Stories
Spring 2025 alumni updates
John Longhurst (MBBC '79), Winnipeg, MB, was appointed to the Order of Canada in December 2024 for his interfaith journalism at the Winnipeg Free Press, where he has been a faith page columnist since 2003 and a faith reporter since 2019. Through his writing, he seeks to connect people across religions and strives to foster understanding and respect. Longhurst also writes for various other publications in Canada and the U.S., including Canadian Affairs, Anabaptist World, Faith Today, Christian Courier and the Canadian Jewish News. He has won awards for his writing from the Associated Church Press and the Canadian Church Press and, in 2021, he received the Manitoba Lieutenant Governor's Award for the Advancement of Interreligious Understanding.
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#myCMUlife | “Well… it depends…”: Four insights into studying music therapy at CMU
Four years ago, I had never heard of music therapy. Now, I can't imagine doing anything else.
In the fall of 2017, I was heading into the last year of my Bachelor of Music in piano at King's University in Edmonton, trying to figure out what to do afterwards. As I skimmed through a promotional brochure about what to do with a music degree, the words "music therapy" caught my eye. I was instantly intrigued. I remember phoning a music therapist to get more information. When I asked what a typical music therapy workday might look like, she replied with, "Well... it depends...." While I thought this answer was profoundly unhelpful in the moment, I've seen how true it is after studying music therapy at CMU.
Royal Canadian Air Force commemorates CMU heritage building
While the Assiniboine Castle on the north side of the CMU campus now hosts academic courses such as "Doing Peace: From Theory to Practice" and "Biblical Perspectives on Peace and Justice," its history reveals that the building served a very different purpose during times of conflict.
During World War II, long before CMU called the building home, the structure was outfitted as No. 3 RCAF Wireless School run by the 17 Wing Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
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With Gratitude: stories from CMU graduates
CMU launched its graduation weekend celebrations with the annual Spring at CMU.
Held the day before the graduation ceremony in the Loewen Athletic Centre, Spring at CMU featured the long-standing tradition of 'With Gratitude', a time for graduating students to reflect on their time at CMU.
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#myCMUlife | Finding your people at CMU
Life at CMU is full of unexpected lessons. Some come from professors, others from classmates, and many from late-night lounge chats or spontaneous games of hide and seek in the forest. For CMU students Ella, Jewels, and Adalynne, living and learning on campus has been just as much about personal growth as it has been about academics.
Ella doesn't just participate in student life—she's practically the poster child for it. "How much time do you have?" she joked, before listing off an impressive roster of roles: soccer and futsal player, Indigenous student leader, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion volunteer, member of the Music Student Association, CMQ, Arts and Entertainment, and the list goes on. Somehow, she does it all and still manages to sound genuinely joyful about it.
Jewels keeps busy too, but with a slightly different flavour. She works as a barista at folio café on CMU's campus and sings in two CMU choirs. Adalynne brings a thoughtful energy to their many contributions. They've volunteered in the student-run Blaurock Café and Meraki Maker Space, performed at coffeehouses, and played in the Mennonite Community Orchestra. "It's been a really nice experience," they said simply, the kind of understatement that hints at something richer beneath the surface.
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