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CMU alumna carries family tradition into a new generation

Monday, August 10, 2026 @ 10:37 AM

Kaylene Blackwood (CMU '26) started playing the steel drums when she was five years old. There's video footage of her as a child performing in the Caribbean pavilion at Folklorama, Winnipeg's annual multicultural festival that celebrates diverse cultures through pavilions featuring food, live entertainment, and cultural exhibits. All you can see are her little feet standing on a stool, her arms barely reaching the instrument. Now at 26 years old, she is the leader of her ensemble and plays an integral role in the Caribbean pavilion both on and off the stage.

Honouring a life that continues to inspire

Thursday, July 9, 2026 @ 3:49 PM

The Evelyn Kampen Memorial Scholarship Fund for Women's Volleyball was established at CMU in 2026 to honour the remarkable life and athletic legacy of Evelyn Kampen, an alumna (CMU '12) and former Blazer student-athlete and coach who passed away in 2025 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Even more than a recognition of her accomplishments on the court, the scholarship celebrates the values Kampen embodied: perseverance, leadership, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to helping others succeed.

CMU alumnus is transforming patient care through music one year after graduation

Monday, July 6, 2026 @ 4:09 PM

Just one year after graduating from CMU with a Bachelor of Music Therapy, Loghan Puhach is working in what he calls "a dream come true."

Upon completion ofhis internship at Riverview Health Centre in Winnipeg, Puhach successfully advocated for the creation of a full-time music therapy position. Today, as a Certified Music Therapist, he brings comfort, connection, and healing to patients and their families while helping expand access to music therapy across the health centre.

Alumni in their own words - Chloe Friesen (CMU ‘22)

Monday, June 29, 2026 @ 10:10 AM

Where has your life taken you since you left CMU?

Since graduating with my Bachelor of Arts in 2022, I have been working full-time as an associate producer with CBC Manitoba in the Current Affairs department. During my final year of studies, I worked casually as a radio show technician, so it was exciting to continue doing what I loved at CBC in a larger capacity. Since then, I've taken on a variety of roles within the public broadcaster, including producing stories and interviews for radio programs, directing live radio shows, writing and presenting for television, editing social media content, and—my favourite—filling in as host for Information Radio, Radio Noon, and Up To Speed. I've also had the opportunity to write, host, and produce my own hour-long radio documentary, The Case for Cursive. For someone who has always been fascinated by radio, it has been a stellar opportunity.

CMU alumna earns national recognition as a rising writer

Thursday, June 18, 2026 @ 12:16 PM

A national writing award is helping CMU alumna Emma Siemens take the next step toward a career in journalism.

The 2023 social sciences graduate is the recent recipient of the Wendy Elaine Nelles Award from the Word Guild, an organization of Canadian Christian writers and editors. The award recognizes emerging writers studying journalism, literature, media, and communications in Canada and includes an $850 prize to support their professional development.

CMU graduate studies addiction and care in Canada's poorest postal code

Thursday, May 28, 2026 @ 10:38 AM

David Naylor is never sure what his workday will look like when he starts his shift. "It can be anything from giving out a pair of socks to reviving somebody with naloxone in the back alley," he says.

Naylor works at Union Gospel Mission (UGM), a non-profit organization that does community outreach as Christian ministry in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, a neighbourhood with some of the highest urban rates of addiction, homelessness, and poverty in Canada.

Alumni in their own words - Marnie Klassen (CMU '21)

Monday, April 6, 2026 @ 10:42 AM

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."

Sunday at CMU: March 2026

Sunday, March 1, 2026 @ 12:00 AM

Broadening Our Capacity to Love

This month on Sunday at CMU, we are hearing from Jeff Friesen, Director of Leadership Ministries for Mennonite Church Manitoba. Jeff is an alumnus of CMU's undergraduate and graduate programs, and he spent almost 20 years as a pastor. In this sermon series we're rebroadcasting, he focuses on the politics of God's love as seen in 1 John and Acts and he explores how we can broaden our capacity to love.

Listen Now

Winter 2025/26 alumni updates

Thursday, February 19, 2026 @ 9:46 AM

Readers of CMU's The Blazer magazine often say they flip right to the Alumni News section before reading anything else.

In the most recent, 25th anniversary issue of The Blazer, we were unable to squeeze in alumni news. Below is a compilation of updates provided to CMU by alumni.

Brewing purpose: Stephen Kang builds Prairie Solar Café

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 @ 10:03 AM

Throughout Manitoba's milder seasons, you can find Stephen Kang pulling shots of espresso, brewing tea, and pouring kombucha on tap from his small solar-powered trailer, Prairie Solar Café.

His inspiration for this mobile coffee shop stems from a young age. "I really love food trucks," he says. "Growing up, I would go to some of the food truck festivals as a kid and be like, this is the coolest thing ever, and the food is amazing!" What he didn't love were the trucks' generators—noisy, smelly, and overstimulating. He wanted to maintain the joy of the food truck, while also creating a quieter, more relaxing experience that prioritizes sustainability.

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