Thunder Bay firefighter Stephanie Drost never lets the grass grow under her feet. “Even as a kid, I was very active,” she says. “I was a competitive cross-country skier from the age of seven.” Stephanie competed provincially and nationally and then as a member of Lakehead University’s cross-country ski team. She combined her studies in kinesiology, and later business, with a gruelling race schedule.

It all came to a sudden halt in her second year. The intensive training caused nerve damage to Stephanie’s elbow (she’d broken it in a childhood trampoline accident and it had never fully healed) that required surgery followed by a long recovery period. This setback wasn’t the devastating blow it might have been to another athlete. “It was a blessing in disguise,” Stephanie says. “The injury led me to firefighting by giving me the time to pursue other things.”

At the encouragement of friends working for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, she got a job as a forest firefighter in Dryden, Ontario, and began spending her summer breaks battling wildfires. After her third year at Lakehead, though, Stephanie was still searching for the right path to take. By chance, she heard about a three-month structural firefighting course offered by Texas A&M University.

It seemed like fate when she returned from Texas with her certification in April 2015 and discovered that the City of Thunder Bay Fire Department (TBFD) was hiring. Stephanie passed the written TBFD test and began preparing for the physical test – which is the same for male and female candidates and one of the most demanding in the country. “The toughest part for me was the stair challenge,” Stephanie says. It required her to wear ankle weights and a 50-pound vest while running up and down three storeys, three times in a row, carrying a weighted 85-pound hose.

Stephanie passed the physical test with flying colours and so did Ceilidh Boyd, a forest firefighter she’d met while working in Dryden. In 2016, the two women became the first female firefighters ever hired by the City of Thunder Bay.

“I was really fortunate to go through training with Ceilidh,” Stephanie says. “The guys were very welcoming but it’s intimidating anytime you start something unknown, so it was good to start with a friend.”

Stephanie hasn’t looked back since joining the Thunder Bay Fire Department. “I’ve never felt like I was so much in the right spot before. I love the different situations firefighting throws you in and the adrenaline rush it gives you. When people think about firefighters, they think about fires and rescuing cats, but we literally go to everything – car accidents, medical calls, fires, public assists.”

She also enjoys working with police officers and paramedics. “We all come together to help someone in trouble. I see people on their worst days. Knowing that you can help them – even if you’re just comforting them – is so rewarding.”

Even when she’s not firefighting, Stephanie doesn’t slow down. She and two friends opened a strength and conditioning gym called Industrial Athletics in 2017. It’s been so popular that they had to expand a few months after it launched.

Despite Stephanie’s innate grit and resolve, she says she couldn’t have gotten to where she is without her parents. “My mom and dad are very supportive. When I told them I wanted to be a firefighter, they didn’t question my decision. They just said, ‘Go for it Steph.’”

Photo credit: Della Robbins

In the unforgiving North Atlantic, the hulking wreckage of the Titanic rusts in gloomy silence on the ocean floor. Until 1991, no one – except a handful of scientists – had seen the ‘unsinkable’ ocean liner since it collided with an iceberg and disappeared into the frigid waters.

That all changed when Lakehead grad and documentary filmmaker Stephen Low (BA’74) released his feature-length IMAX® film – Titanica. Stephen took moviegoers along with him as he and his expedition team descended 12,500 feet before reaching the once splendid ship. “More people have gone into space than into the deep ocean,” Stephen says.

IMAX® is the largest film format in existence and it enables audiences to be fully immersed in previously hidden worlds. Capturing the spectacular scenes that set IMAX® documentaries apart demands ingenuity, persistence, and courage.

“We’re not working on a set, we’re working in real environments,” Stephen points out. “On the way to the Titanic, we were caught in gale force seas and later on we were actually trapped inside the vessel. Many of my contemporaries – documentary directors and cameramen – have died making their films.”

Every IMAX® movie Stephen has directed pushes him to develop new technologies to capture the images he wants and overcome the challenges of extremely heavy cameras. In the case of the Titanic, Stephen’s team designed a lighting system that illuminated an area the size of a football field. “James Cameron used our film as the model for his famous Hollywood film, Titanic,” he says. Stephen was also pivotal in developing 3D IMAX® techniques, beginning with his film The Last Buffalo.

“We’re not working on a set, we’re working in real environments.”

In 1998, Stephen once again headed into the abyss for his film Volcanoes of the Deep Sea (2003). His destinations were the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the East Pacific Rise at the bottom of the world’s two largest oceans – inhospitable and strange realms populated by giant tubeworms and luminescent shrimp that live along hydrothermal vents spewing toxic black chemicals.

Stephen hasn’t confined his explorations to the water - he’s also strapped audiences into an Indy 500 car, taken them on a breathtaking steam engine journey across Canada, and traced humans’ attempts to soar into the heavens in Legends of Flight. Right now, he’s working with sub-atomic particle physicists unravelling the mysteries of the universe at Switzerland’s CERN Large Hadron Collider.

“I’ve met astronauts, fighter pilots, Russian submariners, scientists of all kinds, the Rolling Stones, and Jane Goodall, to name a few,” Stephen says. “It’s been marvellous.” And because of his films, millions of moviegoers have met them too.

Read more stories about fascinating people and discover how our students, researchers, and over 63,000 Alumni in 97 countries are opening the world. Visit Lakehead’s 2017-18 Annual Report at openyourworld.ca

The Trolley trailer:

https://player.vimeo.com/external/223846080.hd.mp4?s=122f09b66805e4dfbb7...

Volcanoes of the Deep Sea Trailer:

http://www.stephenlow.com/project/volcanoes-of-the-deep-sea/

A few years ago, any international student arriving at Lakehead Orillia had a very different university experience than they do now. Their homesickness was intensified because there were almost no other overseas students on campus.

Things began to change when Bolu Fabanwo decided to do his commerce degree at Lakehead. “I’ve been fascinated by banking since I was a little kid,” he says. “My parents hoped I’d be a chemical engineer like my dad – he worked for a large oil company – but I’d made up my mind.”

The autumn day Bolu stepped out of a taxi and onto Orillia’s campus, though, was a shock. “I didn’t realize Lakehead was in the countryside. I wasn’t used to such a small population – my hometown of Lagos, Nigeria, has over 20 million people.”

He felt an overwhelming loneliness. Then, as he sat in the silence of his dorm room, his roommate Eric knocked on the door and introduced himself and his parents before taking Bolu around the entire floor to meet the rest of the students. “I became friends with them all,” Bolu says. “That wouldn’t have happened if I’d gone to university in Toronto.”

Once he started making friends, Bolu began transforming the culture of the campus. “He possesses great empathy for anyone who feels alone, judged, or out of place,” says Katie Fraser, international engagement specialist.

“I used to be shy but now I go out of my way to connect with people.”

He helped get the University’s varsity soccer team off the ground and while in his first year, the outgoing president of the Lakehead University Multicultural Association (LUMA) approached Bolu about becoming the new president. Under Bolu’s leadership – and with the hard work of the executive team – LUMA grew from four members to 39 members.

He also inaugurated a multicultural day that soon expanded into a multicultural week. Strolling through campus, students, staff, and professors enjoyed chai tea, got henna tattoos, and sampled snacks from different countries. The vibrant atmosphere fostered greater pride in Lakehead Orillia. “Being an international student at Lakehead changed my life,” Bolu says. “I used to be shy but now I go out of my way to connect with people.”

Bolu continues to be a force to be reckoned with. He’s planning to do a master’s in finance and some job opportunities have come his way. One, at a local bank, is a chance to fulfil his childhood dream. “I’d start at the bottom and work my way up.”

Read more stories about fascinating people and discover how our students, researchers, and over 63,000 Alumni in 97 countries are opening the world. Visit Lakehead’s 2017-18 Annual Report at openyourworld.ca

A high school co-op at a Thunder Bay radio station turned out to be the first step on a journey that’s taken 24-year-old Matt Pascuzzo to the Prime Minister’s Office.

The co-op gave the aspiring journalist the chance to cover city council news. “It really opened my eyes to how much politics affects everybody’s daily life,” Matt explains. It was there that he first met Patty Hajdu, now the MP for the Thunder Bay—Superior North riding and the Minister of Employment, Workforce, and Labour.

“Patty came to council when she was the director of Shelter House,” Matt says, “She had practical solutions to problems like homelessness and poverty.

A few years later, Hajdu was running as a candidate in the 2015 federal election and Matt was a second-year Lakehead student majoring in political science and minoring in Indigenous studies. He was also becoming an active member of the Liberal Party, prompting Hajdu to ask him to be her youth director.

Pictured right:  Matt Pascuzzo is one of three press secretaries in the Prime Minister's Office. "It's very high pressure because you are in the epicentre of federal decisions," he says. "My first email comes in about 6 am and then I read through the daily newspaper clippings."“I decided that I could sit on the sidelines and criticize or get in the middle and make a difference,” Matt recalls.

He excelled in his role and was promoted to campaign director. “I’d go to class in the morning, then go door knocking for the campaign, go back to school, eat supper, and go door knocking again.”

It was a lot to take on, but Matt’s mother Carol, a vice-principal, and his father John, Lakehead University’s AQ and PQP Education Manager, were supportive – although a little nervous.

“Throughout the time leading up to the election,” explains Carol, “Minister Hajdu would say to us, ‘When I go I’m taking him with me,’ and we would respond, ‘Well, he has to finish school.’”

When Patty Hajdu won her seat and was appointed the Minister of Status of Women, Matt moved to Ottawa as her executive assistant. A year later, he became her press secretary. “Working on Parliament Hill is exciting,” Matt says. “Regardless of your political affiliation, people are trying to do the right thing for their communities.” He also kept his promise to his parents and finished his degree by taking online courses.

Everything changed again in 2018 when he was recruited as a press secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office. “Matt asked if we would look over his résumé but never mentioned why,” his father says. “When he told us he’d secured a position in the Prime Minister’s Office we were extremely surprised and ecstatic.”

How does Matt handle the pressure? He follows the top two rules of being a staffer – eat when you can and sleep when you can. “It’s an incredible opportunity,” he says, “especially when we travel across the country. People are genuinely excited when the prime minister visits their town, even if they disagree with him.”

Matt feels honoured that his career is allowing him to witness watershed moments in Canadian history – including the G20 summit in Argentina where the NAFTA trade bill was signed. “It was a surreal experience being with the world leaders of the 20 largest economies in the world.”

Pictured below: On March 22, Matt returned to Lakehead University for a town hall with Prime Minister Trudeau. “My family was excited that they had the chance to meet the Prime Minister,” Matt says, “especially since they helped out on the 2015 election campaign.”​

 Pictured left:  On March 22, Matt returned to Lakehead   University for a town hall with Prime Minister Trudeau. “My   family was excited that they had the chance to meet the Prime   Minister,” Matt says, “especially since they helped out on the   2015 election campaign.”​

For the Carlino siblings, Lakehead University became a home away from home, a place to learn how to learn, to meet new people and grow and push their limits while obtaining the skills needed to work in their desired careers.

Rosa, Sam, and Daniela – who were raised in Schreiber, Ontario – graduated from Lakehead University and launched successful careers in law, the pulp and paper industry, and business, respectively.

Rosa received an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree and then a Master of Science in Management, both at Lakehead. She then went to the University of Windsor to study law and is now a lawyer with Cheadles LLP in Thunder Bay, practicing corporate/commercial law, real estate law, and wills and estate law.

“My most vivid memories from Lakehead had to do with both staff and students in my faculty as well as my experience in residence,” Rosa says.

“I made so many friends in the Faculty of Business; people who helped me get through the challenges that come with post secondary education by being a friend. We worked hard, but knew when to take breaks and have fun.”

Since finishing post secondary, Rosa has passed the bar exam and been called to the Ontario Bar, chaired the Board for the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce, received a Shift – Young Professional’s Top 20 Under 40 Northern Ontario Visionary Award for Leadership, and volunteered with Camp Quality.

She wants to one day open her own business, but says the idea is a secret and she will only tell you about it if you are a potential investor.

Her advice to future students is “don’t stress too much about acing every test – in the end, a couple years out of university, no one will care what your marks were. And, meet new people, step out of your comfort zone and try new things.”

Sam earned his degree in Business Administration at Lakehead in 2007, where he made new friends from all over the world.

After graduation he spent a few years working at the mill in Terrace Bay, and then became a successful applicant to junior trades. He earned his instrumentation technician certificate and red seal from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.

“I believe my education at Lakehead played a role in my achievement,” he says. “Lakehead was influential in helping me attain my instrumentation certification. The skills I developed from earning my degree translated into success.”

Sam now works as an instrumentation technician at AV Terrace Bay. He says future students should keep in mind how much their past can benefit them.

“Even if the career you end up with is not the career you originally pursued, your experiences and skills will always help you.”

Daniela applied her skills and experiences to graduate from Confederation College’s film production program and then she earned her Honours Bachelor of Commerce at Lakehead in 2017. Now she runs a very successful photography and video business.

“I have a lot of great memories from Lakehead,” she says. “As dorky as it sounds, many of those memories involve studying for exams and working on papers with my classmates, which stand out because it was always a team setting. The camaraderie among students at Lakehead truly helped create the perfect community and network. I met some of my best friends at Lakehead.”

She appreciated that Lakehead’s business program focused on “current and relevant subjects. In addition, I completed a lot of the work in team settings, which mirrors what many workplace experiences are like. My time at Lakehead helped me learn how to strategize, prioritize, be a good team member and, most importantly, handle stress.”

Those skills recently helped Daniela when she completed a short documentary film about the Nipigon River and its famous brook trout, inspired by meeting retired Ministry of Natural Resources biologist Rob Swainson.

“He explained how locals from Nipigon worked to save and rehabilitate the dwindling brook trout population,” she says. “His story was so enchanting that we teamed up to produce the documentary. It was really moving to have a passionate group of locals trust me with their story.”

The film, Nipigon Brook Trout – Fish of Legend, can be watched on YouTube.

Daniela says future students should consider getting involved in the community, “whether it be through a volunteer program or a networking event – do it. You never know who you’ll meet or who might inspire you.”

Believe it or not, another Carlino sibling is currently pursuing a degree at Lakehead.

Antonella is in the final year of the Honours Bachelor of Arts Education (Music) program at Lakehead and she looks forward to starting her career as a high school music teacher.

It sounds as if Antonella took her sister Rosa’s advice on not being afraid to try new things.

“When I first started at Lakehead I was a biology student, but I saw a poster for music electives so I decided to explore the department,” Antonella says.

“Now, the next thing I know I’m in my fourth year of music and also president of the student association. If I did not go out of my comfort level four years ago, I would not have had the many great experiences that I’ve had as a music student.

“I take every opportunity I can to participate around the university as Lakehead holds different events for students every day,” she says.

Doing downward dogs and warrior poses in sweltering 38-degree heat might sound alarming – but alumna Debbie Zweep (BAdmin'94) wants to assure anyone who is curious not to worry. She is the co-owner of Modo Yoga Thunder Bay, located in Lakehead University’s C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse. 

“A lot of people tell me, ‘Oh, I don’t like heat,’ and I say, ‘Give it five classes, your body will feel amazing.’ The sweat releases emotional and physical tension, which enhances mental well-being and energy levels, it also improves sleep.”

Modo Yoga is a hot yoga practice designed to be accessible to people of all ages and abilities. Debbie’s son Myles Ball, who has a Master of Social Work from Lakehead, co-owns the business with her.

“We wanted to build a yoga 
studio that allowed the Thunder Bay community to find a place where they could be at peace,” Debbie explains. “Because of our history with Lakehead and the diversity of individuals we knew would walk in our doors, Lakehead was where we wanted to be.”

Pictured right:  Debbie believes that the Modo Yoga sequence puts people on a healing path. “Students at our yoga studio and at the shelter often tell me how yoga has helped them in their mental wellness.”

Debbie and Myles make a point of hiring Lakehead students as “energy exchangers” to clean the studio and work at reception 3-4 hours a week. In return, the students can do as much yoga as they like. “They’re really great ambassadors for Modo,” she says.

Opening a new enterprise is always a risky venture, but Debbie comes from a business background. She grew up loving math and problem solving and went on to earn a Bachelor of Administration with a focus on management from Lakehead. “All the exams I wrote were terrifying,” she recalls, “but they taught me to act under pressure.”

After graduating in 1994, she worked in distance education. When her job ended in 1998, fate intervened to put her on an entirely different path.

“My husband and I went to the Scandinavian House for breakfast – as we did every Saturday – and a folded newspaper was left on the table. The only item visible on the page was a job ad for the executive director of the Faye Peterson Transition House.”

Faye Peterson is a shelter for women seeking refuge from abuse. Debbie applied immediately. “I’ve always been a feminist and I wanted to support and empower other women,” she says. “I also am a mother first and my love for children drew me to work with them, their mothers, and their fathers (through the Caring Dads program).”

A few years later, Debbie took her first Modo yoga class in Winnipeg. It was an experience that would help her deal with the often harrowing situations she faced on a daily basis at the shelter.

“I remember thinking, ‘Wow this is really healing.’ Being with women and children suffering from trauma was creating vicarious trauma in both me and my staff.”

This spurred Debbie to introduce yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and expressive arts to Faye Peterson in the early 2000s for both the shelter’s women and her staff. Debbie later trained as a yoga teacher in 2005 so that she could help people in the wider community.

“I believe that the Modo sequence, done consistently, can reduce the affects of PTSD, anxiety, and depression. As human beings we all experience, at some time or another, adverse situations or conditions and yoga can offer support – not only to women, children, and men affected by violence – but everyone.” 

If you would like try some online yoga, check out the free classes being offered by Modo Yoga Thunder Bay on Instagram Live.

Modo Yoga Thunder Bay owners Myles Ball (far left) and Debbie Zweep (third from left with her grandson) relax with the studio’s teachers.
The mother and son opened the studio five years ago in April 2015. Debbie had strong support from her family, especially her life partner, Jim Ball.

In 2015, Doug Diaczuk did what he once thought was impossible – he wrote a 40,000 word novel in only three days.

His book Chalk went on to win the Three-Day Novel Contest, which takes place each year over Labour Day weekend, and was published by Anvil Press. The Thunder Bay-born writer, who has a Master’s in English, an HBA in English and History, and a minor in Philosophy – all from Lakehead, offered some advice for aspiring writers.

“You cannot write only when you have free time or when you feel inspired,” he said. “You have to make time for writing and writing takes practice, so it has to be something you work at every day.”

“It’s also okay if what you write is not very good - that’s not important. In fact, you should write as though no one will ever read it because that takes away some of the fear and self-doubt. Just write for you.”

Doug said the knowledge he picked up at Lakehead University helped him write his novel and his time writing for the Argus student newspaper helped prepare him to work as a reporter and photographer at the Thunder Bay Source.

“You cannot write only when you have free time or when you feel inspired. You have to make time for writing and writing takes practice, so it has to be something you work at every day.” - Doug Diaczuk (Chalk book cover shown right.)

Lakehead prepared me for my future in a variety of ways,” he said. “On the academic side, I learned proper research and critical thinking skills through reading and analyzing texts, conveying a clear and concise argument through essay writing and presenting seminars, how to take on a substantial project through the completion of my Master’s thesis, and assisting others through my role as a Graduate Assistant.

“My role outside the classroom with the Argus provided me with hands-on training in the many aspects of journalism, from conducting interviews, writing stories, editing, to layout and design.”

He applies these skills daily in his role at the Source. But, how exactly did he write a 40,000-word novel in three days?

“I didn’t really go into the three-day novel contest with much of a plan,” he said.

“I knew how the story would begin, how it would end, and I had some ideas for what I wanted to happen in between, but I didn’t have an outline or any notes prepared. I was basically making it up as I went along, which made the writing process a lot more interesting and exciting.”

Doug wrote approximately 13,000 words per day. By the end, he felt physically and mentally exhausted.

“Basically, every moment of that weekend was spent either writing or thinking about writing. I did take breaks for meals and I did sleep at night because if I didn’t, I would have burnt out after the first day,” he said.

Synopsis for Chalk

"You" and L, a mysterious third gender runaway, hit the road on a mission to find the meaning of life. Travelling by plane, bus and car, You run into trouble with the cops, mourn a family tragedy, smoke hundreds of cigarettes, attend a retirement party, come to terms with a broken heart, and discover that all roads lead back to where You started.

Christopher Britt doesn’t consider himself a daredevil, but he jumps at the chance to go heli-skiing on in the mountains bordering Canada and Alaska and surfing in Bali. “My brain is always on, so skiing and surfing – or putting on my goalie gear – are meditative and peaceful for me,” he says. “Risk leads to increased focus.”

Given his affinity for athletics, it made sense that Christopher gravitated to Lakehead’s Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism program.

“My time at Lakehead was one of the best chapters of my life. I’m grateful for all the educators I got to work with and learn from – Brent Cuthbertson, Tom Potter, Rodney Swatton, Sue Hamel, Connie Russell, Wayne Melville, Tom Puk, Rhonda Koster, Leonard Hutchison, and so many more.”

Dr. Brent Cuthbertson, in particular, had a lasting influence on Christopher. “I was a struggling 17-year old on his own for the first time. Brent took me under his wing and gave me wonderful opportunities, like becoming a field course instructor and running a lab. Those were huge character builders for me.”

Christopher also earned science and education degrees at Lakehead (both of his parents were teachers), which he now puts to use as the Xet’olacw Community School Administrative Coordinator. Located just north of Whistler in Lil’wat Territory, Xet’olacw is one of the largest First Nations schools in British Columbia. He also teaches a science class and runs the school’s co-op and skills link programs.

Before starting at Xet’olacw, he taught at a private girls’ school in Vancouver and earned a master’s degree at Royal Roads University in educational leadership. Christopher’s life seemed to be going smoothly when his mentor – Brent Cuthbertson – suddenly and tragically passed away at the age of 53. “It hit me really hard and I was in a terrible place for a while,” Christopher says.

Brent’s death prompted Christopher to leave his career in education and embark on a six-month ski and surf trip to Bali, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand. “Part of that travel experience was to try to figure myself out,” he says.

In 2016, when Christopher returned to British Columbia, he planned to get back into guiding outdoor leadership, but an ad in a local Whistler newspaper for a social sciences and math teacher at Xet’olacw changed his mind.

“I fell in love with the school. It’s been incredibly restorative and healing. Barely a day goes by that I don’t think about sharing what I’m up to with Brent.”

Since Christopher started at Xet’olacw, his brother Taylor (high school science), his partner Laurin (Grade 2), and Christopher’s partner Stephanie (high school career and planning) have all begun teaching at Xet’olacw. “I am really fortunate that the family school I work at, has welcomed not just me but my family.” 

As well as his work as an educator, Christopher is a tail guide with Yukon Alpine Heli Ski. “I serve as a support. After the skiers are flown up by helicopter, a lead guide takes skiers down the mountain and I follow behind.”

In 2017, Christopher and his boss at Heli Ski started a community outreach ski program for Christopher’s high school students. The students embraced the experience, prompting Christopher to hire two friends in the film industry to shoot a documentary about it.

“We wanted to celebrate how amazing and brilliant these kids are and highlight how important it is for ecotourism operators to connect with the First Nations communities that, by all legal rights, own the land they’re on.”

The documentary premiered at the 43rd American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco and was shown in Carcross Tagish, Lil’Wat, Erie, Toronto, and Montreal.

Christopher dedicated the project to Brent Cuthbertson.

“Brent had a beautiful simplicity in the way he listened to people – you felt you were being 100% appreciated. And he didn’t shy away from disagreeing with you – but he did it in a way that wasn’t confrontational.”

“I try to recreate that as much as I can with my students. If I can have the kind of impact Brent had on my life with just one kid, I will consider myself a success.”

Watch Christopher’s inspirational 14-minute documentary Belongs to the Youth: https://vimeo.com/301654243

Alumnus Christopher Britt (left) with his fellow filmmakers Joey Arseneau (centre), and Joey Bidner (right) at the 43rd American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco for the premiere of their documentary.

Every morning following a sunrise run, Jill Wheatley (BEd.'99) cycled to work along picturesque farm roads – expertly dodging cattle, sheep, tractors, and impatient commuters – on her way to work at an international high school in Bavaria. She was a health and sport science teacher with an adventurous streak. Since leaving Canada in 2001, she had been to more than 60 countries and had extended work stints in Singapore, Russia, Switzerland, and Germany.

Then in September 2014, her world collapsed. Jill was leading a baseball lesson when one of her Grade 10 students accidentally hit a line drive that fractured Jill’s skull. The bleeding and swelling was so severe that Jill wasn’t expected to live. She had suffered a traumatic brain injury that caused serious behavioural and cognitive changes and the loss of 70% of her vision.

Jill spent the next two years in hospitals in Germany, Canada, and Colorado undergoing a painful and frustrating rehabilitation. She describes herself as a nightmare patient who resisted treatment, tampered with medical monitors, poked holes in feed lines, and repeatedly pulled tubes from her nose. “I remained disgruntled and battled severe, sky-high anxiety about the uncertainty of life ahead,” she explains.

Things finally began to shift when Jill became spellbound by the Rockies outside her hospital room window in Colorado. “The thought of taking my recovery into the mountains lit my fire like nothing else,” Jill recalls. She resolved to run 13 mountain ranges throughout the world in a single year. “My goal was to embrace and accept the ways that my traumatic brain injury had changed me,” she says.

Months later, Jill was competing in the 2017 Manaslu Trail Race in the Nepalese Himalayas while battling post-traumatic stress and altitude sickness. Jill also had to contend with her limited vision and differently abled body. “I learned to be gracious with myself when physically challenging trail routes slowed my pace or swept my feet from under me,” she says. Although Jill was travelling independently, she discovered that she wasn’t always alone. Strangers were ready to help her traverse rickety bridges and offer her places to sleep, rides, and hugs of encouragement and friendship.

Since beginning her quest “to conquer the mountains of my mind,” more than two years ago, Jill has run in the Alps, the Himalayas, the Pyrenees, and the Italian Dolomites, as well as mountain trails in Iceland, New Zealand, Patagonia, Peru, and the Rockies.

“My wish is to guide others towards a place of hope in times of adversity. Though my eyesight has narrowed, my perspective has widened,” Jill says. “I embrace every stride on the trail that is life.”

Listen to Jill discuss her incredible journey on the Sparta Chicks Radio podcast “Jill Wheatley on Losing Sight yet Gaining Vision.”

https://www.spartachicks.com/066-jill-wheatley/
 

You can also learn more about Jill’s mountain running feats by visiting her website: https://mountainsofmymind.com/

As a kid Gino loved video games and Nintendo. “I was thrilled when my dad bought me my first computer in grade six. It was a Commodore 64.”

By Tracey Skehan

Gino Russo (BSc’00/BEd’01) faced a huge challenge when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Northwestern Ontario. The information technology consultant teacher had to shift the entire Lakehead Public Schools system to remote learning at the drop of a hat.

March Break was cancelled for Gino as he scrambled to get ready. “I ran eight sessions in a row the first week I was training teachers and staff. There were so many requests from students and staff moving online all at once.”

Typically, Gino’s role is to coach students and support teachers who want to expand blended learning and communications technology in the classroom.

“I try to bring coherence and streamline the possibilities. There’s many tools we could be using, I steer teachers to the best ones. Edsby, for instance, allows teachers to post assignments, give feedback, and give online quizzes.”

But when COVID-19 changed how Canadians live and work, Gino found himself in an entirely different situation. “Many parents felt overwhelmed and students were afraid they would lose credits. It was pretty stressful.”

Every elementary and high school student enrolled at Lakehead Public Schools was contacted to see if they needed laptops or devices. By early April, 80% of students were able to log on to an online portal and learn from home.

“The goal is to teach the essentials of courses, maintain connection, and strengthen the emotional health of our students,” Gino says. Technology that wasn’t available even a few years ago is making this possible.

“When you give students a Microsoft Teams connection, their faces light up because they can see their classmates and teachers again. It gives them an anchor.”

In some respects, Gino believes that online learning has advantages, because in a physical classroom it’s hard to make sure that everyone participates. “The same four students who aren’t shy put their hand up and the other students have to listen.”

Online tools like Microsoft’s Flipgrid can change this dynamic. Teachers are able to post a prompting question like, “Did anyone see the Aurora Borealis?” and then students use their phones to film videos, post them, watch other student’s videos, and show their reactions.

“The kids who need 20 minutes to reflect can think about a question, see how other people have responded, and maybe post an incredible response,” he says.

As Canadians continue to practice social distancing, Gino encourages parents not to be afraid to ask for one on one help from their child’s teacher – either with a phone call or an email – and to remember that this is emergency learning.

“We are not an online school, so we should have some flexibility in our tasks and make them fun.”

Gino also urges students to share their knowledge with their teachers to make online learning better.

“Most students know a lot about tech. A teacher might ask them to make a poster with a specific tool, not knowing that you can use many other tools to create one.”

The students aren’t the only ones adjusting to a new way of doing things. Gino is working remotely while his two daughters spend their days at home.

“They’re rolling around playing with dolls. I find it a blessing to be able to spend more time with them,” he says.

Go to www.lakeheadschools.ca for more resources or email Gino at gino_russo@lakeheadschools.ca

After getting a computer science degree at Lakehead, Gino started an internet company. When the dotcom bubble burst in 2000, Gino went back to Lakehead to get an education degree at Lakehead. While teaching in Thunder Bay high schools, Gino also earned a master’s in computer science degree from Capital University in Maryland. It was one of the only online master’s degrees in the continent for computer science at that time.