Conviction in the Courtroom: How CMU Prepared a Future Prosecutor
25 at 25 | Nathan Dueck (CMU '21)
Nathan Dueck (CMU ’21) graduated with an interdisciplinary honours degree in history of western thought. Now articling with Manitoba Prosecutions, he credits CMU with shaping the conviction and clarity he brings to both law and life.
These days, you'll find Nathan Dueck in Thompson, Manitoba, arguing bail conditions, speaking to sentences, and prepping for his first trials. It's a serious role, but he admits law school itself wasn't quite as grueling as people imagine.
"After the first month of first year, I didn't open a single textbook," he says. "But at CMU, I did every single reading. That's the difference—the environment made me want to show up prepared."
Dueck credits those four years at Canadian Mennonite University with teaching him not only how to read and write at a high level, but how to show up with conviction. "Most of all, because I really liked my professors, I wanted to impress them," he says.
"I wanted to be ready every day for every class. I wanted to engage." That kind of practice, he says, carried over directly into law school and now into court.
Dueck graduated in 2021 with an interdisciplinary honours program he crafted called history of western thought. He says his inspiration for the course was partly centred around a particular second-year course that electrified him.
"We read 'The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism,' and I was just so excited by how it showed the impact of theology and philosophy on society," he says. "That's when I thought, I want to study the interplay between humanities, theology, philosophy, and history itself."
That mix of enthusiasm and hard work followed him out of CMU. After graduating, he completed a 10-month internship at the Manitoba Legislature, worked as a campaign staffer. Later, he became an issues manager in the Premier's office.
Now articling with Manitoba Prosecutions, Dueck's learning that some calls are his to make. He recalls approaching his supervisor with a case and asking what sentence to recommend. "He just said, 'Nathan, what does your heart tell you?'" Dueck says. "And what I have in my heart—that's what I developed at CMU."
For him, that's the university's real influence. "[CMU] challenged me and strengthened me in a way that prepared me for the broader world," he says.
Whether he's in a bustling legislature office or standing before a judge, Dueck still leans on the same lessons from CMU: stick to your gut. "That's what CMU really gave me—the tools to know what I think, and the courage to stand by it."