Alumni Profiles
I Am A Mennonite investigates the past to glimpse into the future
Within the first five minutes of Paul Plett's (CMU 2004-05) newest documentary, I Am A Mennonite, he askes his target audience of Mennonites, "Where are we going to spiritually?"
That may be a loaded question for a community whose history is steeped in schisms, immigration, and discernment. But, It's a question Plett says is not rhetorical. "We're not going anywhere else physically. As a community, it does sort of seem that the real adventure is the spiritual one." Plett says that since Mennonite's transient disposition seems to have receded, we need to journey deeper into self-reflection, exploring inward as our spirituality is the most important odyssey of all.
CMU alumni collaborate on book featuring women in music
A vibrant children's book featuring 26 women in music will soon be hitting bookstore shelves, and it was created by two CMU alumni. Anneli Loepp Thiessen (CMU '18) first wrote The ABCs of Women in Music in fall 2020 as a creative project for a feminist theories class at the University of Ottawa, where she is a PhD student in interdisciplinary music research.
![Sara Wolowich Brown (CMU' 19, Environmental Studies): "[I want to help] people become more literate of the natural world around them and make changes in the world to protect these species."](https://www.cmu.ca/phpthumb/phpThumb.php?src=/uploaded/Sara_Wolowich_Brown_0118.jpg&w=1000&h=1500&aoe=0&q=100&f=.jpg "Sara Wolowich Brown (CMU' 19, Environmental Studies): \"[I want to help] people become more literate of the natural world around them and make changes in the world to protect these species.\"")
Polar bear research connects CMU alumna to the natural world
For Sara Wolowich Brown (CMU' 19, Environmental Studies), going to the zoo is more than just entertainment. It's become a passion.
Every year, she takes a pilgrimage to Assiniboine Park Zoo on her birthday. It's an almost ritualistic experience that connects her to the disorder of nature. "I always [been] very interested in science, and the natural world was always super fascinating to me. I always loved going to the zoo," says the alumna who graduated with Environmental Studies major.
Impactful work-integrated learning experience leads alumna to pursue decolonization efforts and Indigenous solidarity work
Ask any Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) graduate the most impactful learning experience during their undergrad, and they will most likely say their practicum placement.
As the only university in Canada that includes a work-integrated learning placement for all undergraduates, CMU's Practicum Program gives students practical, hands-on opportunities to work in their desired fields of study. Most students look at their practicum placement as a turning point in their education; they get a fully realized vision of the types of impacts they can make in the world and can be inspired to reach further heights in their academics or career.
A community of hope, life, and vibrancy inspires CMU alumna at COP26
With floods decimating major highways, forest fires pillaging towns and countries, and a global average temperature steadily increasing, there is without a doubt a climate emergency on our hands.
Canadian Mennonite University alumna Kari Miller (CMU '21) has seen the atrocities of climate change and has made it her life's work to mitigate the shifting world. Miller's role as the Environmental Education Coordinator for A Rocha Manitoba gave her the opportunity to attend the 26th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations (UN) climate summit in Glasgow, known more famously as COP26.
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