Executive and Artistic Director of CAHEP (Community Arts & Heritage Education Project)
Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts, 2006
Thunder Bay, ON

I chose Lakehead because I felt it was important to stay connected to my hometown, my family, and friends.  I grew up in Thunder Bay, spending a lot of time exploring and making art outdoors. I loved that Lakehead was surrounded by trees, fresh air, and water.  It felt refreshing, and it’s great fuel for igniting creativity.

Pursuing a degree in Fine Arts was a natural choice for me.  Throughout my life, art was an important way for me to share my story and connect with others.  I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the arts, though when I entered the HBFA program, I wasn’t sure what path I was going to take.

I was really drawn to the strong sense of community in the Fine Arts program. I loved the one on one mentorship from the professors and the strong network of peer support. We were encouraged throughout the program to foster connections in the art community by volunteering, internship opportunities, and exhibiting artwork.

After graduating, I pursued some of the opportunities I learned about at Lakehead, selling work and offering workshops through arts organizations.  One of them was a small, non-profit called CAHEP.  They worked with local artists who provided projects for children and youth in the community and schools.  They made sure people, regardless of their life circumstance, could have access to the arts. Teaching through CAHEP reminded me of how crucial art was in my own growth and development. My creative mentors, including those at Lakehead, who influenced me to continue to make art, played a huge role in this development.  Working with CAHEP gave me the chance to share that opportunity with others, sparking the creativity of young artists, and making positive change in the community.

CAHEP offered me a full-time one-year internship provided by FedNor in 2007, and I haven’t left since!  For the past 8 years, I’ve worked under various programming and administrative roles.  In 2014, I was offered the opportunity to run the organization as the Executive and Artistic Director, and welcomed it with open arms.  It’s an incredibly rewarding opportunity to share my passion for arts with others, and work collaboratively with the community.

Bachelor of Arts & Science, Bachelor of Education
Whitby, ON

My name is Alexa Hunter, from Whitby, Ontario. I am in the BASc BEd P/J program at the Orillia campus and am currently in third year going into my professional year in September 2015. I chose Lakehead for many reasons but mainly because of the people I dealt with in recruitment. I have two diplomas and a post graduate diploma from George Brown College in Toronto and the student advisors were able to help me move a lot of my credits over to put me in advanced standing. Out of every school I applied to Lakehead University was the only school that allowed me to feel welcome and understood my position as a mature student. I think my favourite part of academics at Lakehead would be the small class sizes. At most Universities you feel as though you are a number and you never get to formally meet your professors. At Lakehead, I know all of my teachers and they know me, it makes it exponentially easier to learn the information when you are able to ask questions and get to know your professors. It almost feels as though you are part of a community at Lakehead rather than a school! Lakehead prepares you for the future because of their offering of career specific classes. As a student in the Education program I get to take classes which are specific for education and in the long run I believe will help me become a better teacher. Most students going into their professional year have no background in the specific classes, which I have the opportunity to take, some being Society & Education or Teaching in a Multicultural Setting, which give me more insight into the classroom. I have loved attending Lakehead University and am proud to say I attend such a fine establishment!

Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Arts)
Hamilton, ON

I spent many years working within the Fine Arts and Theatre industry before I decided to apply for formal arts education. Originating from southern Ontario, I found Lakehead and its northern identity intriguing, a different experience than that of the bustling GTA. During my first week in Thunder Bay, I was pleasantly surprised with the smaller class sizes. Over the course of my four years, these small class sizes allowed me to develop a strong working dynamic with my professors. This strong student/teacher relationship helped to push me further within my studies, culminating in my development of a strong thesis show.

Socially, Lakehead is a school just large enough that there is always something going on and people can connect easily. When my projects began to overwhelm me, the various events and locals on campus provided the perfect distraction. Be it art events, the Agora and its offerings, concerts at the Outpost, or a group coffee session, there is enough on and off campus the keep the spirit alive.

Since attending Lakehead I have gained new confidence with my own abilities and skills that complement a new foundation of knowledge.  Since graduating, I have used both the skills and experiences gained from Lakehead to guide me in pursuing a career as a working artist.

Master of Education, Bachelor of Education (Consecutive)
Penetanguishene, ON

I knew from an early age that I was interested in teaching, but after working with the Frontier College Aboriginal Summer Reading Camps in Attawapisakt and Fort Albany, I began to seriously consider teaching in a remote First Nations community. As a result, I chose to complete my Bachelor of Education at Lakehead University because of the opportunities to take Aboriginal Education courses, as well as the ability to complete a teaching practicum in a remote First Nations community.

My final practicum, completed in Sandy Lake First Nation, was an amazing experience for learning and growth and lead to a full-time job in that community where I remained for the following three years. This rich, and often challenging experience prompted me to consider questions of equity and justice in Canadian society and education. Specifically, I began to wonder how settler teachers, like me, could be more responsive to strong and resilient Indigenous students like the ones I had found in my classroom.

As result, I returned to Lakehead University and have recently completed my Masters of Education. My thesis research project entitled “Building bridges in indigenizing education: Digital narratives as a means of shifting non-Indigenous teacher horizons towards rationality”, represents my commitment to finding new and creative ways of centering the voices of Indigenous youth in education and to encourage non-Indigenous teachers to move towards responsive classroom practices.

I am grateful for the guidance and support of many of the instructors in the Lakehead Faculty of Education but I’m especially thankful for the kind, genuine, and passionate mentoring I received from my supervisor, Dr. Lisa Korteweg. Dr. Korteweg provided countless opportunities for me to challenge myself as a student and researcher, including presenting at academic conferences, preparing manuscripts for publication and developing professional development workshops for in-service teachers. 

Honours Bachelor of Social Work
Midland, ON

As a mother of two teenagers it was very important for me to find a school that was within driving distance so that I could be home at night.  I completed a Bachelor's degree in Psychology in 2010 and though I loved the courses it was very apparent to me that I needed a professional degree.  The Lakehead program provided me with a solid foundation in social work practice and I consolidated my learning with amazing practicum experiences that lead to fulltime employment at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care.  I am currently working in the Provincial Division at Waypoint in the Forensic Assessment Program. I provide assessments to assist our psychiatrists in court ordered assessments of individuals for Fitness to Stand Trial. We also focus on Criminal Responsibility for charges under the criminal code. In 2013 I completed my Master of Social Work degree; and my learning at Lakehead prepared me for the academic demands of the Masters program. I am excited about the doors that have opened for me.  I have been fortunate to provide direct and external supervision to Lakehead social work students for the past two years and I continue to be impressed by the quality of students in the program. If you are considering social work, consider Lakehead University.

Forests Science Graduate Program
Oakville, Ontario

I knew that this was definitely the school and program for me after touring the campus and spending a day with the Faculty of Natural Resources Management. I immediately connected with the enthusiasm of the faculty and the obvious opportunity of what the program could offer me. The location of the university also played a big role. I have always been drawn to nature and could not imagine a better campus for that.

The Natural Resources Management program is set up with various specializations to tailor the degree to your specific interests. I thoroughly enjoyed the four years of my degree and think the material I learned is invaluable.

Lakehead is a very unique university offering high quality education while located in a natural setting. For environmental degrees it is an ideal university because it allows classrooms to be both inside and out.

Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Bachelor of Education (Concurrent)
Kenora, ON

I chose Lakehead because of its unique northern location and small class sizes. I believe learning is often an individualized experience, which can’t easily be achieved in schools where students are labeled with numbers instead of their names. 

Class discussion is a huge part of learning for me, and in many of my classes at Lakehead, academic discussion was a key focus. There is often a large degree of freedom within topic choices for assignments, which I believe helps students develop and expand their interests and potentials.

For my final research paper of my sociology degree, I chose Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) as my topic and it wasn’t until then that I realized how interested I am in the relationships formed between people and animals. Having this choice within my research has inspired my potential career path in AAT.

 Overall, I feel that my education at Lakehead has rewarded me with excellent analytical skills, relevant knowledge for my daily life, and exciting career inspirations for my future.