Justin Rawana is over the moon about his job as an executive story editor on the popular CBC comedy series Son of a Critch—a show that delves into the experiences of an awkward boy growing up in Newfoundland in the 1980s. The series is based on the life of Mark Critch, the actor, comedian, and regular on the sketch comedy This Hour has 22 Minutes.

"It's got a Wonder Years coming-of-age vibe to it," Justin says. "It revolves around Mark's heartbreaks, his relationship with his parents and grandfather, and his struggles relating to other kids at school."

Son of a Critch's heartwarming moments are balanced with some punchier ones. In a January 10, 2022, review, The Globe and Mail newspaper commented: "The dark humour, the biting sarcasm and the sheer weirdness of the place is what makes this show worth your while."

As well as playing his father Mike Sr. on the show, Mark Critch is also the showrunner, which means that he oversees the producing, casting, and writing of the series. Justin is part of the writing team that works closely with Mark to develop the story episodes.

Justin is still a little shocked that he's been able to break into a very tough industry.

"During my teen years, I was all about movies and TV. I was constantly watching director's commentaries on DVDs because I was fascinated by writers and directors—though I didn't think it could ever be a career for me. Thunder Bay is so far removed from the film and television world."

Instead, he studied English at Lakehead because it was the field closest to his interests.

"My favourite class was Dr. Scott Pound's 'Writing in a Variety of Modes and Genres.' One week we would write a short story, the next week a poem, and the next week a movie review. Dr. Pound took me aside after one class and said, 'Your stories aren't so good, but you can be a good writer,' and that really motivated me."

Following his graduation in 2010, however, Justin made the decision to teach in London, England, for two years.

"They were starved for teachers, so I thought 'Why not?'" he says. "I taught all kinds of classes that I wasn't trained for like math and the fundamentals of dance."

When his contract came to an end, Justin was faced with a choice: Should he keep teaching?

This brought about the realization that he could live with teaching, but he wouldn't love it, and spurred him to enrol in the Vancouver Film School's film and television program. He completed his diploma in 2013 and moved to Toronto because, as the largest filming hub in Canada, it offered more opportunities.

To be a good TV writer you have to be flexible and able to take criticism because everything gets rewritten or cut.

He says that he prefers comedy to drama—as a teenager he loved watching shows like The Office and Parks and Rec—and that he's more drawn to TV than to movies.

"TV allows you to tell a longer story and really dive into characters and investigate themes. I also love being with other writers in the writing room and being able to bounce ideas off them. The energy and chaos of the process appeals to me."

Justin's first job was an entry-level position as a writer's assistant on a TV drama called Mary Kills People.

"It involved script coordinating, editing, and getting coffee for the writers," Justin says.

Justin received a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Education from Lakehead in 2010.

He was subsequently hired as a writer on The Next Step, a Canadian dramedy series about teens in a competitive dance troupe.

"It had been on the air for seven years when I started, so the biggest difficulty was pitching ideas that hadn't been done before."

By the time the pandemic hit in 2020, Justin was working as a coordinator on the TVOKids show ODD Squad: Mobile Unit. It's an Emmy Award-winning series featuring four kids modelled on the agents in the Men in Black movies, except they solve crimes using math.

"The child actors are unbelievably good—they taught me that even if you have a good script, casting is crucial. There's also an alchemy between the script, the actors, and the director."

In 2021, Justin's agent put him up for the Son of Critch script coordinator position when the show's previous coordinator unexpectedly left.

"I was a panic hire," he says.

Being a script coordinator is a gruelling job with hours that start at seven am and don't end until around midnight.

"I had to take my laptop to my wife's grandmother's wake," Justin says.

The script coordinator compiles edits from the showrunner, the director, and the actors before production starts and then sends the revised script to the network for their notes and further revisions. Once a script is finalized and filming begins, a whole new set of problems arises. For instance, if a venue becomes unavailable or bad weather prevents an outdoor scene from being shot, the script needs to be rewritten.

Justin flourished under the pressure, and he was kept on as script coordinator for Son of a Critch's second season and allowed to co-write a script. For the third season, he was promoted to executive story editor, which means that he is now writing scripts full time.

"We did a six-week writing room over Zoom this summer with writers from Newfoundland, Los Angeles, and Toronto, and came up with episode ideas. Once a story concept gelled, Mark assigned a writer to it, and we each had one to two weeks to have our first draft ready for the network."

"To be a good TV writer you have to be flexible and able to take criticism," he adds, "because everything gets rewritten or cut."

They shot the third season over the summer, which will focus on the new challenges Mark is facing as he begins grade 9.

"I really like the dynamic between Mark and his best friend Richie, who's Filipino and the only person of colour in town at that time," Justin says. "I see a bit of myself in Richie—it speaks to me about growing up in Thunder Bay in the 1990s. The two episodes I've written so far are very Richie heavy because Mark knows that's what I'm drawn to.

Although Justin is revelling in being part of a hit TV show, he has even bigger dreams.

"One day, I want to be the showrunner of my own series."

 The third season of Son of a Critch will air in January 2024. Watch the season one trailer to get a taste of the show.

The Alumni Association Governance and Nominations Committee was thrilled to award the 2023-24 Alumni Entrance Scholarship to Léa McLean, who will be studying kinesiology at Lakehead.

Léa is coming to us from Timmins, and we are eagerly awaiting her arrival on campus.

"Pursuing my education at Lakehead University gives me the opportunity to study in a tight-knit and prospering community, all while staying connected to my northern roots," she explains.

"Lakehead is a smaller university, and this will allow me to develop stronger connections with other students and teachers alike. I love the fact that I will be able to get to know people on a more personal level during my years at Lakehead, and I know that this academic environment will enable me to thrive and unleash my full potential."

Léa specifically chose Lakehead as her postsecondary destination because of its closeness to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM)—and she intends to apply to NOSM after completing her Honours Bachelor of Kinesiology.

"I hope to become an obstetrician/gynecologist and practice in Northern Ontario," Léa says.

She's already had an introduction to the field of medicine through her volunteer work at the Timmins and District Hospital where she greeted patients and directed them to their appointments.

"Volunteering at the hospital has taught me how to be personable and professional, skills that are important in any workplace or co-op placement," she says.

Another crucial element of Léa's decision to choose Lakehead for her studies—in addition to the University's excellent programs—is its wilderness setting. She's always enjoyed the great outdoors and the proximity of the Thunder Bay campus to hiking trails and to Lake Superior means that she will have easy access to many of her favourite activities including downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, and running.

"Ever since the age of eight, I have been a cross-country runner," she says. "Now, I often reflect on just how much this sport has taught me about leadership and how it has affected my life."

Once Léa becomes a doctor, she would like to work in remote northern Indigenous communities and provide medical services in underserved areas.

The Alumni Association is proud to welcome such a community-spirited and dedicated young person to the Lakehead family. Congratulations, Léa!

Even before Julia Carvello graduated with her Honours Bachelor of Arts and Science (HBASc) in May 2023, she'd scored her first big career break.

Julia is one of only two people to receive a 2023 TD Insurance Meloche Monnex Fellowship in Advancement from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE). The CCAE is an organization that encourages excellence in educational advancement—a field encompassing alumni relations, fundraising, marketing, and relationship building.

TD Fellowships provide emerging educational advancement professionals with valuable job experience, and the competition to secure a fellowship is fierce. Universities, colleges, and polytechnics across Canada submit applications in the hopes that their candidate will be chosen.

"Advancement education is the backbone of universities," explains Julia, who is completing her fellowship at Lakehead's Orillia campus. "I love that I'm helping students."

Helping people is the reason she opted to major in criminology and minor in psychology for her HBASc degree.

She was drawn to these disciplines, she says, "because I was interested in working with communities and victims of crime, either through the Ontario Provincial Police's victim services department or another organization. I was also considering becoming a crisis responder."

Julia's connection to Lakehead extends well beyond her academic studies. As a first-year student, she joined the Lakehead University Student Alumni Association (LUSAA) to support Lakehead and its graduates.

"The most common advice people give students starting university is to get involved, so LUSAA is how I dipped my toe in the water," Julia says. "It was great because I got to meet so many people from different years and different programs that I wouldn't have met otherwise."

Throughout her four years with LUSAA, Julia was an exemplary mentor who put her compassion for others to good use. During the pandemic, for instance, she organized 25 LUSAA virtual events, many of which focused on mental health.

"The events allowed students to feel engaged with the University and their peers at a time when they were feeling isolated and disconnected," External Relations Associate Jacquie Kent says. "Julia's contributions were instrumental in Lakehead receiving a 2020 CCAE Prix d'Excellence bronze award for the Best Student/Young Alumni initiative," she adds.

And her passion for helping others extends outside of Lakehead to the wider community—Julia enjoys volunteering with organizations such as the Elpizo Counseling Center and Habitat for Humanity.

Her work ethic caught the attention of Lakehead staff and, as a student, Julia was hired by the External Relations department on several work-study contracts. Her responsibilities included organizing events and travelling to events throughout Simcoe County to promote Lakehead Orillia. Julia also learned how to pull alumni and donor information from Lakehead's database, create spreadsheets, and ensure the integrity of Lakehead's data.

"Julia far exceeded my expectations," Jacquie Kent says. "She showed her ability to lead with a quiet and gentle hand, to encourage by doing, and to see the bigger picture."

Now, Julia is putting her skills into action.

"I'm really excited about the Fellowship," Julia says. "I'm mostly focusing on developing mental health resources—such as chat rooms, live streams, and events—for Lakehead alumni. In addition, I'm collaborating with Lakehead's Office of Indigenous Initiatives to develop events hosted by Lakehead or the Indigenous community."

During Julia's limited spare time, she relaxes with online gaming and watching horror movies.

"When I was a kid, my parents accidentally left a scary movie on. My older brother had nightmares for weeks, but after that, I couldn't stop watching them."

The Patel family didn't start out with a plan to create a charitable giving foundation, but rather, it grew from a decades-long intention to pass a legacy of gratitude between generations.

Established in 2020, the Kanti and Indu Patel Family Bursary was created by the Patel family to assist full-time Indigenous entrance students enrolled in any STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), social work, or nursing program. To date, the bursary has helped six Lakehead students with their tuition costs.

"My parents always believed in education as a pathway to prosperity and they were looking for ways to give," says Unnati Patel, one of Kanti and Indu's three daughters.

"This bursary also expresses their appreciation to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada as the original custodians of the land we now also call home."

Kanti and Indu immigrated to southern Ontario in 1974 from England, and prior to that, from Uganda. They raised their children and their grandson in Canada, all of whom have benefited from the quality and availability of educational opportunities here. Sadly, Kanti died in 2019 from severe complications caused by a bad fall that required hospitalization.

"It was then that we decided to create a legacy fund in my parents' name and to also pay it forward to nurses for the care and compassion they gave us during that very stressful time," says Unnati—a former aerospace engineer who retired at 50 to complete two more university degrees in philosophy.

The family set up their foundation through their bank and chose an annual giving model.

"We're not billionaires, but annual giving can be accessible and allows us to give tens of thousands of dollars over the long term."

Unnati says the family took the time to get specific about what and where they wanted to give, including not giving anonymously, wanting the money to go straight to a student's tuition, and with a funding priority of "need above merit."

The family approached other postsecondary institutions, but none were able to meet their specific needs. It was then that a close friend and former engineering colleague—a Lakehead alumna—connected Unnati with the University, feeling sure that Lakehead could make good use of an annual gift and meet all of the Patels' criteria. She was right.

In fact, their experience with Lakehead was so positive that the family plans to continue their support past the original five years of their commitment.

"We are so happy we looked at Lakehead and have been able to make a difference where we can," Unnati says.

For her, this is the most rewarding part of the whole process.

"There was a point where my mom was worried it was taking too long to find the place that fit," she says. "And now we say it all worked out just right—we needed that time to find and help these exact students, at this exact time, at Lakehead."

To learn more about establishing your own scholarship, bursary, or award at Lakehead University, please contact Annual Giving Manager Meghan Hanbury at mhanbury@lakeheadu.ca or at 807-343-8010 ext. 8910. To make a gift today you can visit donate.lakeheadu.ca.

Parents and caregivers sometimes struggle to find essentials such as clothing and diapers for their children.

It was this realization that spurred a 15-year-old girl to start the non-profit that would become One Plane Away. It's an organization that delivers care boxes to babies born in Nunavut—including children living in 25 fly-in communities accessible only by air or water.

Caris Madsen was a grade 10 student in Nunavut's capital city of Iqaluit when she first had the idea for the non-profit.

"I babysat for several family friends who were foster parents," Caris says. "They would sometimes get emergency foster care placements, which created difficulties if they didn't have baby supplies on hand. Iqaluit's two small grocery stores are the only places you can buy baby products—they have very few items in stock and what they do have is extremely expensive because of transportation costs."

Caris decided to do what she could to help.

"My family moved to Iqaluit from Hamilton, Ontario, after I finished grade 7, but I would periodically return to south to visit relatives. On these trips, I would buy baby clothes from Value Village and gather clothing donations that I would give to foster families and Nunavut's Department of Family Services. However, I quickly realized that I wasn't reaching families outside of Iqaluit, so I started One Plane Away to serve families throughout Nunavut."

Caris also expanded the content of the care boxes to include baby food, formula, wipes, blankets, books, and toys as well as clothing and diapers.

I've had incredible opportunities, such as going to university and establishing One Plane Away, unfortunately, these kinds of opportunities aren't open to everyone.

 She continued to operate One Plane Away when she left Nunavut to complete an Honours Bachelor of Science. She graduated in May 2023 and is now in her first year of Lakehead's compressed nursing program and has plans to apply to med school once she's qualified as a nurse.

"I've always been interested in public health and helping families," Caris says. "My goal is to be an obstetrician/gynecologist."

Despite her energy and her commitment, it's not always easy for Caris to juggle her responsibilities.

The women in One Plane Away's sewing program were given material and sewing machines to create a garment that they could either keep or sell to One Plane Away to include in a care box.

"There have been times when it feels overwhelming, but then we get snapshots from families with their children wrapped in a blanket from One Plane Away or heartwarming messages telling us how exciting it is for their kids to get boxes with toys and books."

Caris has continued to broaden One Plane Away's services. Last winter, they received a $5,000 Canada Post grant to run a sewing program. Five women from communities outside of Iqaluit, who were awaiting the birth of their children in the city, were taught by an Elder to make either a children's parka or an amauti—a traditional parka with a pouch for holding babies.

"Because of a lack of medical facilities, pregnant women from remote communities are flown to Iqaluit where they stay in boardinghouses and hotels until they deliver their babies," Caris explains.

"I want to raise awareness that many northern communities don't have reliable access to basic needs," she adds, "needs that shouldn't be a worry for any family."

If you'd like to donate to One Plane Away, please visit their Facebook page.

Biking across Lake Tamblyn in the middle of winter isn't something many people would contemplate, especially back in 1986, well before the advent of fat bikes.

Forestry student Dave Kim, though, was used to doing things differently. Despite growing up in Toronto—not a place known for its rugged wilderness— he'd been determined to become a forester ever since his school hosted a career day in grade 7. While wandering among the booths in the gymnasium, Dave happened across one staffed by Lakehead University's School of Forestry.

"They told me that to be a forester, you have to like being outdoors and you have to like sciences," Dave says. "I liked both, so I decided that was what I would be."

"My parents, like other Canadians of Korean background, expected their children to choose professions like medicine, law, and accounting," he adds, "so when I told them I was going into forestry, it was hard for them to comprehend. They said, 'Do you mean that you're going to be a park ranger?'"

Dave didn't waver in his career choice, and after high school he arrived at Lakehead's Thunder Bay campus and moved into the Atikokan House residence.

"It was my first time outside of the big city," Dave says. "Being from Toronto, I hadn't experienced cold like that before—it was exhilarating. It was also the first time that I saw bears and moose up close."

He quickly became part of a tight-knit group of forestry students.

"They schooled me on wilderness things like grouse hunting and ice fishing for trout on Lake Superior."

In the photo above, if you look carefully, you can see the blurred image of Dave's forestry classmate Dana Doyder as Dave whizzes by him. "Folks would play shinny and hockey on Lake Tamblyn," Dave says.

Dave says that he was into biking at that stage in his life.

"I didn't have a car, so my mountain bike was for whatever I needed in town—snack runs and beer runs. Then I had this idea that I would ride my mountain bike across Lake Tamblyn."

It was a brief, but invigourating, ride and Dave kept warm with a cozy sweater.

"My sister knitted it for me because she'd heard that Thunder Bay would be freezing," he says.

After completing his first two years at Lakehead in the forestry and biology programs, Dave returned to southern Ontario to complete his studies closer to home. He's now a registered professional forester in British Columbia and has been the owner of Madrone Environmental Services Ltd. since 2018.

And he still thinks that forestry is a wonderful career.

"The best thing about being a forester, hands down, is being in the woods and seeing things that no one else sees."

Some enthusiastic Simcoe County high school students have been spending time outdoors—and in the classroom—learning about everything from stopping the spread of invasive plants to turtle conservation.

They are becoming environmental leaders through a new partnership between Parks Canada and Lakehead University. The students are enrolled in Lakehead's Ontario Youth Naturalist Program and several of the program's modules are led by Parks Canada staff.

Lakehead and Parks Canada are providing this conservation training in conjunction with the Ministry of Education's Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) curriculum. SHSM allows students to earn certifications in different economic sectors—such as manufacturing, transportation, and the environment—to help them on their career path after they leave high school.

"In Simcoe County many of our students are interested in environmental issues, and we want to offer young people programming that aligns with their values," says Dr. Linda Rodenburg. She is the interim principal of Lakehead Orillia and the director of Lakehead's Office of Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning (CELL), which operates the Ontario Youth Naturalist Program.

"Connecting with nature gives people resilience and improved mental and physical health," adds Jennifer Belanger, a Parks Canada public outreach and education officer. "Also, by exposing young people to nature, they develop a connection to protected places and become interested in conservation."

Belanger teaches several of the Ontario Youth Naturalist Program modules as part of SHSM's environment sector certification. She and her Parks Canada colleagues are introducing students to topics including pollinator conservation, turtle conservation, bear safety, invasive species, herpetology, and monarch butterfly biology.

In 2023, the Ontario Youth Naturalist Program won the Invasive Species Centre's Leadership Award and Parks Canada nominated Lakehead University for their Chief Executive Officer's Award of Excellence. They've also received crucial funding from the Invasive Species Centre to expand the Youth Naturalist programming.

Mark Gaynik, a Nantyr Shores Secondary School teacher who runs his school's SHSM environmental programming, enjoys seeing his students' sense of curiosity take flight.

"Learning doesn't just happen within the four walls of a classroom," he says. "It's only when students become aware of what's going on in the world that they really start to learn."

He remained committed to delivering conservation programming, even when the pandemic made it necessary for Lakehead to replace in-person classes with virtual live synchronous classes.

"We worked hard to use technology like Flip Grid and Zoom so that students could go out in their own backyards and continue their learning," Dr. Rodenburg says.

When Gaynik's students engaged in activities such as building artificial wetlands, for instance, this technology was crucial.

"I would wheel video monitors over to where the students were working so that they could listen to conservation experts like Bob Bowles talk about actual wetlands," he explains. "This had much more of an impact on the students than a film or textbook ever could have."

Now that pandemic restrictions have lifted, students have more freedom to learn and explore. They took their first field trip in September 2022, travelling by boat to the Georgian Bay Islands National Park to cut down invasive phragmites plants that are growing on the island.

The students' positive responses to this new programming means the Lakehead-Parks Canada partnership will thrive and grow in the future—a 2021 survey found that 100% of participants reported that the Parks Canada modules were their favourite SHSM programming.

"Today's youth are very aware of the importance of conservation protection and climate change, and they want to make a difference," Belanger says.