Keyword: alumni news
Graduate School of Theology & Ministry alumnus finds immigration consultancy work a “life-changing experience”
Monday, January 31, 2022 @ 9:43 AM
For Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) alumnus Arisnel Mesidor (CMU '15), changing people's lives isn't an abstract hope or dream; it's the reality of his daily work.
As the owner and manager of Mesidor Canadian Immigration Services, he helps non-Canadians make the life-altering transition to becoming Canadian citizens. Daily, he meets with clients and mentors them as they navigate the complex world of the Canadian immigration system.
I Am A Mennonite investigates the past to glimpse into the future
Monday, January 17, 2022 @ 1:36 PM
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
Wednesday, December 22, 2021 @ 8:21 AM
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.
Polar bear research connects CMU alumna to the natural world
Monday, December 20, 2021 @ 1:02 PM
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
Tuesday, December 7, 2021 @ 9:24 AM
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
Tuesday, November 23, 2021 @ 3:58 PM
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.
Fall 2021 alumni updates
Friday, November 5, 2021 @ 8:00 AM
Readers of CMU's The Blazer magazine often say they flip right to the Alumni News section before reading anything else.
Unfortunately, the past several issues of The Blazer in its digest format were not able to include alumni news. Below is a compilation of updates provided by a few of our alumni (including the most adorable baby photos).
Summer 2021 alumni updates
Wednesday, June 30, 2021 @ 8:55 AM
Readers of CMU's The Blazer magazine often say they flip right to the Alumni News section before reading anything else.
Unfortunately, the past several issues of The Blazer were not able to include alumni news. Below is a compilation of news from a few of our alumni (including the most adorable baby photos).
CMU alumni guide Canadian newcomers in the search for affordable housing
Monday, April 12, 2021 @ 3:26 PM
CMU alumni Codi Guenther (BA '08, Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies) and River Woods (BA '03, Biblical and Theological Studies) are aiding newcomers to Canada by guiding them in the search for affordable housing.
Having worked as executive director for New Journey Housing for nearly 12 years, Guenther describes the work as broad ranging, involving everything from filing income tax so that newcomers have access to child benefit taxes, GST cheques, and subsidized housing, to teaching workshops on home rental and home purchasing, financing, budgeting, and investing.