The King's Connection Magazine Volume 23 Number 3//Spring 2013

alumni news In their own words alumni news Creating nehiyawasinahikanisa (Little Cree Books) “ by Caylie Gnyra (’05 BA, English) I n January 2013, I launched the Little Cree Books (www.littlecreebooks.com) website, which offers reading resources free of charge to educators and parents attempting to teach the Cree language to young learners. This was the ultimate goal I had set out for myself in 2009, when I was in my second year of an after-degree in Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and had proposed a project to my faculty to develop a much-needed series of leveled books to help early readers learn the Cree language. I illustrated and wrote the first two books on the site, using Alberta Education’s curricular guidelines for Cree language learning as a framework. My Native Studies degree followed the BA in English that I had completed at The King’s University College in 2005, during which I had taken a number of sociology courses. In those courses, Dr. Haluza-Delay and Dr. Long both talked about their professional and personal engagements with aboriginal communities, and it was shocking to realize how little most Canadians (including myself) knew about these indigenous communities and our nation’s complex history with them. I pursued work with aboriginal communities and organizations for two years after my English degree. With the encouragement and direction of former King’s English professor Dr. Carol Everest, I then applied to the Faculty of Native Studies’ afterdegree program. In addition to learning about Canada’s history with its aboriginal population, students in Native Studies are also encouraged to think about creative and strategic ways to renew the relationship between aboriginal and settler populations. Heritage language preservation and renewal was one area that struck me as particularly critical, given that language and culture are so closely tied together, and individual and communal well-being is so closely tied to the positive self-esteem that is linked to pride in one’s heritage. Cree and non-Cree volunteers with all ranges of fluency in the language are now involved in the project, collaboratively using their skills to develop audio and reading resources for Cree language learners. ? “ alumni news 10 Questions with Janet Wesselius by Josh Noble, Alumni Relations Manager This past January, Alumni Relations Manager Josh Noble sat down for a quick round of ten questions with Dr. Janet Wesselius (’84). Dr. Wesselius is currently living in Halifax, NS for six months while on sabbatical from her position as Associate Professor of Philosophy at Augustana. She is also a member of The King’s University College Senate. JN: Thanks for your time Dr. Wesselius. How are you enjoying Halifax? JW: Halifax is wonderful. It’s a different pace of life from home, which is nice occasionally. JN: Do you have roots out on the East Coast? JW: No actually. I’m originally from Shiloh, Manitoba. JN: Near Winnipeg? JW: Near Brandon actually. JN: Brandon to Edmonton is a big jump, what brought you to Edmonton in those early days of King’s? JW: Well, my family heritage is Dutch and I was looking for a university that would be compatible with my beliefs, one I knew would allow me to ask the questions I was interested in. JN: How did you find your time at King’s? JW: Foundational. Transformative. Incredible. My time at King’s really set the tone for my career as a Christian thinker and as a Reformed thinker. JN: Any professors stick out? JW: Certainly they all played important roles, but there were a few that were particularly important. Peter Mahaffy was an important mentor. Peter is particularly skilled at helping students do what they liked and what they were good at — he helped guide me to philosophy of science. Lambert Zuidervaart and Russell Savage both were important as they help ???????)????????????????????$????????P?????????????????)??I?????????????????????????????1????????!??????)????????????????????????????????????????????????)??????P??????????????????????????????????((???????Q???-????e? ?????????????M?????????())8??]?????????????????????????????))\??A??????????%??????????????M???????????????????)i?????????%??????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????????())8??]???????????????????????????-????e??))\??]?????$????????????????????????????????e????????)-????e???????????????????????????????????$?????)U????????????????T???????????%?????????? ???????M?????(?% L??????????????????????U?????????????????????)A????5???????A???M?????????d???????$????????????)????????????????????????????U???????????????????????)????????????%??????$???????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????$?????)??????????$???????????????())8??1???????????????????M????????!?????Y??)!??????????????????????????????????????M??)?????????????????????M???????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????? ???????)???????????????????????????M??????????))\??]???????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????())8???????????????????????????????-????e?M?????))\??%??????$???????????????????M??????????????????????)???M??????$??????????????????????????????????)??????-????e?????????????????????????????????????$)????$?????????????????????$???????????????????????(?????e?9????Q???M?????????????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????????U???????? ???????????)?????????????????????????????????????????())8??Q???????????????????????????????)?????????)????))\??e??e??????????-????e???????????$???????????????'?e???????)?????????????????????????????????U???????? ?()Q???-????e? ?????????????M???????????????((0

The King's Connection Magazine Volume 23 Number 3//Spring 2013 | Page 30