Jackie Hope, TLC Program Coordinator, welcomed attendees. “Today, we gather to celebrate a remarkable journey,” she said. “The TLC program is more than a certificate; it’s a community of educators who have dedicated themselves to deepening their practice, embracing mentorship and reflecting on what it means to teach with purpose.” 

The TLC certificate program is offered through The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning. At its heart is the Centre’s commitment to ensuring that teaching at the University of Manitoba is informed by evidence-based practices and grounded in compassion, inclusion and innovation.  

The program combines workshops, mentorships and classroom observations to help faculty develop the knowledge, skills and reflective practice that enable them to increase their competency level in the teaching-learning process. 

Centre Director, Dr. Erica Jung, thanked graduates for dedicating their time and energy to the program. “You are all busy folks—you have not only your work here but also your own lives, so to add this program demonstrates a commitment and desire to help students with their learning, and I really want to congratulate you for that.” 

Dr. Xiaoxiao Du, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education, was one of this year’s 12 graduates. She shared insights at the event of her experience in the program.   

“I believe the TLC is the right place to be, to learn, to grow – because there is a supportive community, there are experts, mentors, developers, but most beautifully, are the fellow peers I go to for positive, professional relationships,” she said.  

She also encouraged her peers to embrace differences and uncertainty. “Continuously promote multiple ways of knowing, being, thinking,” she said.  

TLC graduate Dr. Juliana Marson, Assistant Professor in the Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources, spoke about how the program helped her to make her classes more student centred, and the joy and excitement she felt with each positive change.   

“The TLC program, and expressly with [mentor] Cintia’s guidance, helped me transform my teaching philosophy from a collection of inherited conventions to a deeply personal, reflective practice,” she said.  

The TLC program is built on a foundation of mentorship—where experienced educators walk alongside new faculty and instructors, offering guidance, feedback and encouragement. Two mentors also spoke at the graduation ceremony. 

Juliana’s mentor, Cintia Costa, Senior Educational Developer at The Centre, fondly recalled a professor who was a steady source of encouragement during her own undergraduate studies in Brazil, and how she felt honoured to work with Juliana and witness her transforming her teaching strategies.   

“I have this huge dream of changing the world,” she said. “It’s big. If we can change the life of a student, like my professor did for me, then I think we are already changing the world.”  

Dr. David Mandzuk, Professor Emeritus and Dean Emeritus, Faculty of Education, served as a TLC mentor for five years. He described mentors as “warm demanders”—people who are both empathetic yet not afraid of challenging others. “Being an effective mentor is more about provoking thinking than providing answers. And to keep the student perspective front and centre,” he said.  

He also thanked UM’s Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) for continuing to support the university’s teaching mission. “That takes effort, and it takes resources at a university that prides itself on the quality of research, and I think that speaks volumes of the university.”  

See the full list of 2025 TLC graduates   

Learn more about the TLC program

• The UM Indigenous Career Mentor Program (ICMP)connects Indigenous students to Indigenous mentors who are working in their fields of interest.  

• UM Café: Ten Thousand Coffees is a networking platform that connects students to alumni. 

• The UM Career Mentor Program (CMP) is a career exploration tool that connects students with professionals in the community to explore one or more occupations of interest.  

The Career Mentor Program, established in 1989/1990, celebrates 35 years of operation at UM! The program is one of the many excellent ways students can connect with experts in fields of interest. Mentor meetings are powerful experiences that play a crucial role in shaping student’s career planning.  

Over the past 35 years the Career Mentor Program has received countless positive reviews from students and mentors. Student participant and current program assistant Olamide Nwankpele notes that: “Everyone can benefit from meeting a mentor. Before I used the program, I thought I had done a lot of research, but my mentor told me things I couldn’t find online… Which is the point of the program!” 

Our mentors consistently receive accolades from students in the program, including mentors Brenden Dufault, a Biostatistical Consultant in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, and Robert Le Neal, a Senior Rocket Systems Engineer at the Rockwood Propellant Plant. Mentor volunteers recognize the benefit of mentorship and are often keen to connect with students.  According to Robert, mentorship provides students “a general idea of career paths and opportunities within an industry which is equally helpful for students about to graduate and new students choosing their profession.”  Brendan highlights that with mentorship students “gain a sense of what the day-to-day work looks like and what skills they should focus on acquiring”.   

“You would be surprised how much people would love to help you, even if they only have 5 minutes. We were once young and eager students too!” – Brenden Dufault, Career Mentor 

To read more from Brenden Dufault and Robert Le Neal, the full interviews are included below.  

To read additional career mentor interviews or profiles, check out the Indigenous Career Mentor Programs’ Mentor of the Month profiles as well as the Career Mentor Program 25thAnniversary mentor profiles.  Students can sign-up for the Career Mentor Program and Indigenous Career Mentor Program September to April of each year. 

For career support any time of year, visit the Career Services website to connect or come by our office at 474 UMSU University Centre. Appointments for career planning, job search or interview preparation can be booked in-person at our front desk, online, or by phone (204) 474-9456.

Thank you again to Brenden Dufault and Robert Le Neal, two mentors from our list of 700+ volunteers, for sharing their thoughts with students about the benefits of mentorship: 

Provide a summary of your position and training background. 

Brenden Dufault: I am a biostatistical consultant in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. I have the pleasure of helping design and statistically analyze research projects from many different areas of health research, and I also teach statistical programming and methods to students. My academic background is in statistics and epidemiology, with just enough biology to understand the acronyms. 

Robert Le Neal: Upon graduating from the University of Manitoba in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Mechanical), I was hired as an Engineering Intern at Magellan Aerospace, Winnipeg. I am currently employed as a Senior Rocket Systems Engineer at the Rockwood Propellant Plant. My day-to-day activities include the design, manufacture and testing of solid propellant rocket motors. 

What advice do you have for students who are interested in following in your footsteps?  

Brenden Dufault: I would strongly advise students to gain exposure outside the classroom, and to contact working professionals in the field and pick their brains. You would be surprised how much people would love to help you, even if they only have 5 minutes. We were once young and eager students too! Talk to career mentors, and email people in your future field with questions about opportunities. Participate in a Kaggle competition, attend a journal club meeting. Lastly, let yourself have fun and worry less. If you love a subject, studying its ideas becomes a pleasure and your imagination becomes active again. Creativity is more important than memory in the current era. 

Robert Le Neal: I recommend students choose a program that provides many career options and enables them to follow their interests. In addition, developing other attributes are important for near and long term career development: the ability to function as part of a team, showing initiative, and assuming responsibility. Participating in internship or co-op programs, technical societies, or University / community associations, chapters and interest groups are excellent ways to demonstrate continued development of these attributes. 

How do you feel students benefit from taking part in mentorship opportunities? 

Brenden Dufault: I hope that students gain a sense of what the day-to-day work looks like and what skills they should focus on acquiring. Hopefully mentors can not only answer questions but point out things that students aren’t even thinking of, including co-op and other networking opportunities. 

Robert Le Neal: Programs offered by the University of Manitoba open doors to exciting opportunities and career paths. However, students often remain unaware of available career paths until they are actively working in industry or their chosen field of interest. 

Mentorship opportunities help participants map career paths and opportunities in the participant’s field of interest from an early stage. For instance, in the aerospace industry here in Winnipeg Engineers not only work in Design, Manufacturing and Testing, but also participate in other departments such as Marketing, Quality Control, Procurement, Auditing, and Management. A general idea of career paths and opportunities within an industry is equally helpful for students about to graduate and new students choosing their profession.