Congratulations to the Incoming 2022/2023 Team!

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Because of you, we are excited to share that our voter turn out for the 2022/2023 Students’ Association General Election was 17%, which is an increase of 7% when compared to our voter turn out of 10% for the 2021/2022 General Election! So, thank you students of Red Deer Polytechnic!!

On March 24, Red Deer Polytechnic students elected the following team for the 2022/2023 year:

The Executive team consists of:

  • President, Savannah Snow;
  • Vice President Academic, Brenan Fuiten;
  • Vice President External, Laura Beaveridge

The Student Council team consists of:

  • Felicity Arndt
  • Erin Bast
  • Kindra Duthie-Woodford
  • Lovejeet Kaur
  • Larissa Soehn
  • Kiara Welch
  • Tessie Yomi-Dada

Newly elected members of Executive Council will take office on May 1, 2022 and Council will begin their term that same day and both will remain in office until April 30, 2023. At this time, we have 5 vacancies on Student Council if you are interested in gaining leadership experience, learning about governance and finance, and making a difference for the students of RDP, email [email protected] for more information.

2022/2023 General Election Candidate Profiles

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We have officially entered election week here at Red Deer Polytechnic and we are excited to share the candidates with you! We are sharing the candidate profiles on our website and social media accounts to create awareness about our General Elections and to encourage students to vote. The Students’ Association remains impartial and does not endorse any of the candidates.

VOTE ON YOUR LOOP ACCOUNT
MARCH 22-24, 2022

 

President Candidate

Savannah Snow

Hello there! My name is Savannah Snow. I’ve had the absolute pleasure of serving as your SARDP President over the 2021/2022 academic year – and what a year it’s been! Right out of the gate, going live to announce the transition from RDC to RDP; Joining the Red Deer Polytechnic Board of Governors and being the first student appointed to a Presidential Search Committee; Continuing the fight for degrees…

 

 

Vice President Academic

Brenan Fuiten

I would like to acknowledge that the Students Association operates on Treaty 7, Treaty 6, and Métis ancestral lands, which are home to many Indigenous peoples. I have been a part of the RDP community for a number of years, and have had four different majors during that time, proving that you don’t need to have a clear and defined path as soon as you enter…

Continue reading Brenan’s profile here.

 

 

 

Vice President External

Laura Beaveridge

Laura Beaveridge is excited to represent RDP students to support their educational success as the Vice President External!

As your candidate, I have first hand experience navigating the challenges of post secondary life, and understand the need for student advocacy. Originally from BC, I moved several hours away…

Continue reading Laura’s profile here.

 

 

Student Council

*Profiles have been shared in alphabetical order by last name*

Felicity Arndt

Hello there! My name is Felicity Arndt, and I am in my first year of the elementary education degree. I’ve been in the Student Council for one year and I would love to continue to facilitate change and be a face for students around the school. I try to involve myself…

Continue reading Felicity’s profile here.

 

 

 

Erin Bast

My name is Erin Bast; I am a wife and a mother of 3, all under ten years old. I was born in Red Deer and raised in a small town called Elnora. I graduated from Delburne Centralized High School in 1999, which officially makes me old.

I have been a stay-at-home mom for over ten years, so the thought of going to college…

Continue reading Erin’s profile here.

 

 

Kindra Duthie-Woodford

Kindra Duthie-Woodford graduated with her BA in Psychology through the University of Calgary collaborative program at Red Deer Polytechnic. She is currently in her 1st year of Justice Studies at RPD and plans to complete a PhD in Forensic Psychology. She has been an active councilor on the Student Association Student Council since 2019…

Lovejeet Kaur

Hello! My name is Lovejeet Kaur, an international student pursuing Business Administration at Red Deer Polytechnic. Being a Commerce student, I have a passion for accounting and management, and I have planned to build my Carrer in Human Resource because I know I want a job that allows me to be around people and provides a chance to change their lives in a better way. Moreover, Human Resource…

 

Larissa Soehn

“Helping students from all walks of life find a mentally healthy and happy balance”; that is Larissa’s platform during this election.

Having been in Red Deer for the past twelve years, Larissa is proud to call Central Alberta home. While most of those years were spent in a corporate position, the future looks vastly different as she takes on the role of a full-time student…

Continue reading Larissa’s profile here.

 

 

Kiara Welch

Hey everyone! My name is Kiara Welch and I’m currently a 3rd year Business Administration student focusing on Accounting. I started here way back in 2017 when it was still RDC, and business was at the DSB downtown campus. In Fall 2021, I joined the student council and have loved being involved with decisions that impact every student!…

Continue reading Kiara’s profile here.

 

 

Tessie Yomi-Dada

Hello! My name is Motesolaoluwa Yomi-Dada. I prefer to go by Tessie. I am running for the position of Council 2022/2023. I am a first year in the Practical  Nursing Program. I have spent the last year working in RDP Residence as a Resident Attendant and I also volunteer on RDP International’ s mentorship program. I want to serve you…

Notice to Membership: Proposed Bylaw Amendments

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NOTICE TO MEMBERSHIP

Students’ Association of Red Deer Polytechnic

 

As per Article 13 of the Association Bylaws, notice of Bylaw changes must be submitted to the Membership 21 days prior to Council’s final vote. The Association’s Bylaw Amendment Review Committee submitted the following proposed changes to Council on February 7, 2022 for review and consideration. Council will be discussing these changes on February 28, 2022; conducting a final vote on March 7, 2022. If you have any questions about the proposed changes, please contact Savannah Snow, SARDP President at saprez@​rdpolytech.ca If you would like to attend our Council meetings on February 28th and/or March 7th, please email our Council Secretary at [email protected] to make arrangements.

View the proposed bylaw amendments here.

Faking It Until You Make It

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By: Savannah Snow, SARDP President

 

“What do you do on the days you don’t feel that confident?”
“Uh, fake it.”
“Till you make it?”
“Yeah, why not? It’s either that or cry myself to sleep, and who wants to do that?”

 

You may have seen this transition Tiktok trend going around, and though the transformations are real and beautiful, this concept does indeed work!

I often am complimented on my confidence and presence, and my response is always, “Thanks! I built it myself.”

And it’s true! I wasn’t always confident, and to be completely candid, I still struggle with self-esteem and self worth.

I spent my high school years in deep south Texas. Down there, it’s a whole different ball game in terms of beauty standards for young girls. Parents take their teen girls to get their hair bleached, fake nails, spray tans, and designer clothes and bags. Beauty pageant culture is huge, and many of my classmates were participants in beauty pageants big and small. In fact, if you were to join the drill team or the cheer squad, you were required to meet a certain standard in terms of tanning and hair care. The cheer team even had a preferred vendor for a tanning salon! Growing up as a foreigner in Texas, my extremely conservative and religious parents didn’t believe in dyeing hair, painting nails, or even wearing makeup. This meant that by my peers growing up, I was considered “ugly”. I’d even have girls try to pass me business cards to their mom’s favorite tanning salons, not understanding when I said my mom would never pay for that.

All of this being pushed on me at such a young age resulted in some pretty severe self-esteem issues. On top of the things, I was experiencing at school, you may recall from my blog post earlier last year, “Reflecting on my Childhood”, that I was experiencing severe mental and physical abuse at home. So how does one overcome all of this? That’s right, faking it til you make it.

There’s an aspect of psychology that comes into play when we’re talking about confidence. Achieving confidence is based in the belief that you are confident. In order to believe that you are confident, you must feel like you are perceived as confident. As much as we’d all love to pretend that loving ourselves is enough, there will always be a carnal desire to be liked by people. It’s herd mentality! You can either choose to let that convince you you’ll never be liked or inspire you to take the reins and carve your own space in the world. You see, a common misconception is that in order to be liked, you have to conform. This is not the case! In most instances, the most admirable trait in a person is their confidence, that unwavering bravery to be themself.

I have a very specific methodology when it comes to faking and ultimately building confidence. Pick a fictional character or a real-life role model that you think is confident and aligns with your personality. For me, it was Hermione from Harry Potter! You want to start thinking in terms of how that character would react and behave in certain situations. Basically, emulate who you want to be. Eventually, you’ll begin incorporating those traits into your own personality and will no longer have to fake it!

The psychology of this ties into performative behavior. By acting and believing in yourself a certain way, eventually you will enter deep performance, which means that these traits will become a part of who you are. Eventually, you won’t have to fake it anymore!

A word of caution – imposter syndrome will often try to get in the way of this methodology. My advice for combatting this is to remember that even though you are putting on a performance, you are still doing the work to get where you need to be. You deserve to be confident! You are putting in the work to better yourself, and it will pay off! People around you will begin to notice the difference in how you speak and how you carry yourself.

Remember, the ultimate goal is self-acceptance. This method may not work for everyone and that’s okay! Everyone builds confidence differently. However, I’m of the belief that when you can convince yourself that you’re confident, you will feel more self-assured. You got this 😊 I’m confident in you!!

SARDP COVID-19 RESPONSE

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In light of the recent announcement regarding the continuance of online learning, the Students’ Association of Red Deer Polytechnic has decided to release their thoughts on the matter. We realize that this decision has not been made lightly and was made with the best interests of the health and wellbeing of the entire campus community. We have been listening to all sides of the issue and are bringing the student perspective to the senior administrators to ensure that the best decisions for the Red Deer Polytechnic community are being made.

We are disappointed to hear that online delivery has only been extended to February 27th for several reasons. Following the announcement on Tuesday, January 18, I met with the President and Chief of Staff to discuss the decision. Though we agree that the decision was made in the best interests of everyone’s health and safety, we do not feel it’s fair to ask students to make accommodations for only five weeks of the term. Taking a “half-in half-out” approach does not set our students or faculty up for success. Additionally, many students have already prepared to be in person for January 24th and have planned for residence and parking. Asking them to push back their planning another month less than a week before their expected return is unfair, especially with the fluid nature of COVID-19. The possibility that we’ll be extended online for the full term come mid-February is something that hangs above us all, given the transmissibility of the Omicron variant. Pushing back the decision does not give students much of an option other than to continue waiting it out.

We realize that a lot of individuals want to be in-person. That being said, we also realize that there are a lot of individuals who are hesitant to return to campus at all given the nature of the Omicron variant. The Students’ Association believes wholeheartedly in the science surrounding COVID-19 and is very cognizant of the threat that the Omicron variant presents to our community. Our faculty need to be kept in mind; A lot of our faculty are of the demographic that is most at-risk of Covid-related complications. If faculty are catching COVID-19 and are having to take time off to recover, this severely impacts the student experience and may result in programs having to extend their terms, costing even more in time and money to the students. Being online is the best way to ensure that faculty can teach their classes and stay healthy and continue to ensure student success.

We’d like to mention a few Covid-related wins that the SA has negotiated on behalf of the RDP community. We advocated for a vaccine clinic to be on campus for students to easily get their shots. We advocated for free rapid tests to be available for those who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated so that they are not missing out on classes while still ensuring the safety of everyone involved. Additionally, we advocated for the extension of rapid testing acceptance as an alternative form to vaccination so that students could complete their education at RDP. We have not been silent bystanders on the issue of COVID-19. We are committed to helping the institution reach the best decision for all parties involved. That being said, no decision made on behalf of others will please everyone.

In light of this, we have a few asks to make of our administrators on behalf of the students. First, another extension of the add/drop date should be implemented to allow for those students who do not wish to continue their education at RDP to receive a refund of their tuition. We understand that some may want to wait for calmer times to undertake their education. These past two years have been turbulent for everyone, and a lot of individuals are experiencing adjustment disorder and burnout. Second, students who have paid for parking for the month of February and are not accessing campus should have the option of applying for a refund. Students wishing to explore this option should reach out to [email protected]. Lastly, the SA implores the institution to advocate to the government for access to rapid tests to continue the rapid testing service on campus if we are to return to in-person learning on February 28th. If K-12 are able to access rapid tests, so should the rest of Alberta’s education system.

Thank you to everyone who has voiced their concerns and been respectful of the rapidly evolving situation at hand. We are listening to all sides of the story. We are trying our best. For students that are on our Health and Dental Plan, I’d like to remind you that we have a 24/7 counselling service through Inkblot, which you can access on MyWellness. Coverage is at 100% with $1,000 available for the full year; with sessions on Inkblot priced at a maximum of $70 you should be able to access this service as much as you need to. Additionally, Counselling Services at RDP are still open and walk-in Wednesdays are resuming next week. You can reach out to [email protected] to book an appointment. Please take care of your physical and mental health in these difficult times. We care about all of you and want to make sure that we are doing our best to ensure your success and safety.

 

Savannah Snow
President, Students’ Association of Red Deer Polytechnic

– 30 –

 

For inquiries, please contact us at [email protected].

 

Giving Back to Our Community

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By: Brenan Fuiten, VP External

It’s that time of the year where Mariah Carey makes a yearly comeback, and we all start to feel a little more jolly! This time of year also gets us thinking about what we can do for others and be a bigger part of our communities. I say communities because each of us have several diverse and unique areas in our lives that we are a part of. A few of the communities that I am a part of are the Terry Fox Foundation, the LGBTQIA+ community, the Red Deer Polytechnic, and on a broader level the community of Red Deer. Yes, at different times I have been more involved with some of these communities than others, but that is also a fact of life. We can’t give 100% of ourselves at all times, otherwise we burn out. So, don’t feel like you have to solve all of the world’s problems overnight, maybe get through your final assignments and exams before over extending yourself too much.

Now I am well aware that many of us reading this are students, myself included, and it can feel like we aren’t able to make a big difference. Yet, this could not be further from the truth.

We all can make a difference, even if it is just pursuing small little goals, or things we can accomplish.

Since little changes and efforts over time can lead to amazing results. As cliche as it sounds it can start with something as simple as a smile or asking someone how they are doing. Post-Secondary schooling can be tough, but being nice to someone doesn’t cost a thing, and you just might end up making a new friend. Part of the reason I’m writing this I met people on campus that pushed me in ways I didn’t think I could, just by being present within the community. Maybe it might be easier for you to meet people with a common interest and if that is the case joining one of the student groups on campus is a great way to meet others that you have at least one thing in common with. Another great way to get involved with your communities is to volunteer towards something that you believe in. If you don’t know where to start most of the time there is someone at these organizations you can email and get in touch with who would have insight into how to get started. If you aren’t sure about if there are any particular organizations that are worth giving your time and energy to ask your friends if there is somewhere they volunteer, or maybe take a Community Service Learning (CSL) opportunity as part of one of your classes. Not only does this put you out into the community helping out, you may actually know someone there, and it’s always more fun to do things with those you like. If there is a charity that you believe in, as a student I know that it can be tough to provide a monetary amount especially around the holidays, even a small amount can mean a big difference. What can make a bigger difference is promoting the charity on your social media and make others aware of it. Since if you’re passionate about this cause, likely others will be too.

At the end of the day it is about knowing that you did what you could and that you made a difference. We hear of those that made a big donation or put in a lot of resources, but it is the many of us putting in the legwork that really help make giving back to our communities the success that they are. It’s these small efforts that collectively have the biggest payoff.

No matter what you choose to do, thank you for making this world a better place.

A Day In The Life Of A Student Executive

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Savannah, President

My day starts at 6:00 am, with a gentle, low-toned alarm. Nobody likes being woken up with a startle! Coffee is a must, and while it is brewing, I will tidy up from the night before. I’ll drink my coffee while getting ready – usually a shower or a bath depending on where I am in my wash routine, then skincare, makeup, and hair. Then it’s off to the office!

I will drop my things in my office and start up my computer, then head downstairs for another cup of coffee. Patty has my order memorized at this point – thanks Patty! I’ll then head upstairs to check through my email and formulate a plan for the day. I carry two planners with me: One is for the entire year and keeps me on task for meetings, deadlines, and to-do’s. The other has a daily spread to prioritize to-do’s along with a bullet journal sheet to do any personal tracking. I would probably implode if I lost either of these; They are well-loved and well-used.

I’ll then go through my day! Each day looks different, with a mix of in person and online classes, meetings, and offsite or after-hours engagements. I also have an office phone and will sometimes receive calls from members of the community that I do my best to answer! I generally average 3 meetings per day plus classes, plus whomever calls or drops by my office – very busy!

My workday ends at 4 pm, lucky me! I’ll head back home to Blackfalds, where I share an apartment with my partner and his daughter. We both love to cook, so generally whoever has gotten home first (or dibs’d it first!) will cook for everyone else. I generally do not answer emails or work on homework outside of my time at school and choose instead to relax with some Animal Crossing or Overwatch.

Bedtime generally occurs around 11:00 pm, but the running joke in my household is that I’m an old lady and usually don’t last past 9. You can often find me on the couch, with a string of drool hanging out of my mouth and my slippers half on half off. I do my skincare, set my alarm, and ready myself to do it all over again in the morning!

 

Brenan, Vice President External

            While most of my days are a variation of a theme and that theme being at the polytechnic all day, Mondays ironically tend to be the most interesting, or just in general busy. I’m one of those weird people that early
mornings don’t bother me too much so I’m normally up pretty early and read the news on my phone for an hour, or so. After this I’m truly up and getting ready. At some point in this process, I get the most essential thing for any morning, coffee. I take mine double double. After that it’s off to the Students’ Association office where I answer a few emails before heading to class – Sociology of Work. After class, it’s a meeting or two, then more emails. SO MANY EMAILS! Somewhere during the hours of 11AM and 2PM I find a time to get something to eat.

Over the last five years I’d have to say that the Far Side has been my go-to spot on campus, and I’ve spent more on chicken fingers than I’d actually care to admit.

At this point, I’m off to my History of Science and Religion class with Dr Wigelsworth. If you have the chance to take a history course, I’d recommend one of his. After that wraps up its back to the Students’ Association to get some last-minute things prepped before the Council Meeting at 5:30PM. During this time I have a small meal, and another coffee, you can never have enough coffee. The Council Meeting normally runs until about 8PM. From there I head home and get some of my homework done. Why does every professor in the social sciences and humanities insist on 800 pages of writing in a semester? I hope to one day find out why. At some point around 10-11PM I crawl into bed, spend an hour, or so, watching videos, looking up memes and decompressing from the day. Get some sleep and do it all over again.

Budgeting 101

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By: Oliver Felisilda, RBC On-Campus Assistant Branch Manager & Advisor

 

Budgeting 101: How to Create a Budget

As a student, you likely have experienced many unexpected changes as a result of the current COVID-19 crisis. You’re doing a great job at adapting to the changes and forming new habits. Now, more than ever, is also the time to make sure that you are staying on top of managing your money – making smart financial decisions now will help you prepare for the future.

One of the ways you can do this is to develop the habit of paying attention to what’s happening to your money and where you want it to go. This article aims to help you understand what that means practically through a strategy that you may already be familiar with – budgeting.

All things related to money are very personal and really no two people’s budgets should or would look the same. So, as you are reading this, I recommend that you bring out something that you can use to document your entries. If done right, you’ll find that what you have created can give you a snapshot of your financial situation, how you feel about it, and adjustments you can make to reach your goals.

What is a Budget?

A budget refers to the tool that helps you track and manage your money. While simple, its impact to your peace of mind cannot be overstated.

It is common to find interruptions in one’s finances. Perhaps a new expense arises unexpectedly or maybe your income declines due to conflicting priorities or losing the time or ability to work. People that budget ultimately have less stress about money, because they have a handle on their financial situation and avoid overspending and managing debt. People that budget also have a better grasp on what they actually need vs. what they want, and can more easily prioritize and make smarter decisions about how to spend their money.  Budgeting can really help you make the most of your money and get to your financial goals.  Budgeting helps you to stay focused on what really matters in school – not money.

Step One: Income

A budget begins with listing your income. Whether it’s a one-time deposit (OSAP), a regular occurrence (pay check), or an unexpected surprise (birthday money) – money coming in is what you want to consider your ‘income’.  The monthly totals of these incomes are going to make up the pool of money that you have access to do be able to spend.  On this note, kindly list down all the sources of your income for the month.

So the money that comes into your account doesn’t always stay there – it goes out to pay for things you want, need, and things you think you need but you actually want. To avoid that “empty pockets” feeling, it’s important that you understand your ‘money that goes out’ – or the monthly expenses that you have so you can make sure you have enough income to cover it – and so you also can properly assess and prioritize the expenses that are essential and the ones that are more ‘nice to have’ but not vital.

Step Two: Expenses

So let’s think about what types of expenses that you have. These are the things that you are spending your money on regularly like that quick $2 tap every morning at Tim’s for coffee, or one time bigger ticket items like books you buy at the beginning of every semester, or the rent you pay every month. Take a look and for every item that you spend money on – write the item and the amount the spend column on your budgeting sheet.

Income and expenses are things that you can more or less plan ahead for and expect. Then there are the things that you might want to do with your money, like save for a local getaway, or for an iPhone, or have access to funds that you can spend going out with your friends. You need to be thinking about this stuff so when you start going through the budgeting exercise you’ll be able to see right away what you can afford to actually do.

Step Three: Goals

Take the time now to jot down some things that aren’t accounted for in your expenses or income that you’d like to be able to have money for – record it in the Goals column.

At this point you have a broad list of income, expenses, as well as ‘goals’ for your money. It’s necessary to organize these lists in a way that give you a simple and accurate snapshot of how much money you actually have.  There’s so much fluctuation and change in expenses and income in a school year that if you just take an annual overview you won’t actually have a true sense of how much money you can spend each day to stay in control of your finances and feel confident when managing your money, so that you can achieve your goals.

The amount of money moving in and out of your account isn’t the only thing that matters.  You also need to be aware of when money is moving in or out – so you can budget to have enough in your account to cover the expense. How often money is moving in or out is also important to make sure that the money you have coming in can actually last the entire school year.

You’re going to want to keep track of your budget on a monthly basis so you can plan for both your immediate needs and future needs.

Shortages: What If I Don’t Have Enough Income?

If your balance is negative it means you that income you’ve stated is not enough to cover the expenses you’ve listed. It also means you don’t have any money to contribute to your goals. First thing you’ll want to look at if you’re in this situation is your expenses by finding ways to trim down. You can do this by identifying the things you absolutely need to survive. In addition, it is possible that there are things that are non-essential and should be treated more like goals. For example, I have Starbucks on my goals section of my budget – it’s a treat for me, if I can afford it.  But I can live without it. My rent, however, is an essential expense.  I wouldn’t be able to survive if I didn’t pay for the roof over my head.  Furthermore, reducing the costs of your expenses can go a long way.  So you can try to find ways to shop smarter or save money.

On the flip side, the other thing you can try to do is find ways to get more money. But applying for scholarships, getting a job, or finding ways for your money to make you money are some things you can explore.  RBC has some resources for jobs and scholarships, your campus will have resources as well. The government has relief programs to help support students.   For some of you, asking your parents may be an option. For others, sitting down with a financial advisor might be helpful in finding other solutions that will help your financial situation.

Budgeting Tips

While everyone’s budget is different, the following tips are useful to everyone.

Primarily, budgets are often more effective with an emergency fund as a part of your goals. Allocating about 1% of your income into this fund that can be used for unplanned expenses as they come up can give you more peace of mind. Secondly, always having some type of savings goal gets you into the habit of setting something up and achieving it while putting your funds aside. Furthermore, if your budget balance is 0, it means you aren’t setting yourself up to either plan ahead or save for a goal. So, always be mindful of how your lifestyle is causing a surplus or a shortage.

It is also worth noting that making a budget doesn’t guarantee that you’ll stick to it. Life happens, sometimes you might go over budget or maybe you’ll find that you’re just tapping too much and in adversely increasing your expenses.  If you find yourself in a situation where you aren’t staying in your budget – don’t just give up.  Every day is a new opportunity to course correct.

One of the ways you can ensure consistency is by ensuring that the budgeting tool that you use is fit for you. There are many apps, tools, and budgeting calculators online that can give you an updated budget in real time.

In addition, alerts are a great way to get proactive and reactive information about your bank account in real time.  You can set up alerts through online or mobile banking to get a text every time you tap, to reminder you about an upcoming bill, to see your balance at the end of every day, or to see your balance if it dips a little too low.

If you’re an RBC customer you get access to something called NOMI insights in mobile banking. This is our artificial intelligence tool that analyzes your account activity to give you insights about where your money is going and smarter ways to manage it.

You can also ask for help from your advisor at your financial institution. Your advisor can offer support to make sure you are using the right account, plan for any upcoming changes to your budget or adjust for unplanned changes, minimize unnecessary fees, and ultimately do what they can to keep you on track to achieving your goals.

For any additional questions or concerns about this article, please let us know! We are happy to help you with your journey so please reach out to Oliver or Bruno at the RDC on campus location near the forum or via email at [email protected] or [email protected].

 

Hey! I’m Your New VPX!

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By: Brenen Fuiten

 

I guess the best place to start is just saying that I’m the elder millennial on the Students’ Association Executive team, you know with having been born in the 80’s. I still have some of my transformer’s toys to prove this as well.
I was born in a small town in Saskatchewan, and I moved to Red Deer at a pretty young age – when I was 1.5 – 2 years old. Okay I didn’t move; I was just brought along for the ride. Apart from a brief stint in Calgary, during my early twenties, Red Deer has always been my home. In regards to family, I’m the oldest of five, with two brothers and two sisters. I’m also in the weird position of having had three dads – LONG STORY. I met my fiancé five years ago online but not on a dating app, but rather through a blog I had been running at the time. Two years ago, I proposed at the Calgary Airport with a ring pop (don’t worry, I had a real ring). She always thought it would be funny if that happened, so I took the opportunity to do so! I have an interesting and weird love for a lot of the music that came out in the late 90’s/early 00’s, remember Ska? Yeah, we don’t need to talk about that one too much. I spent most of my time listening to bands like, Blink-182, The Deftones, Brand New, Nirvana, Chevelle, and ALEXISONFIRE which even inspired a group of my friends and I to started a punk band in high school – as one would expect we didn’t go far!

When it comes to my schooling this has been a journey. I graduated from Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive HS in 2006. So, my high school experience was nothing but construction. I then went and attended RDC in the winter of 2007 as an Open Studies student. This didn’t go so well, mostly because I wasn’t committed to the idea of post-secondary at the time. After this I ended up in construction, I guess what happened at Lindsay Thurber had ultimately intrigued me. After working a few years as a “tin basher,” one of the guys that installs the heating in the building, I had gotten discouraged with one, always being cold, and two not having access to the trade program at RDC, so I left construction. Side note: this trade is still not available at RDP, hopefully that changes! After that I got into computers and technology, and I can already guess what you’re thinking, RDP doesn’t have a computer science program. While you are all right in that matter, I went hey you know what computers have the internet and the internet can teach you things. I was doing online classes back in 2010-2011 before it was the norm and before it was cool (okay they sucked then, and they suck now). As a result of this I was able to get a few certificates from CompTIA: A+; Network + and Security +, which allowed me to work in IT for a few years as a help desk support technician and onsite systems installer. Yes, the first thing we ask 90% of the time is have you tried turning it off and then on. After a company downsizing and hitting a wall educationally trying to do it all online, I decided it was time for me to go back to school in-person and give it an honest try.

The fall of 2017 was my first year back in post-secondary, as a university degree transfer student majoring in chemistry. Boy, oh boy, did that first-year rock me hard. Between having to drop out of Chem 212 and getting just passable grades in my other science courses, I ended up taking psychology as a GPA booster.

Well, that may have been the best decision I had made academically. It gave me a new direction that I was interested in, and the material clicked, but more importantly gave me my confidence back!

During my second year I started to become more involved in giving other students a platform to have themselves be heard, in my second year by becoming a member of the Agora Undergraduate Conference and Journal, in addition to being a peer tutor (before the SA had Nimbus!). This then led to me getting noticed by other student leaders who recommended that I join the Students’ Association Council – so I did! Then the opportunity to run for an Executive position became available and again I decided to challenge myself and HERE I AM!

I look forward to the challenges that this role will entail and getting a chance to hopefully leave a legacy for the students that come afterwards!

HONOURING THE CHILDREN AND ADVANCING TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION

/in , /by

Indigenous Student Services in collaboration with the Social Work Diploma Program and the Student’s Association of Red Deer Polytechnic are inviting students, faculty, staff and community members to contribute to an upcoming event that will be bringing awareness to the residential school experience and the unmarked graves of Indigenous children that are being found. We are also encouraging that this be an opportunity to share, educate and gather contributions from family and friends where appropriate.

A feather template (attached) can be used for your contribution and is available for pick up and drop off in the Gathering Place on campus at RDP (next to the main security desk) throughout the next 2 weeks with a suggested deadline of Friday, November 12th by 5pm.

Community members can connect with Talitha to have feather templates dropped off and for pick-up arrangements if required.

Feathers can also be completed in the Gathering Space. In creating a feather, we ask that it is done in the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation and with a positive intention towards a transformative and meaningful relationship with Indigenous peoples’, but also in honour and memory for the Indigenous children who did not survive their residential school experience.                

This event is also timely in the fact that the Red Deer Industrial School grounds are currently being searched for unmarked graves and the bodies of children that have yet to be found. The results from this search are anticipated in the next few weeks.

Please create in a way that speaks to yourself and your intention, some ideas include: Using the feather template to draw, colour, leave a message, create a collage, paint and so forth. Feel free to use all the space that is available on the page. Consider the following when creating your feather:

  • What is your message to the children whose lives were lost? Their families and communities? How might you portray this in words or art.
  • What needs to be done on the path to Truth and Reconciliation?

Other pieces are acceptable on other materials as long as they are appropriate to being burned in a fire. Pieces are being collected to be displayed on November 15 in the Forum from 10 am to 2 pm. The feathers with all of their pictures, words and positive intentions will then be burned in a Fire of Intention with an Indigenous elder, to essentially release these individual and collective intentions, that will take place at some point in the coming weeks. The Fire of Intention will take place at 1 pm on Friday, November 19 in the Forum Courtyard.

For more information on this timely topic please consider watching the short video Searching for the Unmarked Graves of Indigenous Children which can be accessed HERE

Questions? Please contact Talitha Klym, Indigenous Student Services Generalist at [email protected] or 403-357-3672