Team members Maria Garcia Manzano (3L) who won Robson Hall’s Solomon Greenberg intramural trial advocacy competition on November 16, 2024, and co-counsel Harlan Morris (3L), were runners-up to the University of Alberta first-place team at the Western moot. Both teams went on to represent Western Canada at the Sopinka Cup, held in Ottawa, Ontario, on March 14 – 15, 2025.

Team Manitoba was coached by Laura Robinson [LLB/09] and Evan Roitenberg [LLB/91] of Wolson Roitenberg Robinson Wolson, and Adam Gingera [BA/10; JD/16] of Manitoba Justice Prosecutions Service.

The Honourable Douglas Abra [LLB/72], retired Justice of the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench (and a past winner of the MacIntyre Cup himself), presided over the trials, with a team of six assessors deciding the winners. The Honourable Ryan Rolston [LLB/99], Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Manitoba presented the prizes at the awards dinner following the competition’s conclusion.

The University of Manitoba Faculty of Law hosted the 2025 Western (MacIntyre) Cup at Robson Hall. Members of the Manitoba practicing legal community generously contributed their time and skills to act as assessors and coaches. Photo by Jenna Chemerika.

The MacIntyre Cup awards dinner coincided with the Canada-US Four Nations Cup hockey game, so in true Canadian form, Robson Hall organizers ensured the game was played on a large screen in the room, much to the relief of many Moot competitors and coaches who are also irredeemable hockey fans. It was “a very Canadian moment,” said Elizabeth McCandless [LLB/07; LLM/20], Director of Clinics at Robson Hall.

McCandless extended special thanks to Faculty of Law administrative staff person Jenna Chemerika who worked very hard to organize all logistics and details of the MacIntyre Cup to make the competition a success.

Sopinka Cup

The final leg of the Trial Advocacy competition journey for Team Manitoba was at the Sopinka Cup, which is where East meets West. The winning eight teams from four regional competitions in Canada meet in Ottawa each year. These competitions include the Western (MacIntyre) Cup, the Arnup Cup (for Ontario Universities), the Guy Guérin Cup (Quebec), and the McKelvey Cup (New Brunswick and Nova Scotia).

Garcia Manzano and Morris shared some of their experiences at the national event, where all 16 students competing were presented with plaques to commemorate reaching the national level – “a remarkable accomplishment in itself,” Garcia Manzano explained. “It was an incredible experience to compete against some of the most talented advocacy teams in the country, and we’re proud to have represented the University of Manitoba on the national stage.”

She added, “We were fortunate to be guided by outstanding coaches whose mentorship was unparalleled for both the MacIntyre and the Sopinka Cup. They pushed us to grow, challenged us constantly, and – even though they tried to convince me to pursue a career in litigation – I know the advocacy skills they taught me will serve me will in the corporate-commercial practice I plan to build.”

“Competing in the MacIntyre and Sopinka Cups were undoubtedly the highlight of my time in law school,” said Morris. “Seeing the final product after the countless hours we put into preparing for our trials was by far the most rewarding experience in my three years at Robson Hall.”

Garcia Manzano will be articling at Fillmore Riley LLP throughout the next 12 months, while Morris will article with the Crown at Manitoba Justice, Public Prosecutions.

The Sopinka Cup was established in 1999 in honour of late Supreme Court of Canada Justice John Sopinka, a long-time Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, which runs the competition. In 2018, MacIntyre Cup winners Yassir Al-Naji [JD/18] and Ben Johnson [JD/18] took second place and won “Best Closing Argument” at the Sopinka Cup. Kevin Toyne [BA/00; LLB/03] and Jennifer Malabar [LLB/03] won the Sopinka Cup in 2003.

Judy began her career while still a student at St John’s College in the development office alongside Derek McLean and Maureen Kolodie, she was eager to learn and kick-start her career. Judy felt the nerves of the first day, the excitement, and the eagerness to get started as she reflected on her experience at SJC.

“It was where I gained many of the skills I have today. It was not just an office but a culture for me. I felt like I was on a team where I could grow and learn.” 

As Judy grew out of her role in the Development Office, she continued her growth around the university in areas including alumni relations, assisting students in University One, and, more recently, as the lead for experiential learning in the Asper School of Business. 

For Judy, experiential learning is not just about gaining hands-on experience; it’s about enjoying the process of applying classroom learning in the real world. Judy continuously works to make this experience enjoyable and educational for students through various opportunities in the Asper faculty. 

“Experiential learning is an enjoyable experience for many students, and it bridges the gap between the academic and corporate worlds. It allows students to learn skills, make connections, and gain knowledge they can apply to future work.” 

As experiential learning continues to positively impact students around campus, Judy looks forward to what is next for these students around the Asper School of Business.

To learn more about opportunities in the St John’s College development office, visit our website.

To read the full story, please visit CBC Manitoba

The UM and SJC alum studied environmental design during his undergraduate degree, spending countless hours at St John’s studying for exams and eating food with friends in the Daily Bread Cafe. He also received several SJC scholarships and bursaries to support his education.

Since moving to Belgium to pursue his master’s in architecture, Max has relied on the knowledge and skills he accrued during his studies at SJC and UM. He recognizes that his unique approach to his master’s research comes from his time at UM in the architecture faculty.

“I find that with my experience, I bring new ideas that are different from those of my colleagues out here. I learned many of them in my Bachelor of Environmental Design, which has helped me get to where I am today.”

Max is grateful for the experience he’s had so far, including the new ideas, techniques, and connections he’s made in Belgium.

“It’s fun to study out here. Everyone comes in with different perspectives worldwide, which has helped me learn new ideas and techniques.”

Max will complete his thesis this June and is then excited to stay in Belgium to continue his work with the various opportunities he has found in his graduate experience.

The civil engineer worked as part of a diverse workforce at Manitoba Hydro, which took him to different locations all over Manitoba throughout his career.

Kevin found this fulfilling work at Manitoba Hydro to be positive yet challenging, as he was a minority in the work he did. 

“Being a visible minority in the workplace was uncommon in those days. I was lucky to work at Manitoba Hydro, but I had to work much harder to prove I was equal, if not better, than the others.”

Prior to working at Hydro, Kevin moved to Canada from Hong Kong, where he stayed at St John’s Residence from 1974 to 1978 where he referred to it as, one big family. 

“I never felt out of place; I always felt at home living in the residence. There were lots of fun things to do, events to attend, and diverse places to be; it was easy not to feel out of place.”

While having this one big family on campus throughout his five years, Kevin points to the lessons he’s learned at St John’s College that have helped him shape into the person he is today. Whether it be making connections with new students, taking on new responsibilities, or building the foundational skills he has used throughout this life, he expresses gratitude for the lessons he’s learned and the friends he continues to stay connected with today. 

Kevin concludes his twenty-eight years of service as an engineer by continuing his work in volunteerism as the Chair of the Volunteer Education Committee at the Manitoba Electrical Museum and Education Centre.

The SJC and UM alum is currently pursuing her pharmacological work in Belgium, where she has expressed her appreciation for the diversity in Europe she learned from her college experience.

“Many of the lessons I have learned came from St John’s College when I was a resident. The diversity of students there and the friendliness of everyone made me feel at home, and it’s stuck with me in my experience here in Europe.”

The lifer St John’s resident attending UM for seven years worked towards her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Science, where she now applies her studies and hopes to grow into her own business over the years to come.

As a former Don in the St John’s Residence, Viridiana has fond memories of her time at the College, which she now reflects on and lives out in her time in Europe.

“The movie nights, spirit cup days, and connecting with students were some of my favourite times in the College. It made my university days fly by too fast, but I loved every moment.”

Continuing her work in Belgium over the coming years, Viri hopes to turn her work into her own business, where she can work from anywhere, visit her family back home, and experience the world.

I’ve never been a staff member of the University, but I was lucky enough to know Julie in many capacities since the early 1990s. Julie worked under the leadership of Dr. Emőke Szathmáry, President Emeritus, and Elaine Goldie, Vice-President (External) Emeritus, at the University of Manitoba. Through those years that we worked on university communication projects together, I can proudly say that Julie was one of my favourite friends. She was a colleague, advisor, collaborator, mentor, fellow humourist, and someone who shared my deep love of travel and curiosity about other places and cultures.

The first time we met, I was a recent UM graduate and an eager graphic designer learning to navigate what I considered to be a new and somewhat scary environment. Julie, a UM employee in the Administration Office, by circumstance was one of my first clients. Sometimes fate brings people together; I will always be grateful that our paths crossed at such an impressionable time in my career. Julie had a brilliant calming effect, no matter what kind of deadline we had, and she always saw the big picture and what it would take to get to the deadline. Her level of patience seemed unimaginable and unparalleled. Working together, I observed how she supported people and helped them find their way, while adding in her own expertise and ideas. Ever the collaborator, she helped bring out the best in people. We worked on at least six or seven UM annual reports together, along with many other campaigns, and the more we got to know each other, the more I understood her impact on those around her, especially me. Julie built close relationships with many alumni, many of which translated into personal friendships that endured beyond her time at the UM.

While both of our careers continued on, her focus at the university switched to alumni relations. Soon after her start as Executive Director of the Alumni Association, I joined the Association’s Board of Directors, first as a board member and eventually as chair. Our team was together again! This gave us new projects to focus on, and the opportunity to have more impact in the university community, and more fun. Her approach to working with UM alumni, particularly those who were celebrating significant milestones, was nothing short of first class and always incredibly inspiring. The respect she showed every graduate she met taught the rest of us how rewarding it can be to make genuine and lasting connections.

Maybe what gave me the most pleasure in my connection with alumni relations was showing up for meetings in the old Alumni House. Here you could see how close Julie and her team were through all of the long working days and all of the well-run alumni events. Coming in that front door was like walking into a family home, certainly not an office. I cherish those times with Julie (and her team), working to further alumni relations and at the same time, develop advocates in our community of graduates. In my mind, it’s very likely that there are a lot of people out there who remember Julie, the gentle way she spoke, and her love of the UM community.

The best thing about getting to know someone so well over the years, is that when it happens that you do drift apart, even for just a short while, you still feel as connected as you’ve ever been. To me, that’s a sign of a true friendship. So when I heard from Julie’s twin sister Laura that Julie had passed away, it just seemed unbelievable and impossible. I tried to remember what our last conversation was, the last time we met for coffee, or what she’d been posting on social media. I’m thankful for the time and experiences we had together and I know whether it’s from the UM community, friends or family, Julie will be greatly missed.

The long-time alum met his wife in his second class held in St John’s, where they connected, studied together, and met many friends whom are still connected to this day. Amongst meeting his wife and staying connected with his close friends, also known as “the beer boys,” Les and Terry Wiens have always felt at home in St John’s.   

In staying connected as an alum throughout his 29-year financial planning career, Les jumped back into writing, which he found his passion for before getting into financial planning. “Back in 1992/93, I started getting into writing stories. In the fall of 1994, I started my financial planning career, and that’s when my writing was put on hold.”   

As he concluded his financial planning career and got back into writing, Les revisited stories like “A Natural Cause,” where he could now finish the book and work towards publishing.   

“The book is a mystery thriller that focuses on a young student who gets involved with a researcher’s work. It focuses on the abuse of older people, and the crime gets worse as the book goes on.” The first book is one of three that will be published.   

 

In bringing his St John’s experience together in this book publishing, Les Wiens had a successful book launch at the Stone Angel Brewery where he could bring together his close friends with this book publishing that he is excited to continue.   

To learn more about “A Natural Cause,” visit the book launch.   

That’s the simple advice Ashley Walus [B.Sc.Pharm/11, MBA/20] would give to today’s students at the College of Pharmacy.

“Saying yes has opened my eyes to so many experiences that I thought weren’t for me,” says the accomplished 2011 alumna, who has worked for more than a decade in pharmacy roles with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA).

When Walus was a pharmacy student, she initially didn’t want to volunteer at the Winnipeg Interprofessional Student-Run Health (WISH) Clinic, which provides free community health services and walk-in care on Sundays at Mount Carmel Clinic. She felt intimidated by the idea of working in the city’s North End.

Finally, she decided to try it. Once she started working with the community, all her worries evaporated. “I’ve been involved for over 15 years now,” she says.

Walus, who grew up in Winnipeg, has a passion for interdisciplinary work, collaboration and leadership. Now a volunteer mentor at the WISH Clinic, she says the key skill she tries to pass on to students is to “meet people where they are” – that is, adapt care to the patient’s current reality.

On one occasion, Walus recalls, a pharmacy student was coaching a patient on how to use his inhaler. The student reminded the patient not to store the inhaler anywhere that could get hot, like his car.

“The patient said, ‘But I live in my car.’’”

Walus took that moment to talk through a more patient-centred approach. “There’s what we know about medications and how we’re supposed to use them,” she says. “But what makes the most sense for this person?”

In her work with the WRHA, Walus is the regional pharmacy manager for educational services, as well as the site manager of the Grace Hospital pharmacy department. In her educational role, she works with pharmacy students, hospital residents and staff to ensure they learn and implement current best practices.

“I really enjoy enhancing pharmaceutical care at a health systems level,” she says.

Walus’s mentorship at the WISH Clinic is part of another role to which she said “yes” – part-time clinical teacher at the UM College of Pharmacy. She also gives an annual lecture at the college on hospital pharmacy management.

“I learned from many professors and instructors who laid the foundation for my professional journey,” she says. “I hope that in some small way, I can help do that for the next generation.”

While working full time, Walus completed a master of business administration at UM, with a double major in health-care administration and leadership and organizations. She graduated in 2020 with the gold medal for the highest standing in the MBA program.

She found the interdisciplinary nature of the program especially rewarding. “It gave me alternative approaches to thinking through problems and a better sense of how professionals from all different types of backgrounds look at issues.”

Walus has no plans to stop saying yes. She is the current president-elect of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists.

“I want to advocate for hospital pharmacy professionals on a national stage to ensure that we cement ourselves as essential clinicians in hospitals and health systems,” she says.

Growing up in rural Manitoba, specifically Kenton then Neepawa, Nicole has always been a curious person, wanting to try new things, travel the world, and enjoy herself while doing it. Upon graduating high school, Nicole spent a year in Taiwan as a Rotary Exchange student, then received her Fine Arts degree at the University of Manitoba. Coming from a small community, Nicole stayed at the St John’s college residence while studying. She was the international student representative and a Don in her last year. She loved every minute of the small college community.   

“I loved my experience at the college. I met students worldwide, including rural students from Manitoba and international. Getting the opportunity to also be involved in planning events, talent shows and the banquets made my time memorable. The home-cooked meals and friendly staff were also a huge plus.”  

Fast forward a few years, Nicole travelled abroad after her fine arts degree, worked in tourism overseas, and then decided to come back to the UM to study Education. Nicole then went on to be a teacher in Churchill, Winkler, Gillam, and Rolling River School Division where she impacted many communities with her kind heart, bubbly personality, and creativity. She always brought dance, science fairs and top-notch art classes to whichever community she went to.

Nicole then decided it was time to switch careers and follow her dream of working on television. The TV scene has changed in recent years, but after studying Media and Communications at Assiniboine Community College, Nicole has decided to create her own media company telling stories through audio and video. She enjoys creating factual productions being in-front of camera hosting, as well as being behind the camera. She is currently in her last semester and is open to video clients. Fun fact! Nicole’s first taste of being on YouTube was when she won the University of Manitoba’s Define Your Future Video Contest back in 2012 which sent her to Greenland! Nicole remembers that winning that contest made her realize that she enjoys being herself on camera, not playing a fictional character.

Between travelling abroad and realizing her new passions and skills, Nicole is open to the adventure of whatever is next for her. To check out Nicole’s video projects visit: www.nicolewruth.com

To learn about other college and UM alumni within our community, visit our other UM Today stories.   

To learn about the college residence community on the UM campus, visit our website.