 18 Marcia Black Water (General Studies 2004) 24 Lowa Crowshoe-Beebe (Information Specialist 1996) 26 Rachel CrowSpreadingWings (Communication Arts 2015) 22 Beverly Hungry Wolf (General Studies, Honorary Degree) 2 Sandra Kabatoff (Communication Arts 1988)

38 Macie Noftle (Administrative Office Professional 2018) 20 Jean Philistine Old Shoes-Maurer (Criminal Justice 1998) 21 Tawnya Plain Eagle (Digital Communications and Media 2016) 25 Candace Coby Royal (General Studies 2004) 39 Warren Salberg (Civil Engineering Technologies 1985, Distinguished Alumnus 1992)

60 Stacey (Woodcock) Schoneck (General Studies 1994) 28 Kimmy Shade (Business Administration 2001) 30 Roberta Smallbones (Criminal Justice 2000) 29 Janetta Soup (Business Administration 2003) 32/36 Nikki Soup (Culinary Arts 2015, Culinary Apprenticeship 2016) 60 Nicole (Tweter) Spence (Early Childhood Education 1996) 33 Roxy Weasel Head (General Studies 2003)

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Where are they now?

Quinn Ohler (Communication Arts – Broadcast Journalism 2009) R I S I N G S TA R AWA R D

Q

uinn Ohler is this year’s Rising Star award recipient. She has been a reporter and news anchor at Global Edmonton since 2011 and currently anchors the weekend editions of the Global News Hour at 6 and Global News at 11. Prior to moving to Edmonton, she worked at Global Lethbridge, starting as a videographer, then as News Hour co-anchor and producer. She grew up on a farm just outside of Stavely, Alta. Her agriculture background and a love of politics eventually led her to the Communications Arts program at Lethbridge College.

During her time at the college, Ohler was honoured as the recipient of the Troy Reeb Internship, earning the opportunity to visit and learn from the teams at Global Toronto and Global National.

2019

The Rising Star award is presented to alumni who, within 10 years of graduation from Lethbridge College, have become driven innovators in their professions. Nominations for these awards are accepted year round. More information and nomination forms are available at lethbridgecollege.ca/alumni/nominate.

CHRONICLE OF A COLLEGE GRAD: Danielle Korthius

I

n her career, Danielle Korthius has surrounded herself by colour and design to create emotionally and physically engaging spaces. Danielle, who owns and operates Muse Interior Design in Lethbridge, created a successful career after graduating from Lethbridge College. Before flexing her entrepreneurial muscles, she worked for a few companies, including Carefree Kitchens and Lighting, and then she spent three years with Stranville Living Master Builder. “Stranville went through a bunch of ownership changes, and I was let go,” she says. “That was my turning point, and I knew I eventually wanted to do my own thing.” Not having a job was her a-ha moment. “That was when I reached out, and did a business course in 58

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1991

Theodore Provost Human and Community Development Worker 1991 Theodore was elected to his first term as a councillor to the Piikani Nation Chief and Council in January. The contest drew 54 candidates.

1983

Tim Isberg Environmental Science 1983 Tim was featured in a February article in the Pembroke Observer on his evolution from soldier to singer and songwriter.

The article describes how, during 32 years in the army, he learned to speak several languages and saw much of the world, including impossible-to-forget encounters in trouble spots across the Middle East and, as part of a UN Observer team, the genocide that took place in Rwanda in the mid-1990s. He launched his music career about 15 years ago, recording a demo album in 2004. He released his third album, Running on the Edge, earlier this year.

(Interior Design 2010)

self-employment,” says Danielle, who has been a business owner since 2017.

Danielle is now working with a number of clients on a variety of projects, including Flipped Out, a six-episode web series produced by Lethbridge College students. Working on this project brings back great memories for Danielle. “I loved college!” she says. “It was a really great learning atmosphere. It definitely helped create the base of my business.” Participating in school galas as a student helped Danielle gain confidence in her work and primed her for a profession where she frequently showcases her projects and ideas publicly. It paid off, because Danielle has won six awards to-date with the Canadian Home Builders’

Association. Danielle is driven by creating richly collaborative, accessible work environments. “When I have practicum students, it isn’t even work at all,” says Danielle, who has a passion for making her work accessible and fun for everyone.

Story by Mel Lefebvre | Photo supplied

FAMILIES IN FOCUS

The Schmidt Family G

reg Schmidt is a people-person. It’s clear from his easy laugh, warm voice and calm demeanor that his career as executive director of Family Ties Association, a non-profit agency that provides services to children, youth, families and the homeless, is a perfect fit. Schmidt’s family has a hearty presence at the college, where his children have also answered the call to help others.

Two of Greg’s daughters decided to pursue diplomas in General Studies, majoring in psychology and sociology, at the college. Christina is currently enrolled in this program and plans to be a speech-language pathologist. Sabina earned her diploma in 2014, followed by a Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of Calgary and has just been accepted for her Master’s in Social Work. Greg’s son, Michael, was a student in the General Studies program majoring in English from 2015 to 2017 and now is in the University of Lethbridge’s education program. His youngest daughter, Alexandra, is considering applying to the General Studies or Child and Youth Care program, as she is considering a career in social work or addictions counselling.

The emphasis on human services and education can’t be underestimated in Greg’s family. “We’ve always taught our kids how to be caring for others,” says Greg, whose wife, Marianna, is a teacher.

Other family members, from children-in-laws, siblings, and nephews, are also involved at the college. Sabina’s husband, Bryan Ross, is currently enrolled in the Business Administration program. Michael’s fiancée, Baylee Chilton, did a practicum placement at the college in fall 2018 in Accessibility Services facilitating SCoRE Workshops. Greg’s brother, Ken, earned a diploma in Environmental Science from the college in 1981 and was an Alberta conservation officer, and Ken’s son, Cody, earned a diploma in Conservation Enforcement in 2007 and now works as a conservation officer in the Yukon.

Greg says the college’s hands-on learning experiences made it an easy choice for his family’s post-secondary education. Greg’s advice for success in college is to get involved, and make it part of your educational experience.

“When you get into the workforce, you’re prepared with a wealth of experience,” says Greg, warmly encouraging everyone to “jump right in!”

Story by Mel Lefebvre | Photos supplied

Greg Schmidt Communication Arts – Broadcast Production 1986 Child and Youth Care 1993 Recipient of Lethbridge College’s Distinguished Alumni award 2009

Sabina (Schmidt) Ross General Studies – Psychology and Sociology 2014

Michael Schmidt General Studies – English 2017

Christina Schmidt Currently enrolled in General Studies – Psychology and Sociology

Bryan Ross Currently enrolled in Business Administration – Accounting

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The last word

THE LAST WORD Illustrated

by Eric Dyck

We asked our alumni to tell us their best Kodiaks stories and were thrilled to hear back from members of the college’s first women’s soccer team – notable for winning the national championship their very first season, 25 years ago this fall, with a dramatic, last-minute, sudden-death goal.

Here’s what they had to say about that gold medal game:

Winning the gold medal match in sudden death at the 1994 CCAA Nationals in Abbotsford, B.C. was my best Kodiaks memory. Nikki Petersen was hauled down in the penalty box and a penalty shot was awarded. She scored bar down to win the game! It was the longest game of my life, but also my best memory. Great team! Great coaches! Lifelong friendships.

Nicole (Tweter) Spence

Early Childhood Education 1996

It was wet and freezing cold and we were tired. With very little time left on the clock, Nicole was hauled down in the 18.

We all knew it was a penalty kick and we all knew she didn’t miss, but in that moment, with gas tanks on empty, when the ball hit the twine at the back of the net... there was a long silent pause... did we win? Is it over? Then someone from the bench erupted... and we all followed in seemingly slow motion.

We won. True to our nature, we never stopped fighting and never took things for granted. It will be forever special.

Stacey (Woodcock) Schoneck General Studies 1994

“Towards the end of the second overtime, the defender chased Nicole [Petersen] and kicked her down… and the ref called a penalty shot. Usually we’d have Nicole Tweter kick the penalty shots, but since Nikki was down we let her shoot it – and she scored – she put it up high in the corner.”

Knud Petersen

“I closed my eyes when she went to make the kick – and when I opened them they were celebrating so I knew it was in. It was something else – what a great team effort.”

Alvin Tietz

Former Kodiaks women’s soccer coaches

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spring 2019

NEXT ISSUE:

The last word is yours...

In the field Did you set up a tent in a blizzard? Cover a huge breaking news story? Discover a part of the province you never knew? Send us the story (200 words max) of your most memorable Lethbridge College field trip or practicum experience, and throw in any photos that might still be floating around. We’ll share a sampling with readers in our Fall 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!

Ready to create.

Ready to explore.

Ready to discover.

Hot days. Cool pools. Backyard barbecues.

Summer camps. The best parts of summer are about making memories. So give your kids a summer they’ll remember. We have a summer camp for everyone – challenging, creative and confidence-building week-long experiences for kids of all ages.

From Kodiaks sports to culinary camps and everything in between, our hands-on educational camps led by inspiring instructors are the perfect place to make new friends, have fun and learn something too.

REGISTER YOUR KIDS NOW AT: LETHBRIDGECOLLEGE.CA/SUMMERCAMPS