Carlin Val was only 14 years old when he went on his first climb, but he knew that he’d found his calling—even though he’s afraid of heights.

“The strength and the integrity of the equipment reassures me that I’m safe and that I’m having fun,” Carlin says.

“Bears—especially grizzlies and polar bears—have a reputation as man-eating beasts, but that’s a myth,” says wildlife expert Kim Titchener. “Bears are gracious to the humans living in their territories.” 

Omer Belisle has been shaping the minds and spirits of youngsters for almost 30 years. 

He’s been a committed coach, teacher, vice-principal, and principal with the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board and, for the past 12 years, he’s been superintendent of education overseeing the TBCDSB’s Kindergarten - Grade 8 and Student Achievement departments.

In her valedictory speech as this year's "Voice of the Class" at Lakehead Orillia's convocation ceremony, Leah Yari shared an important and, perhaps, personal lesson with her fellow graduates.

“Poetry has always come very naturally to me,” Ash Winters says. “It’s the primary way that my mind thinks—it’s my comfort zone.” 

Last July, Emmalee (Emm) Agnew and Terry Milne took their one-year-old son Cedar on his first Yukon expedition—a voyage snaking along the Pelly River past mountains where wolf packs, moose, and grizzly bears roamed.

It was glorious, but it wasn’t easy.

A few months ago, Clifford Mushquash was on the edge of Red Sea in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Mature student. Immigrant. Mother. Wife. These are all words Sandy Falcon has used to describe herself. The people around her also know her as a compassionate friend and selfless community leader.

Even as a child, Brian Adams felt a personal obligation to do whatever he could to protect the environment from the destruction caused by humans.

Today, Sharon Johnson (BA, Indigenous Learning, 2008) is known for her commitment to raising public awareness about missing and murdered Anishinaabe women in Northwestern Ontario.