CMU composer gives new life to opera City Workers in Love
Construction workers singing opera? It's a combination likely to elicit a double take, but it's at the heart of the 1992 comic opera City Workers in Love.
Composed by CMU Associate Professor of Music Neil Weisensel with a libretto by the late Michael Cavanagh, the one-act comic opera tells the story of a street repair crew and their pursuits of love and public service during a typical day.
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Dr. Roberta Bondar, Canada's first female astronaut, brings a view from space down to Earth at CMU
Seeing Earth from space changed the way Dr. Roberta Bondar understood the natural world.
Canada's first female astronaut shared that perspective at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) on September 11, when she spoke at a Face2Face event exploring the intersections of science, art, and the environment.
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New Assistant Professor of Education helps shape first Education cohort
As CMU welcomes the first students into its Bachelor of Education (BEd) program this fall, a new faculty member is helping shape what the program—and the educators who emerge from it—will become.
Ikeoluwapo Baruwa, Assistant Professor of Education, joined CMU in June, bringing teaching and research experience from both Nigeria and Canada.
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CMU students put learning to work
For Cassidy Froese, a summer work-integrated learning placement brought social science and communications together in ways she had not expected. For Alyssa Doneza, it revealed just how much running a basketball organization depends on relationships.
Their experiences are two examples of how Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) students are taking classroom learning into workplaces through work-integrated learning (WIL) placements.
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Alumni in their own words - Jacqueline Sookermany (CMU '15)
Where has life taken you since you left CMU?
During my studies at CMU, I developed a deep passion for prisoner justice and prisoner abolition while working for Correctional Service Canada at Stony Mountain Institution in their Programs department for my practicum. After I graduated with my four-year Arts and Sciences degree, I took a job at EPIC Opportunities, working at one of their day service locations. I hadn't previously considered working in the disability sector, but I found that I loved the work. I was able to support people in finding connections in their communities that were meaningful to them, expanding their hopes beyond employment. In this role, I was able to learn more about the world of disability justice and advocacy, which solidified my passion for the disability sector. After a few years, I took a position at Initiatives for Just Communities (IJC) in their disability outreach program, Touchstone, and it was at IJC that I began to think about pursuing a Master of Social Work. I moved to Victoria, BC, to complete my master's degree. My work in disability and corrections had left me skeptical of the social work profession. Over the course of my studies, I had the opportunity to see that social work is making bold strides toward becoming a field where people with lived experience are directly influencing the policies that shape their services, and that many social workers are actively working to decolonize the profession. My journey has led me back to the place where I decided social work was the correct path for me—IJC—as Director of Services for their Winnipeg programs. I am currently overseeing four programs that span work in disability support and advocacy, community education, and restorative justice. It is a bit dreamy to have a role that allows me to engage in many of the sectors I am passionate about.
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