Alumni Profiles

From Student to Teacher: A Journey of Faith, Learning, and Community

From Student to Teacher: A Journey of Faith, Learning, and Community

Kenny Wollmann is a high school educator, teaching primarily Bible, theology, and world religions—but not in a typical classroom. Wollmann teaches students online in Hutterite communities across Manitoba and even into the northern United States.

Hutterites are communal Anabaptist Christian groups who live in rural colonies, share belongings and resources, and often sustain themselves through agriculture. With only small groups of students in each community, sharing resources, like teachers who are each experts in their subjects, helps ensure a robust learning program.

Continue Reading
Evan Klassen (CMU ’02) graduated with a Bachelor of Christian Studies during CMU’s early years as a merged university. Now Executive Director of the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, he continues to carry forward the rigour, curiosity, and commitment to community that shaped his time at CMU.

Rigour, Curiosity, and the Arts: A CMU Story of Leadership

CMU was a place of transition, community, and discovery for Evan Klassen, Executive Director of the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (MTC).

"My first gig was on this stage here in the ... [Laudamus Auditorium]," he says, explaining that he helped organize a theatre production of A Man for All Seasons with a small group of fellow students. He stage-managed, ran sound cues, and discovered the kind of collaborative, behind-the-scenes work that would eventually define his career.

Continue Reading
Aaron Janzen (CMU ’08) completed a BA in Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies. His CMU education nurtured his sense of justice and care for creation, shaping his career in environmental conservation. Now a senior field campaigner with Oceans North, he works to protect marine and freshwater ecosystems in collaboration with northern communities.

From peacebuilding to conservation: A CMU alum’s journey of justice, community, and care for creation

Aaron Janzen knows being an environmentalist is as much about working with people as it is with the land.

The self-described "social scientist type-person," graduated from CMU in 2008, majoring in Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies (PACTS).

Continue Reading

Stitching Together Community and Sustainability

Anna-Marie Janzen's earliest childhood memory is sewing.

She recalls sitting on the kitchen floor with her grandmother, playing with giant, oversized plastic needles and shaped cards as her grandma taught her the fundamentals of stitching and threading.

Continue Reading
Gindalee Ouskun (CMU ’17) graduated with a major in Communications and Media. Now Marketing Coordinator at APTN and a professional photographer, she credits CMU with helping her find confidence, creativity, and her voice as an Indigenous storyteller.

Through the Lens: How CMU Helped an Indigenous Storyteller Find Her Voice

Gindalee Ouskun points to the great paradox in her life—she is shy and introverted, yet her work is public-facing and relational. "It's kind of ironic that I would choose a career where ... I'm always interacting with people and really putting myself out there," she laughs. "But being in the role brings out a sort of confidence that I don't necessarily always have."

Continue Reading

Older Posts