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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."

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.

From newcomer to community-builder: A CMU alum’s journey of purpose, justice, and leadership

Monday, September 15, 2025 @ 12:28 PM

When Gode Katembo thinks about his time at CMU, he doesn't just remember classes and assignments. What stands out is how the experience reshaped his sense of direction.

"For me, CMU did not prepare me for a career," he said. "It prepared me for purpose."

CMU theology student receives prized Canada Graduate Scholarship

Monday, May 13, 2024 @ 9:00 AM

CMU student Karissa Durant has been awarded a prestigious Canada Graduate Scholarship Master's award worth $17,500.

The Government of Canada announced in March the results of the competition for the 2022/23 academic year. The scholarships are administered by Canada's federal granting agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Innovative Indigenous language database developed and launched by Li Keur team and CMU

Monday, June 21, 2021 @ 11:25 AM

The team behind Li Keur, Riel's Heart of the North launched an innovative Indigenous language database this spring.

Li Keur is a new dramatic musical work co-created by Métis poet and scholar Dr. Suzanne Steele, who wrote the libretto, and CMU Adjunct Professor of Music Neil Weisensel, who composed the music alongside Métis fiddler Alex Kusturok. It is a reimagining of Louis Riel's "missing" years from 1870–72 and the strong women that surrounded him.

CMU Alumni Profile: Lauren Harms, BA General Social Sciences

Monday, November 23, 2020 @ 11:20 AM

Lauren Harms (BA '15, General Social Sciences) wears two hats, that of a pastor and of an art therapist, which are taken on and off in the same room in the same Calgary apartment every day over Zoom. Founder of "Lily Inspired", an art therapy practice that focuses on individual and group art therapy as well as expressive arts workshops, Harms combines the creative process and psychotherapy, enabling her clients to explore their healing through colour, shape, and form.

Graduate theology student awarded CMU’s first SSHRC scholarship

Wednesday, June 17, 2020 @ 10:45 AM

A CMU student has been awarded a prestigious Canada Graduate Scholarship worth $17,500 by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). This is the first year CMU has been eligible to distribute this scholarship, due to the university's successful federal research funding.

Sarah Deckert is a student in CMU's Graduate School of Theology and Ministry, working on a Master of Arts in Theological Studies. The SSHRC scholarship will go towards the work she is doing on her thesis, which is currently titled, "Embodied Pneumatology: The Role of the Holy Spirit in Healing the Wounds of Colonialism."

MSC faculty and team awarded $119,000 federal grant

Monday, June 17, 2019 @ 10:03 AM

An instructor from Canadian Mennonite University's Menno Simons College (MSC) and a team of other professors are the recipients of a prestigious federal grant.

Karen Ridd, Instructor in Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies, received a three-year Partnership Development Grant worth $119,000 through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

CMU history professor awarded $93,000 federal grant

Tuesday, May 22, 2018 @ 7:28 AM

A Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) professor is the recipient of a prestigious federal grant.

Dr. Brian Froese, Associate Professor of History, received a five-year grant worth $93,000 through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Froese will use the grant for a research project addressing the intersection of conservative religion and politics in Western Canada from the 1880s to 1960s.

CMU faculty awarded prestigious federal grants

Thursday, June 15, 2017 @ 4:02 PM

Two professors from Canadian Mennonite University’s Menno Simons College (MSC) are recipients of prestigious federal grant funds through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Dr. Jerry Buckland, Professor of International Development Studies, received a grant worth $263,000. Dr. Kirit Patel, Assistant Professor of International Development Studies, received $75,000.

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