Where are you from? What is your background?
I grew up in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. After high school, I received a full scholarship to attend Jacksonville University (JU) in Jacksonville, FL. I completed a Bachelor of Science while competing on the women's golf team for four years. I finished my degree with an internship at Golf Canada in Ontario. I met my husband in PEI just before my last year of university and he had the opportunity to work in Florida during my last semester and then move to Ontario with me. We lived in Ontario for a few years before moving back to the East Coast for awhile and then made our way to Lethbridge! We have been here for almost seven years now.
When did you join the uLethbridge team and what do you do here?
I joined uLethbridge and the Enrolment Services team in October of 2014. My first role was Events Assistant, then Prospective Student Service Assistant, and I am now the Coordinator of Convocation and Student Events. I organize the five convocation ceremonies that are held each year along with other student events like Welcome Week and Shine Days. I also assist with major events that the Enrolment team hosts throughout the year.
What is the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is assisting students and working to offer them the best experience possible during their time at the University of Lethbridge. I love seeing the students and their families celebrating on the ceremony days. Those days are filled with so much pride and happiness. It is a wonderful time to celebrate our students and all they have accomplished.
Can you tell us more about this year’s convocation and the process to get there?
Unfortunately, Convocation had to be cancelled this spring due to the pandemic. It was quite a shock at first but we knew we still wanted to find a way to celebrate our students and their accomplishments. Many ideas and discussions took place with the GFC Convocation Committee and many stakeholders across campus. We also surveyed our students to get their feedback on alternate plans. We decided on the idea of "convocation-in-a-box" and a celebratory video.
We will be sending every graduate a convocation box that includes their parchment, a cap and tassel, an alumni pin, relevant honours and awards if earned, and our Indigenous students will receive an Indigenous stole. We will also share a special celebratory video on June 25 and throughout that week there will be celebration messages and stories for our grads. We are also encouraging grads to share their photos and videos of their celebrations at home and the unboxing of their convocation box with us. I am really looking forward to seeing their photos and sharing their excitement with the campus community!
All spring 2020 graduates are invited back to attend an in-person ceremony over the next three years so that they can cross the stage and take part in the celebrations on campus.