Alumni in their own words - Marnie Klassen (CMU '21)
Reflections through the lens of a Social Theology and Communications & Media graduate
Where has your life taken you since you left CMU?
After graduating I very quickly got a job doing communications and admin support with A Rocha Manitoba, a Christian nature conservation organization. I was eager to explore volunteer and service opportunities elsewhere, and through some encouragement I applied and was accepted to the worker program at Romero House in Toronto. Taking this step felt so big for me, in a wonderful way. In the one-year term, I lived and worked with refugee claimants in Toronto's west end. I was the volunteer coordinator for the organization, which had me managing a team of over 140 volunteers, and was a settlement case worker for several claimant families. I learned a lot about the refugee claimant system in Canada, and a lot about interfaith and intercultural relationships. During my time in Toronto, I made connections at Eglinton Saint George United Church and ended up getting a job with that congregation as the Growth Initiatives Project Coordinator, which meant I was coordinating and running food justice-based events and programs through the church. All during this time I began freelance writing and preaching for organizations and churches, mostly exploring the themes of faith and climate. When the contract at the church came to an end, I decided to move back to Winnipeg and focus on developing a podcast called 'The Schism Between Us', which explores religious polarization in Canada, particularly within the Mennonite community. I've also recently taken on work as communications assistant for a worship resource hub called "Together in Worship."
What of your experience at CMU continues to influence your life and/or work?
A lot of the themes and questions that I was working at during my time at CMU had to do with, what I would call, relational theology, and what does it mean to be in relationship with each other, especially across difference. Those questions were very present as I worked with refugee claimants or as I preach to a congregation that is trying to understand divides within its denomination, those themes are always present. Specifically, my sociology and social science classes at CMU helped me to identify societal wide themes and trends through the lends of relationship, especially relationship across difference.
Do you have a particular memory from your time at CMU?
Chapel was a big part of my experience at CMU. I went to almost every chapel during my four-year degree and was involved in a lot of them. Specifically, I remember in my second year us talking about Ephesians 3:20, where it talks about God giving us more than we could ask for or imagine. That idea stuck with me in my degree, and something I continue to ponder in my work—what does it mean for us who live in a troubled world and difficult economy to trust a God who gives us more than we could ask for and imagine?
What advice would you give a current student?
Don't be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help is not embarrassing, and when in doubt get curious. One of the reasons I had a great experience is because I asked a lot of questions and I surrounded myself with a lot of curious people. Notice the moments of judgement or assumptions and turn that into curiosity—I think that gets you far in your academic life, in your work, and your life beyond work.