Excel - Fall 2023 edition

Fall 2023

IN RURAL PHARMACY Wildf ire deployment:

EST STUDENTS JOIN THE PROVINCIAL FIRE FIGHT

Broken Tine Orchard:

AGRI-TOURISM ON THE FAMILY HOMESTEAD

HELPING SAVE THE

WHITE RHINO FALL 2023

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LAKELAND LEADS

At Lakeland College, the real world doesn’t wait, and that was especially true during this year’s unprecedented wildfire season.

It was heart-wrenching.

There were a couple times where a few of us just teared up seeing the destruction it could cause."

Taylor Hubbs STUDENT

or the first time, emergency services technology (EST) students studying firefighting at the Emergency Training Centre (ETC) were deployed to assist in the emergency situation at the request of Parkland County.

“I am extremely proud of the staff and students for their help with the Parkland County wildfire,” Shawn McKerry, dean of the ETC, says. “This was one of most extreme spring wildfire seasons in history and I am thankful Lakeland College could join the provincial fight.

"Experiences like this is exactly what makes Lakeland College amazing and the best choice for first responder training in Canada.

As ‘work-integrated learning’ is a significant focus within our programs, there is no better way to accomplish this than responding to a real-world incident and working alongside first responders from across Alberta.”

Twenty EST students and a handful of faculty spent four days on the front lines this June. They assisted with everything from checking for hot spots, dealing with open flames, riding in tanker trucks and with Incident Command.

“I don’t know what I was expecting,” EST student Tayler Hubbs says. “It was a shock just rolling in there and seeing all the smoke. It was a little overwhelming. But we have such good instructors, they kept us cool, made sure we stayed on our toes and stayed safe the entire time. It felt like a big responsibility, but nothing we couldn’t handle.”

It was a tremendous learning experience for the students, but also an important demonstration of how destructive wildfires can be.

“It was heart-wrenching,” Hubbs says.

“There were a couple of times where

a few of us just teared up seeing the destruction it can cause. At times, you came across properties that were completely burned out with nothing left. Luckily, there were houses that were saved, but it was crazy to see how it could be so separated where one house was saved and another wasn’t.”

When she and her fellow students returned home, their story made national headlines. They were invited to share their experience with the Canadian Press, CTV National, CBC Canada Tonight, The Current, Cross Country Checkup, and more.

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CONGRATS SCOTT GUENTHNER Class of 2011

2023 Calgary Stampede Steer Wrestling Champion!

ATTENTION ALUMNI! Don’t forget to keep in touch.

Update your contact info

What does it mean to be a Lakeland

alum?

LEARN MORE HERE! 4

LAKELAND COLLEGE ALUMNI MAGAZINE

LAKELAND COLLEGE BOOKSTORE Find us online! bookstore.lakelandcollege.ca

TABLE OF CONTENTS Fall 2023

Excel is published by Lakeland College’s Department of Donor and Alumni Relations Excel is also available on Lakeland College’s website at lakelandcollege.ca/excel

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Alumni Spotlight 14. Fourth generation farmers embrace agri-tourism on family homestead

18. Using precision agriculture to increase sustainability 20. Alumni learn the business side of interior design 21. Small steps to big dreams in rural pharmacy 22. Globe-trotting alum helps save white rhinos 23. On the auction block: a family business

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Continue Reading 2. Lakeland Leads

30. Student Stories

6. Alumni News

36. Class Notes

10. Convocation 2023

38. Remember When

24. Coffee Catch Up

39. Donor Spotlight

26. Campus News

The department distributes mailings, invitations and class lists. Anyone wishing to be excluded from certain mailings should call Kayleigh at 780.871.5526.

Editor: Melissa Barr Writers: Melissa Barr, Cathy MacKenzie Creative Design: Chelsey Schlosser Cover Photo: Lakeland College Fire and Emergency Services Contributions: Special thanks to all alumni who contributed to this edition of Excel.

Letters, photographs and news are welcome. We reserve the right to edit contributions. Submitted photographs must have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. If you’re celebrating a personal or professional milestone, or have other news to share, please let us know! We’d be happy to include your news in the Class Notes section. Please address all correspondence to Alumni Office or contact Kayleigh Schmid at 780.871.5526 or kayleigh.schmid@lakelandcollege.ca Publications mail agreement No. 40009099 Return undeliverable addresses to: Lakeland College Donor and Alumni Relations 5707 College Drive Vermilion, Alberta, Canada T9X 1K5 lakelandcollege.ca/alumni-update FALL 2023

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ALUMNI NEWS

elcome to another edition of the Excel.

I remember working on it some 57 years ago. Boy has it changed. Back then, it was couple of pages run off on a Gestetner. Today’s magazine is pretty nice by comparison. There is a lot on what is happening today at Lakeland but we need more of your stories and your participation to help the alumni better connect with each other.

The Rose Ball is our main alumni event. It happens on Vermilion campus during the second weekend in June each year at Alumni Weekend. We get a real boost from visiting with new and old friends.

With last year’s reconstruction at the Residences, it may not have been as inviting a stay for the reunion as we would have liked, thus the lower numbers attending.

We want to reverse the trend that Covid-19 has put us in. Two years without the positive reinforcement of a reunion has set us back. People have redirected their efforts to the smaller picture. It’s time to revitalize and have more of our alumni step forward.

JAMES MCLAUGHLIN, CLASS OF 1967, ALUMNI ASSOCIATION VICE PRESIDENT

We need to make connecting with each other a priority again. We need to recreate the buzz we used to get years ago, when we came to Lakeland bright-eyed and full of enthusiasm. It’s up to all of us to make our organization full of life again.

At the annual meeting, there was productive discussion but we came up short for our executive. We need someone to volunteer to be president and maybe another director. To volunteer, call me at 780.853.0000 or contact Kayleigh Schmid, alumni coordinator at Lakeland, at kayleigh.schmid@lakelandcollege.ca. We hope some new "old" blood will emerge.

When we went to school we learned the "3R's" - Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic.

Now we need to Revitalize, to Reach out to our members, have a great Reunion.

James

L A K EL AN D A LU M N I

Mark Your

CALENDARS!

Alumni weekend will be back June 15, 2024 and we’d love to see you there.

Want to get involved?

Contact Kayleigh at 780.871.5526 or kayleigh.schmid@lakelandcollege.ca

(left-right) Bert Journault (Class of 1970), Allan Zukiwski (Class of 1970)

(left-right) Fay Homeniuk (Class of 1993) Lori Haugrud (Class of 1993)

Alumni Weekend Guests

2023

ALUMNI WEEKEND Photo credit: Videre by Jason Whiting

Gary Moses (Class of 1967)

(left-right) President Alice Wainwright-Stewart, Gene Penman (Class of 1964)

(left-right) Allan Zukiwski (Class of 1970), Bill Robinson (Class of 1958)

Les Clarke (Class of 1977)

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Feel confident with preferred rates on Home, Car and Travel Insurance.

Enjoy your preferred rate and multiple benefits

Get a quote and see how much you could save!

Go to tdinsurance.com/lakelandcalumni Or call 1-844-257-2365

The TD Insurance Meloche Monnex program is underwritten by Security National INSURANCE COMPANY. It is distributed by Meloche Monnex Insurance and Financial Service, Inc. in Quebec, by Meloche Monnex Financial Services Inc. in Ontario and by TD Insurance Direct Agency Inc. in the rest of Canada. Our address: 50 Place Crémazie, 12th Floor, Montréal, Québec H2P 1B6. Due to provincial legislation, this Car and Recreational Insurance program is not offered in British Columbia, Manitoba or Saskatchewan. All trade-marks are property of their respective owners. ® The TD logo and other TD trade-marks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.

960-23307-3534_National

The Lakeland College Donor and Alumni Relations team (left-right): Penny Manners (Class of 1993), Leanne Wildeman (Class of 2001), Jordana Saskiw, Stacey Ruller (Class of 2003), Kayleigh Schmid (Class of 2011), Jenna Pellerin.

2023 has been an incredible year for Lakeland College alumni.

I feel so privileged that my role in alumni relations means connecting with all of you to learn about the amazing things you have been up to since leaving Lakeland.

And you truly have been up to some fantastic things. You’ll see just a few of those amazing stories on the pages ahead.

Whether personally or professionally, every day, our alumni family is making an impact, regionally, nationally, and even internationally. It’s an honour to connect with you and hear about your adventures, to celebrate alongside you, and I can’t wait to hear from our newest alumni family members in the coming year.

Connecting the Lakeland Family This year at convocation, we welcomed 496 new graduates into the alumni family, and 18 of them were second or third generation alumni! We also inducted 39 of them into the President’s Circle, where they will act as ambassadors for Lakeland going forward, ever to excel!

It was also a busy summer where I was able to connect with so many Lakeland alumni! Over 60 of you and your families joined us on our Vermilion campus for Alumni Weekend, which is always a highlight for us, and over 35 stopped by to visit at our Ag in Motion social.

Don’t forget to keep in touch! Update your contact information on our website. Email me (kayleigh.schmid@lakelandcollege.ca) with any important updates you want to share – Win an award?

Find a new job? Welcome a new baby? We want to celebrate with you!

Kayleigh Schmid ALUMNI RELATIONS AND CAREER SERVICES

Leave your mark on

THE LEGACY WALL Help create more opportunities for Lakeland students by supporting the legacy wall fundraiser.

For a donation of $1,913 (our founding year) you can be part of this innovative project.

YOUR TILE ON THE LEGACY WALL WILL INCLUDE:  your name(s)  your livestock brand, farm logo or a symbolic image  and a short message Your gift will help students go beyond the classroom and participate in the one-of-a-kind learning experiences that Lakeland is known for.

For more information contact Penny Manners: 780.871.5713 or penny.manners@lakelandcollege.ca

2023 CONVOCATION

CONVOCATION 2023

This spring, Lakeland College welcomed the Class of 2023 into the alumni family.

“Convocation is such an amazing, bittersweet time,” says Dr. Alice WainwrightStewart, president and CEO of Lakeland College. “We’re celebrating our students’ and their accomplishments and saying goodbye at the same time. I’m so proud of all the Class of 2023 has accomplished and can’t wait to see what they do next.

Welcome to the Lakeland alumni family.”

On May 26, Lakeland celebrated 130 graduates from the business, energy, university transfer, health and wellness and foundational learning programs at the Lloydminster campus. On June 2 at the Vermilion campus, 366 graduates from agricultural sciences, human services, interior design, environmental sciences and fire and emergency services walked the stage in two ceremonies.

Lakeland honoured Class of 1997’s Marilyn Young with the Distinguished Alumni award, recognizing her pioneering work in Lloydminster’s business and volunteer community. Long-time supporter Judy Sweet was recognized with the Distinguished Citizen award and given an honorary bachelor of agriculture technology.

There were 18 generational graduates, those whose parents, grandparents and/or great-grandparents are Lakeland alumni, recognized.

Distinguished citizen receives Lakeland’s first honorary

BACHELOR OF AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY DEGREE udy Sweet believes that adapting to changing circumstances is one of the most essential skills a person can have. She knows this from experience.

After living in different Alberta communities in their 20s, Judy and her husband Garth settled in the Drayton Valley area. There, they raised their family and operated 4S Simmentals. Judy also worked at CanOxy, and Garth was involved in other companies.

After working at CanOxy for 18 years, Judy quit with the intent to retire. Retirement lasted a month, and she then began working at their business, Wellhouse Supply.

In 2001, life changed significantly for Judy when Garth passed away at 57.

In 2013, Judy approached Lakeland College to make a gift to support livestock research initiatives in memory of Garth who was raised in the Dewberry area.

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LAKELAND COLLEGE ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Since then, Judy has supported numerous agricultural initiatives at Lakeland College. Because of her generosity, the college expanded its land base and modernized the livestock research centre, now known as the G.N. Sweet Livestock Research Facility.

"I feel good about what we’ve done to support Lakeland and the students,” says Judy. She’s also proud that her granddaughter Tori Kadylo graduated from the animal health technology program in 2020.

“I love helping people.

My plans have changed throughout my life, but I know I’m a very fortunate person. It makes me happy to give back.”

It is with great respect that Lakeland College recognizes Judy Sweet of Drayton Valley, Alta., as a Distinguished Citizen and awards her an Honorary Bachelor of Agriculture Technology degree.

MAKING things

HAPPEN

Marilyn Young, 2023 Distinguished Alumna

When Marilyn Young was informed that she’d been selected as Lakeland College’s 2023 Distinguished Alumna, she thought there had been a mistake.

“I thought they didn’t have the right person,” the Class of 1997 business administration alumna explains.

“That’s just me. Sometimes you don’t really feel that you are worthy of these acknowledgments. I’m very humbled by it and it’s quite an honour. But I see these as just the sort of things you should be doing.”

She was assured there was no mistake, as her contributions and accomplishments have been instrumental to building the Lloydminster community.

D

Inn, alongside a business partner. After that, aughter of a WWII vet and an English they built the Hampton Inn and were partners in war bride, Young was born in Red establishing the Three Trees Tap & Kitchen.

Deer, Alta., and moved to Vermilion in the fifth grade when her father took a position Along the way, Young realized there were some working for Veteran’s Affairs. She graduated aspects of being a businessperson that could high school, went to Edmonton to attend the not be learned on the job. That’s University of Alberta, and became when she turned to Lakeland “I’ve always a teacher in the city. She moved College to learn them. to Lloydminster after meeting and believed you “My background is in biological marrying Gary Young. have to be part sciences, chemistry and “Gary was born and raised in the of things if it’s teaching,” she explains. “When area and he was a real business something you I got into all this, I realized there person,” Young says. “That was his really believe in." were a lot of things I need to passion. That was our life. We did all know. I knew there was a great our business ventures together.” business program at Lakeland.

I was in my mid-forties but I just built up my Their business ventures included the Smitty’s courage and went. When you go back and restaurant at the Lloyd Mall from 1975 to 2007. everybody’s the age of your children, it’s really After passing the restaurant on to new owners, fun but it does take a lot of courage.” they launched their new business, the Holiday

Young credits her Lakeland education with giving her the skills she needed to provide the practical partnership her husband Gary needed.

“Gary was the idea man,” Young says. “He thought outside the box. But it’s always nice to have that other person to research with you and help make decisions to make those thoughts possible.

Taking the business program gave me a better understanding of the world of business, how to analyze how businesses were doing and that kind of thing. It was wonderful. I benefited from it so much over the years.”

Their business partnerships had changed over the years, with management companies taking over the day-to-day work as they became stakeholders in more hotels across the province. Gary passed away in 2020 and Young has stayed active in her business relationships.

“I’ve kept up those relationships and partnerships because I enjoy it,” she says. “You don’t get in and out of business ventures easily.”

Alongside her business ventures, Young has also been involved in the Lloydminster community in many ways. Among them, she served on the board of directors for the Lloydminster Region Health Foundation (LRHF) for nearly a decade in early 2000s. She helped start the fundraising gala for local health care needs. She is also a member of the United Church, heavily involved in volunteering there and part of the outreach program for people dealing with food insecurity.

“I’ve always believed you have to be part of things if it’s something you really believe in,” she explains. “When I first started on the board of directors for the LRHF, people couldn’t understand why they should contribute to healthcare when it was the government’s responsibility. One of our big roles was to promote the idea that healthcare is all of our responsibilities. If we want to have the latest things in our community, which we need, we have to be part of it. I’m so happy to see how it has morphed to today, where people are so ready to step up to be part of making things happen in the community. If you want things to happen in your community, you have to be part of it. How else are things going to happen?”

It’s with great honour that Lakeland College inducts Marilyn Young, Class of 1997, to the Alumni Wall of Distinction.

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Vermilion Class of 2023 President’s Medal recipient:

 President’s Medal

Lakeland

AWARD WINNERS

NATHANIEL HAK 2nd generation alumni

Nathaniel Hak, Class of 2023, environmental sciences, is the 2022/23 Vermilion campus recipient of the President’s Medal, the highest honour given by Lakeland College, awarded to students who display excellence inside and outside the classroom.

While at Lakeland, he immersed himself in campus life, serving as president of the Outdoor Recreation Club and treasurer of the Environmental Club.

Hak also managed the official Lakeland Instagram account for the environmental sciences department, where he interacted with classmates and teachers to showcase his program and the school. He represented his fellow students as a member on the Board of Governors as well.

“It’s mind-blowing what Lakeland has offered me,” says Hak. “Coming from high school during COVID-19 and having a shy personality, I never saw myself in positions like this. Lakeland afforded me the possibility to push myself. The opportunities I’ve had for leadership, extra-curriculars, and education have been amazing.”

Lloydminster Class of 2023 President’s Medal recipient:

Vermilion Class of 2023 Governor General Medal recipient:

Lloydminster Class of 2023 Governor General Medal recipient:

RAISA TABUSALLA

HANNAH TATARYN

DOMINIC SKIBBA

Raisa Tabusalla, a business administration general business major graduate, is Lakeland College’s 2023 Lloydminster campus President’s Medal recipient. It’s awarded to a graduating student at each campus who has demonstrated academic excellence and leadership in student activities.

Hannah Tataryn, a graduate of Lakeland College’s interior design technology program, was presented with the 2023 Governor General’s Academic Medal for the Vermilion campus.

Dominic Skoibba, who graduated from Lakeland’s business administration diploma accounting major, was awarded the Governor General’s Academic Medal for the Lloydminster campus.

At Lakeland, she found comfort in the close-knit bonds she formed with her fellow classmates and support from Lakeland’s caring faculty. And though she found the program challenging, with that sense of community and comfort, she was able to excel in her academics and graduate with the highest grade point average in Vermilion campus’ Class of 2023.

Skibba’s work ethic at Lakeland secured him spots on the Dean’s Honour Roll and President’s Honour Roll. He also received the Board of Governors Scholarship and a Synergy Credit Union Award.

During her two years at Lakeland, Tabusalla competed for Lakeland at the Alberta Deans of Business Case Competition.

She represented Lakeland as a student ambassador; supported students as a director and vice chair of the Students’ Association of Lakeland College; provided a student perspective on the business department’s advisory committee; and participated in Synergy Speakers' Corner, earning her green pin and facilitating the sessions during the fall semester in 2022.

“I don't think there wasn’t an opportunity open to me that I didn’t go for. Lakeland gives so many opportunities for students to connect with the community,” she says.

That sense of community also inspired her favourite class design project.

“For my retail project, I did a cancer supplies resource store called Collective Peace,” Tataryn explains. “It’s something that I wanted to make happen for a couple of years now. I had cancer when I was 18. A lot of those stores were industrial with white walls and concrete floors and it just didn’t feel comforting to be there.”

“I am a student who loves to challenge. I am very thankful to my teachers. I am always looking for clarification and making sure my understanding is correct. The bottom line is I was able to enhance my understanding. This is why I was able to excel,” Skibba says.

Beyond the classroom, Skibba took his knowledge and skills to the 2022 Alberta Deans of Business Case Competition. He was also a student member on Lakeland’s Board of Governors for the 2022-2023 academic year.

“I wanted to create a space that felt like home to me,” Tataryn says.

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

FOURTH GENERATION FARMERS embrace AGRI-TOURISM ON FAMILY HOMESTEAD A haskap berry is hearty, self-sufficient and thrives in the northern Alberta climate. In that way, it has a lot in common with Kreg and Lee-Ann Alde and their family.

They currently cultivate approximately 2,400 acres of land along the western edge of the County of Grande Prairie, Alta., in the Rocky Mountain Foothills. They’re the fourth generation to farm the land originally homesteaded by Kreg’s family in 1926. Together, they grow canola, wheat, barley, and Kreg and Lee-Anne’s passion project – the haskap berry orchard which grows on the original homestead land.

“It’s kind of funny,” Kreg says when he thinks about it. “I didn’t think I’d ever be doing what I am now, but there’s always been the family farm. I just didn’t think we’d take this strange turn in our life when my wife and I met back at Lakeland.”

Haskap Melomel Broken Tine has become a wine-tasting destination in Alberta, with an everincreasing wine list.

Haskap Berry Haskap berries are at the heart of Broken Tine - the starting point for ice cream, wine, ice cream topping and more.

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A common story at Lakeland Kreg and Lee-Anne are both alumni of Lakeland College, though neither came to study agriculture. Kreg was pursuing his dream of working for fish and wildlife and Lee-Anne studied conservation and reclamation. Both come from farming families.

“I’d heard good things about Lakeland College.

We went down to see it and I fell in love with the campus and the dorms. It had that hometown feeling, that’s why I wanted to study there," Kreg says. "The fish and wildlife program was outstanding as well, as far as graduating with field experience and finding work. It was a good pick for sure. My wife and I met in the dorms and we’re still really good friends with people we met there today. I think that’s a common story at Lakeland.”

After graduating in 1995, Kreg spent 20 years working in the oil and gas industry, both on contaminated sites and with wildlife, before taking over the family farm in 2015. During that transition, he decided to look into diversifying the farm to supplement the income it was generating.

“We thought with the farm succession plan we should supplement our income a little bit. We had already stumbled upon haskap berries back in 2009 and done a pile of research on them, so we started planting the orchard in 2012,” he explains.

Diversifying the family farm The idea of adding a haskap berry orchard to the farm wasn’t an easy one for his father to accept, but Kreg promised to take it slow to ensure the rest of the farm wasn’t at risk.

“I can’t tell you the exact words my dad told me,” Kreg laughs. “They weren’t quite politically correct. He had a hard time with me making that decision. I told him it was probably no different than when he told his dad he was moving away from pigs and livestock to go into grain farming.”

Kreg’s father grew more supportive after researching cottage wineries and other ways the orchard could supplement the income of the farm, and now he’s one of Kreg’s biggest supporters.

“I can’t get rid of him,” Kreg says.

“He’s always wanting to help out. He’s really proud to see how the farm has progressed and changed over time. We look back through our old pictures and see the way they used to farm, trying to just scratch out a living in the northern part of the province, which isn’t really suited to farming. We look from that to where we are right now, and there’s no question. He’s really proud of where we’re at now.”

It had that hometown feeling, that’s why I wanted to study there. The fish and wildlife program was outstanding as well, as far as graduating with field experience and finding work. It was a good pick for sure."

Konnor, Lee-Anne and Kreg Alde.

An agri-tourism destination Where they’re at now is Broken Tine Orchard, home to 2,300 acres of traditional crops and 20,000 haskap berry plants. They operate a cottage winery with a tasting room, a haskap U-Pick, and sell farm-made haskap products which can be found in stores across Western Canada. They sell ice cream and topping, bulk berries, and their latest products are Friceys Prairie Fruit Pops, haskap and raspberry-flavoured creamsicles. The fruit pops were runners-up at the 2022 Made in Alberta Awards.

The Alde family has become a leader in the industry, setting up a corporation that allows multiple haskap sellers to collaborate and sell to a bunch of different markets. They have also been working to incorporate other flavours like raspberries into their offerings to support other local producers.

Most recently, they’ve been working at turning Broken Tine Orchard into a haskap berry destination, with a wine tasting cabin and gathering spot.

something different, so when people leave here, they’re not only in love with the berries, but with all the different things you can do with them.”

Kreg hasn’t completely left his fish and wildlife “The agri-tourism aspect is "We want people to roots behind, as there something that we’ve been is an aspect to what he developing over the last come to the orchard and learned at Lakeland on five years,” Kreg explains. not only pick the berries, the farm as well. He “The consumers want to but taste products made works alongside fish see local food and they with the berries that and wildlife officers want to have a story behind when it comes to grow here." it. They want to know where the large number of their food grows and where grizzly bears who live it comes from. We want in his area. He’s also installed kestrel nests in people to come to the orchard and not only pick the orchard so the birds will keep away the cedar the berries, but taste products made with the wax wings, which would destroy the haskap berry berries that grow here. Taste the wine or juice, crop. baking or pickled berries. We always try to feature

Succession planning After meeting at Lakeland and marrying soon after, Kreg and Lee-Anne have stayed connected to the college.

“It’s a really good college,” Kreg says. “My boy Konnor went there and took agribusiness. I’m hoping his kids will go there too.”

Konnor graduated from agribusiness in 2021 and now works at a grain elevator near the farm, helping on the farm on weekends. Kreg and Lee-Anne’s daughter Nevada is currently in Victoria, B.C., working as a journalist, but she remains interested in the farm and the orchard. Kreg says he’s proud of her for her career but there’s always a place for her at the farm.

“There’s a lot going on at the farm and a lot of room for both of my kids to get involved,” Kreg says.

“We’re hoping they’ll be involved with all the different businesses we’ve got going on and hoping the family farm will continue for another 100 years.”

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I’m definitely interested both on the ag and the enviro side to see how technologies such as drones and GIS are going to be applied at Lakeland in the next few years.”

PRECISION AGRICULTURE to increase

SUSTAINABILITY Kaylie Krys approached her post-secondary career with a carefully calculated plan. With her farming background, her end goal was to graduate from the University of Saskatchewan (USask) with an agriculture degree. Her best path to achieving that goal, she decided, was to attend Lakeland College, earn a diploma in environmental sciences, transfer those credits to USask, and end up working in agriculture.

Her plan worked – sort of.

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LAKELAND COLLEGE ALUMNI MAGAZINE

“At the time, one of the best ways to transfer into an ag degree at the University of Saskatchewan was to start in environmental sciences at Lakeland, for the high-quality soil and plant science courses,” Krys explains.

A second-generation student, Krys’ mother Deanna Krys attended Lakeland as well, graduating with a diploma in herd health technology in 1995. Krys enrolled in the conservation and restoration ecology (CARE – recently renamed land stewardship and conservation) program in 2017. At the time, Lakeland hadn’t yet launched the bachelor of agriculture technology.

That’s when her plans for a career in agriculture shifted.

“I absolutely loved my Lakeland experience,” Krys says. “I enjoyed the hands-on labs, especially in the fall.

It’s where I got my love for plants.”

That love for plants followed her to USask where she completed an agriculture degree majoring in soil science and minoring in field crop production. She jumped right into her master's degree in plant science after that, which is still on-going. It’s there

byproduct of starting her studies in environmental sciences.

and preform plant counts. Precision

“Using technology and other applications in agriculture helps us do what we are doing in a more efficient and environmentally sustainable manner. That allows producers to either produce more or do more with their time. Time and land are two of the things we can’t create more of in agriculture,” she says. “With my environmental sciences background, I really see the importance of precision agriculture beyond the dollar being saved. I see the value of conservation in agriculture, how we can protect and maintain our land as well. Taking care of our soil is just as important as the yields coming out in the long run.”

agriculture technology hasn’t really been applied at the emergence growth stage historically. Using drones, we’re able to assist those scouting in the field to be able to do it in a more timely and less invasive manner.”

While working on her master’s degree, Krys has travelled internationally to conferences to share what she’s learned. She’s also hosted webinars and keeps an active presence on X (formerly Twitter) at @KaylieKrys.

That interest in increasing efficiency and using precision agriculture to lessen the impact on crops is a

Throughout it all, however, Krys has never forgotten her Lakeland experience, particularly Field Week.

that her environmental sciences and love of plants started informing her choices a little more.

“For my master’s project, we’re looking at a methodology for applying UAVs (Unoccupied Aerial Vehicles) at the field scale, looking at canola emergence counts in the spring,” she explains. “We’re looking at how we can use drones as a scalable tool to scout canola

Each year, second-year environmental sciences majors spend a week in the field practicing their hands-on skills.

It’s an intensive, week-long series of on-site labs designed to get secondyear environmental sciences students out of the classroom and into the wilderness. This year, Kris attended Field Week again - as an instructor.

She launched her career as a Lakeland College environmental sciences instructor in September 2023, teaching field botany, wetland classification, rangeland management and site remediation.

She is excited to bring back what she has learned about combining her love of agriculture and environmental sustainability to the college where her studies first started.

“Some of the students I am teaching are in the agriculture sustainability program, and that’s something I likely would have been into if it had existed when I was a student,” Krys says. “I’m definitely interested both on the ag and the enviro side to see how technologies such as drones and GIS are going to be applied at Lakeland in the next few years.”

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Alumni learn the business side of

INTERIOR DESIGN Everything happens for a reason.

If Emily Hartley, interior design technology (IDT) Class of 2019, went to a big city school for interior design, she may have never met Bree-Anne (Hubick) Stang, IDT Class of 2015. If Stang pursued her interest in fashion, she may never have discovered the common thread that ties this designing duo together as Lakeland alum and now co-owners of Ambiente Interiors, alongside their new studio principal, Carly Phenix, based in Regina, Sask.

Ambiente Interiors is a full-service company that offers interior design and styling services for residential and commercial spaces. For both women, the transition to being full-on business owners of an interior design business has been exciting and challenging, Hartley explains.

“We started with a complete rebranding of the business. We wanted to give it a new look and feel,” says 20

Stang. “From the operational side, while the design process is still our main focus and priority, we are now exposed to how the business runs and operates at a higher level.

That’s been the biggest shift and it’s a constant learning process but it’s exciting and we love it.”

“We have already seen growth in our business and the demand for our work continues,” says Hartley.

“For many projects, clients take on a lot of risk but when they are able to trust the process and put their faith in our ability, we are able to deliver on projects they are pleased with.

Ambiente’s previous owner, Gisela Boersch, started the company more than 20 years ago and hired Stang as a new grad. Boersch’s mentorship, relationships and standing in the community helped Stang grow in her own career.

“Our goal is to maintain the same level of excellence that Gisela strived for, whether it is for a renovation or new build. Our job is to be designers and problem solvers. We aim to provide this to our existing clients and new ones who come through the door.”

“Gisela was very supportive,” says Hartley. “We also try to support students and others by taking them on for their practicum placement, and when possible, as employees.”

From a business forecast perspective, while some may think it risky to become first-time business owners when difficult economic pressures exist, Hartley and Stang are optimistic.

LAKELAND COLLEGE ALUMNI MAGAZINE

“It’s been such a wonderful ride,” Stang adds. “I don’t think we’d be on the trajectory we’re on now if we hadn’t been to Lakeland. It has definitely set our lives on a path we never dreamed of.”

Learn more about Ambiente at ambienteinteriors.ca or @ambiente.interiors on Instagram.

expectations were but with better access to resources and teachers. It’s a lot easier to get used to university life without being thrown into a class of 600 people. It was so beneficial.”

Anderson took university transfer courses in 2016-17 and then 2018-19 before transferring to the University of Saskatchewan’s pharmacy program. She graduated with distinction and is currently working with Alberta Health Services as a hospital pharmacist at two hospitals in the northwest zone.

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laina Anderson wasn’t a stranger to Lakeland before becoming a university transfer student. Her father is an alumnus and her mother a Lakeland staff member. When she was looking for a way to make her dreams of becoming a pharmacist come true, she felt that Lakeland’s university transfer program was the perfect place to start.

“My mom is the one who suggested I try university transfer as a stepping stone,” Anderson explains. “I was born in Vermilion and I’d done kindergarten to Grade 12 in town. Coming from classes of only about 35 students, I could try just dipping my toe into postsecondary by trying out Lakeland first. With my whole family history at the college, I had always heard good things about it.”

During high school, Anderson had worked at the hospital and, after finding a passion for health care, completed job shadows in different roles. She fell in love with pharmacy.

Anderson enrolled at Lakeland taking courses in chemistry, biology, sociology, calculus and nutrition. She lived in residence on the Lloydminster campus, getting involved in campus events and expanding her network at Lakeland. She met students intending to transfer to the University of Saskatchewan, like she was.

“University transfer really prepared me for university,” she says. “I did better in my classes because of the way the instructors taught.

They really do care about your learning and want you to know the content. It got me used to what university

“I worked up here as a student last summer so I was very happy to return as a licensed pharmacist,” Anderson says. “The job is just as I was hoping it would be. I get to work collaboratively with the rest of the care teams at the hospitals. Work as a new pharmacist is always a learning curve but I’m very grateful for the pharmacy mentors I have and the support from other rural pharmacists.”

GLOBE-TROTTING ALUM HELPS SAVE

WHITE RHINOS A

lumnus Edward Hordern has travelled the world since leaving Lakeland. He’s worked on cattle operations and fought bulls in rodeo rings across North America, set up invitro fertilization (IVF) labs in Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, helped with international efforts to save a critically endangered species and worked on dairy farms with 10,000 milking cows in Australia.

And still, he says the two years he spent studying animal science technology and working with the rodeo team at Lakeland College were the best two years of his life.

Hordern, from New South Wales, Australia, comes from a farming background. He chose to attend Lakeland because of the combined offer of an animal science technology diploma and a rodeo team. He credits the faculty at Lakeland and the hands-on learning model with teaching him the skills he needs to succeed – even while calving in the middle of winter.

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“The hands-on was the biggest help,” Hordern says. “Especially the calving. I remember doing that in the middle of winter, which was new for me. We don’t have winter like that in Australia.

There are a lot of good people at Lakeland too.

They help prepare you to go out into the world and get it done.”

While at Lakeland, Hordern took a course in artificial insemination (AI) and it piqued his interest. After graduating in 2015, he worked on various livestock operations and appeared in rodeos around Canada and the USA. Then he found a position working with Vytelle, a company using technology to shape genetic input in cattle breeding. Hordern spent six months with Vytelle in Iowa before turning to Australia to handle the AI, pickups and transfers on a 10,000-head dairy farm. Six months later, he returned to Vytelle, this time on their expansion team, where he travelled the world, setting up new labs.

Never one to turn down an opportunity for adventure, Hordern had his fair share of them while in South Africa. He put the AI skills he learned at Lakeland to use, helping buffalo producers refine their breeding program. He’d learned that the value of a buffalo varied based on the size of their horns, ranging from 2,000 to 4m Rand and decided to use what he knew to help increase the value of the herd.

“The buffalo have a very similar reproductive system to a cow, so I thought if we could turn around and make elite embryos, they’d end up

with more buffalo in the higher end of the dollar range,” he explains.

While in South Africa, he also jumped at the chance to be involved in efforts to repopulate the critically endangered northern white rhino. There are only two of the animals remaining in the world, both female and kept under armed guard to protect them from poachers. With a supply of semen harvested from the last remaining male northern white rhino, conservationists are attempting AI to help repopulate them.

“It was definitely one of the coolest experiences of my life, helping with that,” Hordern says. “On that particular day, we went out to one of the sanctuaries where they keep the rhinos to keep them safe from poaching. You can’t put the rhinos all the way out for the procedure because you’ve got to keep waking them up and they are a little bit unpredictable. We darted one to sedate it and make it drowsy and put a blindfold over it to keep it calm. The process was a bit different than with cows, but we were able to retrieve some eggs.

It was a pretty cool experience to go out there and give them a bit of a hand.”

Since his stint in South Africa, Hordern has returned to Australia where he just finished setting up another lab and is waiting for a new assignment.

“I’m pretty lucky,” he says. “I’m getting paid to travel around the world and do some cool stuff. It’s an awesome job.”

ON THE AUCTION BLOCK:

A FAMILY

BUSINESS You could say it’s in the genes.

This spring, Jesse Lawes, Class of 2013, business administration, earned the title of Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Champion for 2023.

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t’s quite an accomplishment but for anyone who knows the family, it comes as no surprise. Lawes comes from a long line of established auctioneers. His family is also well known in the livestock industry.

“My grandfather, Jack Lawes, was an auctioneer in the Lloydminster area and worked in the cattle business for years,” says Lawes. “In 1974, he moved to Provost and purchased the livestock exchange there.

Together with my dad, along with a few other partners over the years, they ran the business and since then, the whole family became involved. My mom worked as the office manager, my dad ran the auctions. As kids, including my brother, Casey (Class of 2011, agribusiness), and my sister, Taylor, we pretty much grew up at the auction mart. It was like our second home. We were there before and after school most days.”

The 24th annual national competition that Lawes won is hosted by the Livestock Market Association of Canada (LMAC). This year’s competition was held in Olds, Alta. After competing in previous competitions in 2022 and 2019, Lawes hoped the third time was the charm.

On a competition stage that was an actual live auction, Jesse had nine lots of cattle to sell to the highest bidder, all while trying to impress a panel of judges that consisted of fellow professional auctioneers, past champions, cattle buyers and producers.

Despite feeling some pressure at the beginning, it didn’t take long for him to find his rhythm.

“I’ve been on a lot of big stages in my career, including the Canadian Finals Rodeo and such, but I have to say that this competition was a little nerve-wracking,” says Lawes. “But once I got into it, I was able to settle right down. I

also felt I had something to prove as my brother, Casey, won the title of top rookie in 2019.”

Lawes also says the experience of taking part in the national competition has helped him develop his own skills in the industry. The feedback he received and being able to learn from other professionals in a comfortable setting just can’t be beat.

“The people in the competition are the best of the best,” says Lawes. “Someday I hope to be able to pass on the lessons that I’ve learned to others.”

That might happen sooner than he thinks. Like many other multigenerational family traditions, there appears to be another Lawes champion auctioneer in the making.

“My two-year-old son, Westin, comes with me to the livestock exchange in Provost as much as possible. I guess he watches me a lot; he’s definitely not afraid to pick up the microphone. It’s like déjà vu.”

With the success and experience of the auctioneering competition under his belt, a new venture with his dad and the Lakevold family from Provost as business partners is also putting his business administration credentials to work. Together, they purchased North Central Livestock, now known as the Vermilion Livestock Exchange. Jesse is heading up its management operations.

“There’s been a lot of growth on the business side of things and in our family.

In addition to the Provost and Vermilion livestock exchanges, we also run a 500-head Black Angus cattle operation,” says Jesse. “On the personal side, my wife, Jenna (Dudding Class of 2011, university transfer), who I met at Lakeland, is gearing up to write her CPA exams, and we also have another baby on the way. So that’s quite a bit on the go right now.”

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COFFEE CATCH UP

S

ince 1982, Peter Walsh has been many things at Lakeland. He’s been a student, an instructor and academic chair in agricultural sciences, an instructor and dean in environmental sciences, a mentor to new instructors, a helping hand in recruitment, a pivotal force in the establishment of the Student-Managed Farm – Powered by New Holland, a rowing coach and, from time to time, a bus driver. He’s retired at least twice but it’s never seemed to stick.

In August 2023, he sat down for a quick coffee catch up.

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LAKELAND COLLEGE ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Q: WHAT WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE PART OF BEING A FACULTY MEMBER AT LAKELAND? It’s not the lectures or labs -- and certainly NOT the marking. It’s the extracurricular connections with the students. This includes all the field trips, conferences and competitions with student teams such as Lakeland’s judging team and rowing team, for example, where I am really able to connect with the students and see them more in the light that shows who they truly are and who they will become.

Q: HOW HAS LAKELAND CHANGED SINCE YOU BEGAN HERE? Certainly, it has increased in size dramatically, both in student/staff numbers and scope of our programs. But it’s also how well we are known, respected and recognized in the industry. We are seen as training leaders in so many of our program fields and that is very satisfying.

Q: AGRICULTURE AS AN INDUSTRY HAS ALSO SEEN A LOT OF CHANGES FROM THE TIME YOU STARTED WITH LAKELAND IN 1982.

FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, WHAT ARE THE TOP KEY THINGS THAT LAKELAND DOES TO ENSURE THAT AG GRADUATES ARE ABLE TO KEEP PACE WITH THE INDUSTRY AND REMAIN COMPETITIVE? I think we do a great job of keeping up with the use of technology in the industry but even more importantly, still, it is the interpersonal skills that we value and coach. It’s pretty basic stuff but critical to success in any business; be accountable, respectful, communicate clearly, work well with a team. We once had a student hired sight unseen by a company to which she had been making weekly phone calls to ask about grain prices and talk about marketing grain. She obviously made an impression.

Q: WHAT’S IT LIKE TEACHING SECOND GENERATION LAKELAND STUDENTS? It is a lot of fun seeing how different the second generation students are from mom and dad.

Q: HOW OFTEN DO YOU SEE PAST STUDENTS? All the time and everywhere! It’s getting more challenging to come up with names now.

Q: WHY ROWING? Rowing is a sport I started with in high school growing up in Ontario. It’s hard to describe but if you get the rowing bug, you can never shake it. I can be camping in the Yukon thousands of miles from a rowing club and I look at the lake when it’s flat and calm in the morning and I think, “I wish I had my boat here.”

Q: WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR LEGACY AT LAKELAND WILL BE? I’m not sure I can answer that. It’s more like “our” legacy. Pretty much everything that is done well at Lakeland is started by or done by a team. Our Student Managed Farm – Powered by New Holland is a great example. It was built by a team of people who started it in 1989/90 at Lakeland’s Vermilion Campus and the concept on which it was built – hands-on-learning – is a college-wide concept in all student learning.

Q: WHEN DID YOU RETIRE? I first tried to officially retire in August 2016 but my dean (and good friend) Josie Van Lent at the time said that even though I could retire, I couldn’t leave town! So since then, I have been called back as an instructor, chair and dean. I am still coaching the college’s rowing team (together with environmental sciences instructor Jenny McGuinness) and I will do that until I can’t.

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CAMPUS NEWS

BARB SHACKELHARDMAN BOARD OF GOVERNORS WELCOMES NEW MEMBER The Lakeland College Board of Governors is pleased to welcome new member Barb Shackel-Hardman to the team.

GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA

INVESTING IN BENTLEY BUILDING AT LAKELAND ALBERTA’S GOVERNMENT IS PROVIDING $16 MILLION TO REVITALIZE A MAJOR CAMPUS HUB AND SUPPORT GROWING STUDENT ENROLMENT AT LAKELAND COLLEGE.

Shackel-Hardman lives in Parkland County and has worked in public service at the municipal and provincial level for 34 years. She works for Alberta Agriculture in technical roles in soil and water conservation, as well as senior management roles leading extension specialists in business development, livestock management and communications. Recently, she led environmental compliance and agriculture service programs for Parkland County. In addition, she has served on several boards, including the Stony Plain Seed Cleaning Co-op Board of Directors.

Shackel-Hardman is a professional agrologist and holds a B.Sc. in agriculture, certificate in adult and continuing education, certificate in business management and a certificate in workplace learning. She has also completed several international projects aimed at improving governance and gender equity opportunities for women in agriculture.

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Jerry Bouma believes education is one of the important aspects to building a strong society.

It’s also a way to ensure that the Northlands legacy isn’t ever forgotten.

as students graduate and use their To ensure students have safe and talents to continue building strong reliable learning environments, and and prosperous communities.” more options to train and learn closer to home, Alberta’s government is The Bentley Building is home to dedicating $13.3 million to revitalize Lakeland College’s award-winning the Bentley Building on the Vermilion interior design campus. An technology and “Modern and interactive additional early childhood learning environments are $2.7 million education will support essential for helping prepare programs. It also other capital students for the real world. houses growing maintenance and Our thanks to the Government human services renewal projects of Alberta for investing in the programs at the college. that produce

FEATURES OF THE RENOVATED BENTLEY BUILDING: •

A CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTRE AND LABS WITH OBSERVATION ROOMS.

•

SEAMLESS ACCESS TO AN OUTDOOR NATURAL PLAYSCAPE LAB.

•

A MODERN DESIGN STUDIO FOR THE AWARD-WINNING INTERIOR DESIGN TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM.

•

A SMUDGE-SAFE INDIGENOUS LOUNGE.

transformation of the Bentley

graduates who “Investing in local Building, ensuring Lakeland fill important communities encourages can continue to produce skilled and indemand roles students to graduates who will go on to that support stay close to enhance our communities." children, youth, home while seniors and they develop Alice Wainwright-Stewart the skills, PRESIDENT AND CEO, LAKELAND COLLEGE at-risk families, and advocate knowledge and for mental health. Many graduates competencies they need for the most of these programs are women or in-demand jobs,” says Rajan Sawhney, Indigenous Peoples. This is the first minister of advanced education substantial modernization of the for the Government of Alberta. “It building since opening in 1969. also benefits the local economy,

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hat’s why, as the Northlands organization was wrapping up operations, it was an easy decision to gift a surplus in funds to Lakeland College, to launch the Northlands Legacy Agriculture Award.

“Educate your people, educate your children, and you can only begin to imagine what will happen,” Bouma, chair of the Northlands Transition Board, says. “If one were challenged to leave a legacy, there is no greater enabler or accelerator than education.”

Since 1879, Northlands has been an integral part of the agricultural landscape in Alberta. It began as an ag society, growing into a huge organization dedicated to exhibitions, trade shows, supporting agribusiness organizations, producers and applied research. They hosted events designed to bring the community together, including Farm Fair International and Klondike Days (later renamed K-Days.)

They transferred some key assets to the City of Edmonton. This way, Farm Fair International and K-Days will live on after Northlands is gone. In the process, they found themselves in possession of a small surplus of $145,000.

With their gift, Northlands has launched the Northlands Legacy Agriculture Award, which will be given to four agricultural sciences students annually for 10 years. Students will be recognized for their leadership beyond the classroom.

(Left-right) Alice Wainwright Stewart, Ken Knowles, Bailey Ferguson, Nil Lamont, Jerry Bouma, Tracy Quinton.

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funded by this donation include learner success resourcing, employment skills, alumni mentorship and engagement, Elder-inresidence programs and cultural programming. The donation also supports essential financial aid and student emergency funding.

CENOVUS ENERGY I NVE STS IN

INDIGENOUS STUDENT SUCCESS AT LAKELAND

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ong-time Lakeland College supporter Cenovus Energy announced in the spring a $650,000 donation to support Indigenous student success programs at Lakeland.

The generous investment assists Indigenous students throughout their college journey, from their transition to Lakeland through to graduating and joining the workforce.

“We see this as an investment not only in our industry and in the province and its future workforce, but most of all an investment in the students,” said Doreen Cole, Cenovus Senior Vice-President, Downstream Manufacturing.

“Cenovus is committed to Indigenous reconciliation and self-sufficiency, especially when it comes to preparing Indigenous youth for the future.”

These funds support pathway programs designed to assist Indigenous students as they transition to post-secondary, including program and curriculum development, as well as student orientation. On-campus Indigenous supports

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(Left-right) Patty Hill, director of the Cenovus Lloydminster Asphalt Refinery, Jon Albert, power engineering student and member of Lakeland’s Indigenous Council, Dr. Alice Wainwright-Stewart, president and CEO of Lakeland College, Doreen Cole, Cenovus Senior Vice-President, Downstream Manufacturing, Adam Waterman, chair of the Lakeland College Board of Governors, and Brooklyn Gray, business administration student and member of Lakeland’s Indigenous Council participated in the ceremonial cheque presentation.

“Cenovus Energy’s gift will help strengthen programming and student success resources to help Indigenous students as they work to achieve their goals,” said Dr. Alice Wainwright-Stewart, president and CEO of Lakeland during the gift announcement. “We strive to ensure that Lakeland is always a supportive, inclusive environment for all of our students. Cenovus shares this commitment to inclusivity with us and have come forward with this amazing gift. We are always appreciative of Cenovus’ support.”

Cenovus is a long-time supporter of Lakeland. The company has supported the student awards program since 2013 and was a major contributor to the college’s Energy Centre, which includes the Cenovus Energy Lab at the Lloydminster campus.

For the second year in a row, Cenovus was the title sponsor for Feast on the Farm, a Lakeland fundraiser that supports student-led learning initiatives.

Lakeland is located in the heart of Treaty 6 Territory and Region 2 of the Métis Nation of Alberta.

INTERIOR DESIGN TECHNOLOGY

RECEIVES ACCOLADES & RECOGNITION The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) has recognized Lakeland College’s interior design technology (IDT) program with the 2023 Excellence in Education Award.

“It’s exciting for our interior design technology program to be recognized by the NKBA. It’s a powerful testament to our students’ knowledge and skill set and our instructors’ guidance and support,” says Rochelle Horne, IDT program head.

The 2023 Excellence in Education award is the eighth for the IDT program. The 2023 Excellence in Education Awards are based on submissions to the NKBA’s 2021-22 Student Design Competition.

Two Lakeland College interior design students have claimed first and second place in this year’s NKBA prestigious student design competition.

Tiarra Dyck, Class of 2023, placed first in the kitchen competition while Hannah Tataryn ranked second.

The assignment required participants to design a kitchen that was aesthetically pleasing and functional in a home of a fictional married couple with two children. First place winners received a $5,000 USD scholarship while second place was awarded $2,500 USD as well as a trip to the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show Expo in Las Vegas.

This is the 18th year (excluding COVID-19 years) that Lakeland students have been recognized by the NKBA. “When I woke up, I was shocked to see the email about the NKBA Student Competition,” explains Tataryn. “I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I ran outside and read it again and called my family immediately, jumping up and down telling them the news. I am beyond grateful and excited!”

Based at the college’s Vermilion campus, Lakeland’s two-year IDT diploma program provides students and graduates a competitive skill set to breakout into the industry. Lakeland is the first Canadian institution accredited by the NKBA in 1999 and has founding member status. Through this relationship, Lakeland’s IDT program curriculum supports the knowledge extended by the NKBA, creating a solid foundation for students to work from. The program was named NKBA College of the Year in 2017 and 2019, the last year the award was presented.

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LEARNING STUDENT IN STORIES ACTION

I’d only heard good things about Lakeland’s program when I was doing my research and I like that it’s involved in the industry."

Tiarra Dyck's kitchen design functions as the "heart of the home" for her clients, where they gather for meals, do their homework, and keep their schedules.

F HEART OF THE HOME:

AWARD-WINNING BEAUTY AND FUNCTIONALITY Tiarra Dyck, first place winner of the 2023 National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) student kitchen design competition, specifically chose Lakeland College’s interior design technology program for its award-winning reputation.

“I thought the NKBA competition could increase my chances of getting noticed in the industry,” Dyck explains. “I’d only heard good things about Lakeland’s program when I was doing my research and I like that it’s involved in the industry.”

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LAKELAND COLLEGE ALUMNI MAGAZINE

or the competition, students were given fictional clients and asked to design a kitchen that fit their needs. The clients in this scenario were a married couple with two children who were remodeling their kitchen. The kitchen was the heart of the home where they gathered for family meals, did their homework, and kept their calendars and schedules.

“The inspiration for me came from the kitchen being the heart of the home. I wanted the space to feel inviting but also look and feel expensive,” Dyck explained.

That desire to merge aesthetics and functionality was what drew her to interior design in the first place.

“You can take any space and make it beautiful and functional,” she says.

As first place winner, Dyck receives a $5,000 USD scholarship as well as a trip to the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) 2024 Expo in Las Vegas with airfare and hotel accommodations. Her design will also be featured in the Kitchen and Bath Business (KBB) Magazine.

STUDENTS LEARN HOW TO DRESS TO

IMPRESS ON A BUDGET Dress for Success, presented by Lakeland College's School of Business and Indigenous Support Services this spring, brought together students and local business leaders. They discussed the importance of first impressions and dressing for success, shaping how young professionals enter the workforce.

The event welcomed Lakeland alumni Jill Kelly from Red Bicycle Communications and Mindy Hawthorne from Brixton Shoes, April Blythe from Cliff Rose For Clothes and Barbara Russett Bulhoes from Addilynn Apparel.

Additional benefits of the event were the opportunity for business students and members of the Indigenous Student Council to collaborate.

Plans are underway to bring the event back in 2024.

FUTURE TEACHERS TEACHE RS LEARN ABOUT FLEXIBILITY ON INTERNATIONAL TRIP A group of Lakeland College university transfer students took their education far beyond the classroom – all the way down to Ensenada, Mexico.

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he five students involved are all on the path to becoming teachers themselves, and the trip was an opportunity to gain more hands-on experience in the classroom – this time, with additional challenges. They were teaching English and were faced with both cultural and language barriers.

“It was an incredible experience,” Emily McLean, a second-year university transfer student, says. “It wasn’t what I expected. None of our plans went as we thought they would but seeing the smiles on the students’ faces, even if they didn’t quite know what we were saying, I could tell us being there meant a lot to them, and it meant a lot to us too.”

The students created their own lesson plans before embarking on their journey. They spent a week in late April in Ensenada, teaching at private, public and migrant schools. They also collaborated with faculty and students at the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC) in the Degree in Language Teaching program. Students of the two programs shared their lesson plans and teaching strategies while learning about the differences in education systems between Canada and Mexico. They also helped out in the community with a lunch program, and toured the area.

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Laddering Up:

POWER ENGINEER EARNS 3RD CLASS IN JUST 11 MONTHS Alexander Deschamps was a 4th class power engineer with 10 years of experience in the oil and gas industry when he enrolled in the second year of Lakeland College’s process and power engineering program.

He’d been struggling to find industry work and decided completing his 3rd class might open more doors.

“I kept looking for work,” he explains.

“I probably dropped off 100 resumés and I couldn’t get anything. As soon as I signed up with Lakeland, I had options. It opened a bunch of doors.”

Deschamps says. “They told us that if we joined the program in the second year, we’d get practicum time and graduate with our 3rd class, which is a tremendous advantage in the industry.”

Deschamps had It did mean enrolled in the "The experience has been time away from 4th class steam great. It’s tons of hands-on home, but it lab course at experience. I like handswas a sacrifice Lakeland over on learning because it Deschamps, who the summer, is from Regina, attempting connects what I learn from Sask., says was to bolster his the books to the lab." worth it. credentials. It was his instructors “The experience who first has been great. It’s tons of hands-on suggested joining the 2nd year of the experience. I like hands-on learning PPE program to earn his 3rd class. because it connects what I learn from “I enjoyed the steam time instructors,” 32

the books to the lab,” he says. “You

LAKELAND COLLEGE ALUMNI MAGAZINE

come out with your full 3rd class and a practicum experience, which is why I came. It’s eight months away from my home (plus a three month practicum), but in the long run, it’s totally worth it. It opens all the doors that weren’t open initially.”

Deschamps worked with his instructors to find a practicum placement that supported his career goals: to stay in the oil and gas industry. He enjoys the industry, the flexibility of the work, and the work-life balance it provides.

“The Energy Centre is great. Everyone is just so full of knowledge. You come out with a tremendous advantage over other students who don’t have all these tools to work with.”

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ourth class students in the first semester of the process and power engineering program (PPE) in 2022/23 scored a 100 per cent success rate on the ABSA provincial exam, an unprecedented feat in Lakeland’s history.

100 PER CENT

The exam is a critical one in the power engineering field. Students must pass it with at least 65 per cent before they can qualify for their 4th class qualification and operating license.

In Alberta, the provincial success rate on the exam from 2015 to 2019 was 71.86 per cent. In semester one, every one of 35 students in Lakeland’s program surpassed 65 per cent.

SUCCESS RATE

COFFEE PITCH LEAVES

LASTING IMPRESSION

J

ay Shah is taking over the business world one cup of coffee at a time, and it all started at Lakeland College.

His unique flavours left quite an impression that Startup Lloydminster has chosen to invest in.

Shah, a second-year business administration accounting major student from India, titled his business Nooks&Books Café. He creates and taste tests different flavours for his coffee, sharing them with friends, instructors and the community. He took their feedback, refined his process, and pitched his business at Lakeland’s Finding the U in Business event in 2022.

After the event, Shah kept up with the project, providing coffee to different events and expanding his network. In December 2022, he got his big break – an opportunity to pitch his business at Startup Lloydminster’s Titus Tools Gamechanger Pitch Event. Shah and two other local entrepreneurs pitched their business ideas. After their pitches, all three were awarded $500, as well as a $2,500 investment in their businesses and $1,000 of Startup Lloydminster Coaching and Services.

In August, Shah's coffee was served at Feast on the Farm presented by Cenovus Energy.

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SHOWCASING CONSERVATION

SUCCESS STORIES

Celebrating and sharing environmental conservation and restoration stories is an important piece in developing a balanced picture of the Earth’s ecological health.

With that in mind, the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance invited Lakeland College environmental sciences students to participate in a challenge designed to share examples of restoration projects on the Riparian Web Portal.

The portal showcases conservation and restoration projects across the province, as well as containing data on riparian health. In the challenge, Lakeland students in the aquatic habitat protection class were paired with organizations and tasked with sharing their restoration projects through the portal. At the end of the month-long challenge, two students and their host agencies were chosen as winners.

Tyler Hermansen, one of the student winners, explains, “The project I worked on was a stream bed restoration program. We worked to stabilize the shores of a stream bed with rocks and natural vegetation so the soil would stop eroding into the stream bed, helping it function better. Over time it could allow organisms such as frogs and fish to utilize the habitat for spawning and breeding purposes.”

Hermansen and Katelyn Aschenmeier were chosen as winners for their work with Wetaskiwin Leduc ALUS and the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance.

READY TO WORK:

ROUNDUP SALE EARNS TOP DOLLAR

BAND IN THE SAND: SAME DIRT, NEW BOOTS

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or 10 years, Lakeland College’s agribusiness students have taken over the Equine Centre for a night, filling it with a sold-out crowd, country music, and a dirty good time for Band

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Band in the Sand began 10 years

“It was the highest averaging Round Up Sale the college has ever had,” says William Bradford, Round Up coordinator for the Student-Managed Farm – Powered by New Holland (SMF) purebred unit. “We’re pretty proud of it. Last year’s sales were down but they came back this year.”

He credits a strong selection of bulls, a committee that worked well together, and the luck of good weather on sale day for the success.

The Round Up is an annual sale held on the SMF. It brings together the purebred, commercial and equine SMF units who are charged with organizing, advertising and hosting the event, as well as preparing animals for sale.

ago when New Holland gave Lakeland seed money to launch an event dedicated to raising funds for student agricultural clubs. The event is student-run, with students in charge of marketing, finance, logistics and promotion. Members of various agricultural clubs help at the event, and in 10 years they have raised nearly $500,000.

In the last decade, each class has built on the lessons learned in the previous years, streamlining the process.

in the Sand. This year, the student organizers relied on a legacy left to them by past years’ students to pull off what they think was the biggest, best year ever.

ow that the dust has settled on Round Up 2023, this year’s committee is calling it the most successful sale in Lakeland College’s history.

Photo by Jason Whiting with Videre Images.

The event has changed in ten years, going from a family-friendly allages show in November to an 18+ one in the spring, with a few years spent as an online event because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, the foundation of the event remains the same – a sold-out show in the sand at the Equine Centre.

THIS YEAR, THE ROUND UP COMMITTEE SOLD: » eight AQHA geldings » 13 Angus bulls » four Angus heifers » two pens of five replacement commercial heifers The gross income for the sale was $194,220 with equine earning $88,900, purebred earning $82,195 and commercial earning $23,125.

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CLASS NOTES

Class Notes Catch up with your fellow Lakeland College alumni! Want to be included in our class notes? Submit your memories, celebrations and achievements to Kayleigh at kayleigh.schmid@lakelandcollege.ca

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1.

The Class of 1964 gathered at Bittern Lake in September.

2.

Scott Guenthner, Class of 2011, is the 2023 Calgary Stampede Steer Wrestling champion.

3.

Paige Holmquist, Class of 2018 and 2019, married Scott Warner on August 12 at the family farm.

4.

Lilly Artemenko, Class of 2018, is the 2023 WRA Ladies Breakaway Roping Champion.

5.

Don Shaw, Class of 2016, business administration, began a new role as vice president of finance for the Lloydminster and District Co-op in May.

6.

Rebecca (née Joseph) Green, Class of 2012 animal science technology, and husband Cody welcomed their daughter Sydney on August 29. Sydney is the granddaughter of Alvin Green, Class of 1982, agriculture.

7.

Eugenie (née Bilyk) Kachman, Class of 1955, shared a photo of her Vermilion School of Agriculture and Home Economics sweater. The patches on the sleeves and back represent her involvement with the literary committee, Echo paper staff, yearbook staff, drama club, choral group, as well as the basketball and volleyball teams.

8.

Cole Schmidt, Class of 2018, 2023 is the LRA and WRA Steer Wrestling Champion.

9.

Walker Balan, Class of 2021, is the 2023 LRA Team Roping champion.

LAKELAND COLLEGE ALUMNI MAGAZINE

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REMEMBER WHEN

IN MEMORIAM Aasen, Ove Class of 1964, Agriculture Ahlgren, Gerry A. Class of 1997, Diversify Livestock Bauer, Ruby Class of 1951, Home Economics Beckie, Carol A. Class of 1989, Industrial Cooking Bocock, John R. Class of 1953, Agriculture 2 in 1 Brown, George Class of 1965, Agriculture Erickson, Erick Class of 1953, Agriculture Friesen, Tiana N. Class of 2022, Animal Health Technology Gould, Gordon N. Class of 1941, Agriculture Janvier, John N. Class of 1961, Agriculture Kappert, George Spouse of Agnes Kappert (née Duke) Class of 1951, Home Economics Lee, Brenda J. Class of 1971, Home Economics Lehmann, Joshua Class of 2023, Animal Science Technology McDougall, Keith Class of 1957, Agriculture Miller, Dwight Lakeland College Board of Governors Pederson, Mark R. Class of 1992, Apprenticeship Welding Rebryna, Raymond J. Class of 1993, Apprenticeship Electrical Swan, Justin Class of 2011, University Transfer Swanek, Mary Class of 1966, Commercial Vos, Anne Class of 1950, Home Economics Walker, Daniel K. Class of 2019, Apprenticeship Steamfitter/Pipefitter Warrington, Gary N. Class of 1965, Agriculture

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Remember when...

We met the first version of our mascot, Rowdy?

It was 1988 and he’s changed quite a bit since then…

DONOR SPOTLIGHT On Aug. 17, the region came together to support studentled learning initiatives at Lakeland College, raising $90,000 at Feast on the Farm presented by Cenovus Energy.

“Feast on the Farm is such an amazing way for us to celebrate our campus as we move into the harvest season and gear up for another amazing academic year,” says Dr. Alice Wainwright-Stewart, president and CEO of Lakeland College. “Experiential learning is a cornerstone of our learning model at Lakeland, and this event allows our community the opportunity to have a direct impact on what that means for our students. I can’t wait to see what our students can do with the funds raised this year, thanks to the generosity of our community.”

COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER to support STUDENT-LED LEARNING

The event featured a delicious meal served under a tent on the grounds of Lakeland’s Research Centre. Guests were treated to a live entertainment by Garrett Gregory, a silent auction, and a program which featured four students sharing how Lakeland’s student-led learning model has impacted them in their studies and future career prospects.

Since Feast on the Farm began at the Vermilion campus in 2016, more than $260,000 have been raised to support student-led initiatives.

GOLFERS RAISE

$35,000

FOR

RUSTLERS ATHLETICS

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number of local businesses and individuals were able to play for the Rustlers teams at their annual golf tournament presented by NextGen Automation.

The event did more than bring the region together for a fantastic round of golf – it raised $35,000 to support championship travel for Lakeland College’s student-athletes.

“We are grateful to all those who participated, to our presenting sponsor, NextGen Automation, and to

all of our sponsors who were part of this annual event,” says Alan Rogan, Lakeland’s athletics director. “As more of our teams compete for provincial and national medals and travel costs increase annually, the funds are needed and greatly appreciated.”

The tournament was hosted at

Rolling Green Fairways west of Lloydminster on Aug. 29.

Ninety-nine golfers attended, a mixture of community supporters and Lakeland alumni, with numerous student-athletes on hand to support the event.

The 2023-24 season will see the largest number of student-athletes compete across all sports this year with close to 200 student-athletes donning the Rustler brand and representing Lakeland.

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LAKELANDCOLLEGE.CA

THANK YOU Thank you for supporting our students.

As they go beyond the classroom and make an impact on the world around them.

With your support, we raised $90,000 at Feast on the Farm presented by Cenovus Energy for studentled learning initiatives and $35,000 for Rustlers championship travel at the Rustlers golf tournament presented by NextGen Automation.

Thank you!

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Lakeland College Donor and Alumni Relations 5707 College Drive Vermilion, Alberta, Canada T9X 1K5 Canada Post Publication Mail PM40009099