Growing up after world war two, Orde thought it was time to take his experience from pen to paper in his recent book, “Winnipeg Made Me: Growing Up After World War II”, which is out now from Heartland Associates.

As Orde points out in his interview, “I became aware that many of my contemporaries were starting to die or suffer from dementia, which made me realize if I wanted to do this, I better do it now,” admitted Morton, 83, who grew up in Winnipeg and now lives in Toronto in his retirement.

Read Orde’s story in the Winnipeg Free Press

Nichols (he/they) holds a fine arts undergraduate degree with honours from the University of Manitoba. Born in England and raised in Winnipeg, and of biracial Jamaican-English descent, Nichols is an interdisciplinary artist who connects various themes within his work, many stemming back to his roots. Their work tackles topics pertaining to identity, queer theory, bodily autonomy and the soul, and their practice incorporates ceramics, drawing, painting and printmaking. Outside of his academic pursuits, Nichols has taken active roles in a range of local organizations, from Winnipeg Harvest to the Art City Parade, and from the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation and the Special Olympics to the Bear Clan Patrol and the Big Brothers organization. During his undergrad, he also facilitated artist talks on subjects such as decolonization and marketing. They intend to pursue an MFA and a Master of Studies in History of Art and Visual Culture at Oxford.

Director of the School of Art Edward Jurkowski says, “We are extremely proud of Joel’s accomplishment. Along with his talent as a creative artist, Joel is a natural and gifted leader who did a remarkable job as co-president of the School of Art’s Student Association and with the various advocacy work that he oversaw. He is well-deserving of the honour as the first School of Art student to receive this prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.”

What his professors say about this outstanding graduate and newly-minted Rhodes scholar:

Shep Steiner, associate professor, School of Art, and editor of Mosaic journal at UM, notes that Nichols is “one of the best students I have ever had the pleasure of teaching; he is also considerate to others, a leader in classroom discussions, an active participant in the local art scene as well as the world of ideas, and [through] his extra-curricular work with grass-roots organizations, an example for others to follow in the wider public sphere.”

Describing Nichols as “an exceptionally fine and mature artist,” Oliver Botar, School of Art professor and associate director of graduate studies and research, says that Nichols’ academic work is also “exceptionally mature, insightful, beautifully written, and erudite.”

He adds, “I have, in my more than a quarter of a century of teaching at the University of Manitoba, never encountered someone as generous with his time and energy, as devoted to working to improve the lives of the less advantaged, than Joel. This demonstrates a force of moral character, and a sense of leadership, a concern for his fellows, that is rare not just among students his age, but among any segment of the population.”

We caught up with Joel to discuss the whirlwind application process, what they are looking forward to in being part of the community of Rhodes scholars and why he believes that artwork can act as a bridge between people.

Rhodes Scholar Joel Nichols on how they are processing the news:

It’s very exciting and thrilling. It’s been so huge that it still hasn’t quite sunk in. It’s completely overwhelming. I have to be reaching out to people from Rhodes and it’s starting to become real. [I and my family] were thrilled, but also incredibly surprised. All of us, at all stages of this, were overwhelmed that I’d made it to each next step. It was just kind of a shock at each stage. I’m definitely thrilled, but it still doesn’t quite feel real. I still don’t completely believe it, quite, but yeah, I’m running with it.

The whirlwind Rhodes application process and interviews:

Oh my gosh, it was amazing. Meeting all of the people like the applicants, the judges, just such smart people and so passionate about their work. It was also so stressful because everyone there really, really wants it. But there was also something just lovely about talking to all of them.

Becoming part of the illustrious Rhodes community:

One of the things I was most excited about is that idea of the Rhodes community and the fellowship that exists beyond this degree and through UM, that I’ll have with me for life. It’s access to some of the greatest minds in the world, the leading researchers in different fields. And as an artist, it’s amazing to have that kind of network set up for you.

On being a School of Art graduate, and submitting an artist headshot for his Rhodes bio:

When I had to choose a photograph for my biography, I remember looking through all of the example-photographs they gave and [they were] like the business headshot — the suit, the white background. The only headshot I have is my artist headshot, which has my work behind me. So I put that forward, and I think that really solidified [for me] that I’m going into this as an artist. It’s wild.

About his artwork:

My latest piece [works] with the idea of the body and the soul and kind of flipping on its head — that kind of narrative of the body as a vessel for the soul — and giving agency and autonomy to the body and the effects that it has on us as people and how we perceive the world and how we’re shaped into who we are. I really want to dig deeper into that research of how we’re perceived societally, but also how that affects us as people. It’s this interplay between who we are and our environments, still sticking within the idea of identity, but in a broader sense of self and perception.

Instead of becoming a doctor, he decided to go into art:

I’ve been surrounded by art my whole life. My mother was an artist for a time, and my grandfather was a very successful woodturner. However, I hadn’t pictured it as a career for myself in the long term. Growing up, I thought I was going to start university and go down the medicine path [to] become a doctor. Then in the second year of my degree, I took one final elective [in fine art] and there was no going back. I spent so much time with this one that it was night and day between my other courses. The next semester I switched my whole degree and went into all of the art courses I needed to make up the courses that I missed over my first year.

I was happy doing science, I was succeeding. However, now art is something that I can’t see not doing. I can’t picture myself doing anything else.

Finding opportunities at UM, and on art being a bridge between people:

Studio practice had a big influence on what I’m able to technically accomplish. For example, in my final [BFA] exhibition, I had these huge ceramic vessels; before I’d come to the School of Art, I’d never even made anything ceramic. Technically it’s the basis of everything I do, whether it be the painting, the printmaking, the ceramics — all of that is built on this foundation that UM gave me.

But I’d also have to say that some of the things that affect my artwork the most from this school have happened outside of classrooms. They’ve been conversations with my peers and my instructors about the real world beyond the walls.

I feel that’s where I get a lot of my inspiration or drive to continue to make work — art can be that bridge, having those real conversations with people learning about each other and humanizing each other. There’s something beautiful about everyone bringing their own viewpoint and their own life with them every time they view a piece of art. There’s something really precious about that. There’s no correct way of seeing art — it’s very freeing in that sense.

His connection with their brother and what he’s looking forward to before attending Oxford this fall:

I’m starting to back into my hobbies and finding myself again. I’m planning on playing a badminton tournament next weekend just for fun, to try and get back into it. I used to play with my brother for the provincial team, playing at national tournaments. We’re a doubles team. He still plays and is definitely up there with the top players in Canada.

The University of Manitoba has produced more Rhodes Scholars than any other university in western Canada. The Rhodes Scholarship has launched the careers of hundreds of prominent Canadians in fields as diverse as medicine, law, academia and politics. The awards are granted on a regional basis, with one winner from B.C, three from the Prairies, two from each of Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes, and one from Newfoundland. The Rhodes selection process aims to choose young people with proven academic excellence who also show exceptional character, leadership, the energy to use their talents to the full and a commitment to solving humanity’s challenges. The selection process includes a rigorous review prior to an interview with a selection committee composed of subject matter experts and leaders in the community.

Read the Rhodes Scholarships for Canada – 2024 press release.

Joel Nichols, who originally planned to pursue medical school, enrolled in science courses of all sorts upon starting his post-secondary studies in 2018.

The following year, he added a life-changing elective — an introductory drawing course, during which art was treated as “a medium of communication” — to his schedule.

Read here

The Rhodes scholarship describes itself as the oldest and perhaps the most prestigious international scholarship program in the world. This year, 11 Canadians were selected for the award: two from each of Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes, three from the Prairies, and one each from British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador….

Annette Riziki, University of Manitoba

Annette Riziki came to Canada as a resettled refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the age of 14.

She had spent most of her life to that point in Uganda, where her mother fled to when Ms. Riziki was just two years old. She recalls both good and bad moments in Uganda. At times, she was treated as an outsider, she said. “People could always tell I wasn’t Ugandan and that had its own implications,” she said. “We would be called economic leaches and told we should back to our own country.”

Her mother told her to enjoy her childhood and focus on her studies and she would take care of the rest, Ms. Riziki said. She never knew it was possible they would end up in Canada. The family travelled as part of a large group that split in Toronto’s Pearson Airport as they went their separate ways. They had never heard of Winnipeg and arrived in May to temperatures the locals basked in but which struck Ms. Riziki as freezing.

She thought the transition at school would be easy, but it was not. She was placed in Grade 10, but forced to redo a number of Grade 9 classes to catch up to her age cohort, which she did in just one semester.

“I had to teach myself math, English, social studies,” she said. “Coming here was my redemption as a student because I was able to pursue so many opportunities.”

Expedition Churchill: A Gateway to Arctic Research

Expedition Churchill: A Gateway to Arctic Research launched in November, unveiling a creative public education and outreach campaign sharing insight into the world-leading Arctic climate change research done in the Churchill and Hudson Bay region by University of Manitoba scientists and collaborators. 

The project includes a visual multimedia e-book and interactive kiosks located across Manitoba, including in the Wallace Building on the U of M campus.  A unique feature of this initiative is the use of the VIA Rail passenger train that travels between Winnipeg and Churchill as a platform to communicate and promote awareness. Read more. 

Women’s Hockey gets the job done

The University of Manitoba Bison women’s hockey team was crowned 2018 U SPORTS Champions after shutting out the Western Mustangs 2-0 in March in London, Ont. 

This was the first time the Bisons were seeded number one at a women’s hockey national championship. With the win, the Bisons impressively earned their first national championship in the program’s 21-year history. Read more.

U of M’s 99th Rhodes Scholar ‘beat the odds’ to get an education

The U of M was honoured to announce in November that Faculty of Arts graduate Annette Riziki is the recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship for 2019. For Riziki, her personal life experience and struggles growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo made her all the more determined to make a difference in the lives of others.

The U of M has produced more Rhodes Scholars than any other university in western Canada. Riziki is one of 11 recipients of Rhodes Scholarships in Canada for 2019. Read more. 

Rock-solid performance wows judges at 3MT

A student who saw firsthand the destructive power of earthquakes upon poorly designed buildings in his native Iran gave a rock-solid performance at the Three-Minute Thesis competition in March, wowing judges and touching the hearts of the audience. Shervin Khalili Ghomi, a doctoral student in civil engineering, won the competition at the U of M with his thesis on creating a path to earthquake-resistant buildings. 

Ghomi hopes to help build safer and more efficient structures through constantly seeking a better design through state-of-the-art research. Read more.

U of M prof named one of Canada’s most powerful women

For bolstering Indigenous medical education and health care delivery in Northern Manitoba, Dr. Marcia Anderson from the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences was named in November as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women in 2018 by Women’s Executive Network (WXN).

Dr. Anderson, a Cree-Saulteaux women with roots in Norway House Cree Nation and Peguis First Nation, is the Executive Director of Indigenous Academic Affairs in the Ongomiizwin Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing at the U of M. Read more.

Pioneer of dental implants gifts $7.5 million

The College of Dentistry received the largest gift in its history, from Dr. Gerald and Mrs. Reesa Niznick, in May.

Recognized as the originator of modern implant dentistry, Dr. Niznick [DMD/66, LLD (Hon)/02] announced a historic $7.5 million donation towards his alma mater through the Front and Centre campaign. Their gift will enhance clinical training space, fund special initiatives that enrich our community’s health and wellbeing and create reliable endowed funding for the College. In recognition, the U of M renamed the college the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry. Read more. 

New chancellor elected

With the election of celebrated writer, volunteer, philanthropist and alumna Anne Mahon as its new chancellor, the University of Manitoba affirms its abiding commitment to forge empowering connections with communities near and far.

Ms. Mahon’s election as the University of Manitoba’s 14^th chancellor was announced in November. Effective June 1, 2019 for a three-year term, she succeeds the current chancellor, Dr. Harvey Secter. Read more.

U of M receives 10 Canada Research Chairs

Federal Minister of Science and Sport Kirsty Duncan visited the U of M campus in November to announce investments in the Canada Research Chairs Program, of which the University of Manitoba is a major recipient, with 10 Chairs named. Seven of the 10 chairs named at the U of M will be held by women. Read more. 

Defining moments celebrated at 2018 Distinguished Alumni Awards Celebration of Excellence

The celebration in May brought together more than 350 enthusiastic supporters of the University of Manitoba for an inspiring evening of music, tributes, and videos in acknowledgment of five outstanding individuals: Jan Lederman, Dr. Shayne Reitmeier, Tina Jones, Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum and Paul Soubry. Read more.

The power of 400

In November, more than 400 students, alumni and members of the U of M community gathered to hear from panelists at the Visionary Conversations event, entitled The power of one: what’s my responsibility as a global citizen?

Hosted by U of M President David Barnard, the event featured panelists Nahlah Ayed [BSc(Hons)/92, MA/02, LLD(Hon)/08], Laura Michalchyshyn [BA/89] and Brenda Gunn [BA(Adv)/02] discussing global citizenship and empowering the individual to take action. Read more.

For Riziki, her personal life experience and struggles growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo made her all the more determined to make a difference in the lives of others.

She notes, almost matter-of-fact, that: “The experiences of those perilous times stimulate my interest in migrant experiences, questions of injustice, inequality, dogmas, and freedom.”

She adds: “Displacement, trauma, and uncertainty became a norm for my family and resilience a character I mastered.”

Born in 1996 during what she describes as “Africa’s ‘first world war,’” Riziki traveled with her family in search of safety and freedom, stopping in Uganda where she began her education, completing it in Canada at Fort Richmond Collegiate following her family’s immigration in 2011.

Riziki explains: “Navigating through the Canadian school system was challenging at first. I had to strive to seize every opportunity since acquiring a better education was the primary example my mother would use to beat the odds. It was an emotional moment for my family when they heard that I would be graduating high school with a cum laude despite many people expecting little from a ‘war child.’”

Highly motivated and driven, Riziki entered the University of Manitoba where she competed for and won undergraduate awards two years in a row, in addition to several other student awards and scholarships.

“It’s something I never expected,” Riziki says. “It’s such a huge turning point in my life. My whole family was praying for me and was so excited to learn I was receiving the scholarship. Faith is very important in my family, and this was truly a blessing.”

In fact, it was the insistence of her mother in getting her education that led Riziki to do an undergraduate thesis at the University of Manitoba on parental factors influencing the academic motivation of immigrant students. She graduated in October 2018 with her BA(hons) in psychology, easily making the Dean’s honour list.

“It is heartening to see an individual with such exemplary drive and passion receiving this kind of recognition,” says President and Vice-Chancellor David Barnard. “The University of Manitoba is committed to fostering and helping to develop dedicated students through culturally and politically relevant innovation and teaching. The number of Rhodes Scholars hailing from the U of M is evidence of our ability to attract and nurture the best and brightest students from around the globe.”

Apart from her academic interests, Riziki volunteers for many organizations including a Girls’ Group that focuses on the challenges females face globally, Youth in Philanthropy, and the Winnipeg Foundation, fostering youth engagement in local communities.

She explains: “I have a need for learning more about minority, marginalized and immigrant groups. Hence, approaching erudition from a humanitarian lens will help me in finding appropriate and innovative solutions to the challenges these groups incur.”

Riziki traveled back to Congo recently, finding it a challenging experience. She faced difficult conversations regarding limited opportunities for youth, insecurity, low support for sexual/domestic violence victims, and no access to suitable mental health services that are cognizant of cultural and historical backgrounds.

“I would like to pursue my masters in Refugees and Forced Migration Studies,” Rizkik says. “In that program students focus on outcomes of migration from a political, economic, psychological, and social perspective, and will enhance my theoretical and research skills needed to be a reflective practitioner who has better understanding of the consequences of resettlement.”

About the scholarship

The Rhodes Scholarships are postgraduate awards supporting outstanding all-round students at the University of Oxford, providing transformative opportunities for exceptional individuals. Valued at more than $90,000 (CDN) per year, Rhodes Scholarships provide all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England and may allow funding in some instances for four years.

Established in 1903 through British-born entrepreneur Cecil Rhodes, the Rhodes is the oldest and perhaps the most prestigious international graduate scholarship program in the world, first awarded in Canada in 1904. A class of 100 Scholars will be selected this year from countries around the world, from Australia to Zimbabwe.

Rhodes’s vision in founding the Scholarship was to develop outstanding leaders who would be motivated to fight “the world’s fight,” to “esteem the performance of public duties as their highest aim” and to promote international understanding and peace. Of the nearly 8,000 Rhodes Scholars to date, many have gone on to serve at the forefront of government, the professions, commerce, the arts, education and research. Many are advocates for expanded social justice and others have advanced the frontiers of science and medicine.

University of Manitoba Rhodes Scholars include former mayor of Winnipeg William Norrie, leading business lawyer Jillian Welch, and Sara Kreindler, Manitoba Research Chair in Health System Innovation and assistant professor in community health sciences at the U of M. Canadian Rhodes Scholars include Chrystia Freeland, Rex Murphy, and Otto Lang.

Other well-known Rhodes Scholars include President Bill Clinton, astronomer Edwin Hubble, NBA Hall of Famer and Senator Bill Bradley, and ABC political correspondent George Stephanopoulos.

Faculty of Arts graduate Alexa Yakubovich was announced as the recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship for 2015. Yakubovich has done undergraduate and postgraduate research in a variety of fields, including gender studies, belief systems, cancer, heart disease and HIV/AIDS. She is currently working with Katherine Starzyk of the Social Justice Laboratory at the U of M and with the Centre for Human Rights Research on strategies to improve water and sanitation services for First Nations in Canada. She is the 98^th U of M student to receive the prestigious award.

When she returns to Oxford this winter, her focus will be on improving child well-being in socially disadvantaged communities, researching how social disadvantage compounds child health problems and studying HIV-positive adolescents in low-income South African communities.

Two first-year students were awarded the Schulich Leader Scholarship in 2014. Kailee Rutherford and Alexander Czehryn are known for their unshakable positive spirit, their high academic standings and for inspiring others to give back.

Rutherford was diagnosed with cancer in her Grade 11 year. In the face of this challenge, she maintained excellent grades, became an ambassador for the Terry Fox foundation and was elected student council president. Her friends and family were amazed at her positive spirit and how she turned heartbreaking experiences into her inspiration to become a doctor and help save young lives.

Czehryn also dreams of saving lives. He says much of his inspiration comes from watching his father cope with hemophilia. After witnessing how research dramatically improved his dad’s treatment options., Czehryn’s long-term goal is to be a tissue engineer so that he can help others with conditions similar to his dad’s. His 99 per cent average upon graduation from high school suggests that he has the potential to achieve his dreams.

Graduate student Kathryn Marcynuk was announced as the recipient of a 2014 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. Her research in electrical and computer engineering aims to improve fetal electrocardiograms (ECG) recordings by separating out the numerous background noises in mother-and-fetus ECGs, in order to help reduce incorrect diagnoses and unnecessary medical intervention.

Erika Bockstael, a PhD candidate in natural resources and environmental management, was announced as one of the recipients of the coveted Trudeau Scholarship. This is the most prestigious doctoral award for the social sciences and humanities in Canada. Bockstael’s research focuses on the inclusive and participatory governance of coastal resources among the group of Ciaçara, a mixed-heritage traditional people, and among people with disabilities, in Partay, Brazil.

Nick Martin from the Winnipeg Free Press was able to catch up with the 23-year-old in a piece that ran in the paper on Saturday, Dec. 13. In it, Yakubovich modestly states her interest in human rights.

I’m doing a PhD in social intervention, studying children in South Africa. I’m looking at HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, asthma…I looked at the experience of GLBT women with cancer, whether they experience any barriers. I did that with Prof. Janice Ristock. I looked at homophobia in schools, I worked on Bill 18: the findings of the study clearly showed a gay-straight alliance would be effective.

Read the full article here.

A graduate of Grant Park High School in Winnipeg, Yakubovich was the recipient of a Leader of Tomorrow Scholarship in 2009 when she entered the U of M. She received her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in 2013 then went directly to Oxford where she completed her Master of Science (with Distinction) this fall. She is the 98th University of Manitoba student to be awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, the most prestigious awards of their kind in Canada.

“I am delighted that a young woman of such drive and passion has been recognized for her academic and personal achievements,” says President and Vice-Chancellor David Barnard. “At the University of Manitoba, we are committed to inspiring minds through innovative and quality teaching. Our amazing record of producing Rhodes Scholars is a testament to this University’s ability to attract and nurture the best and brightest students.”

When Yakubovich was 12 years old, a family friend died of breast cancer. As a tribute, she began beading bracelets for family and friends, a project that evolved over several years into “Beads for the Cure,” which raised more than $8,000 for women’s cancer prevention and treatment.

Yakubovich explains, “The death of our friend shattered my young belief that ‘good things happen to good people,’ providing a painful lesson on the devastation of disease. In turn, I was driven to extend my involvement in public health and human rights advocacy, guided by the simple idea that people deserve the best chance to lead their healthiest, happiest lives. The beads allowed me to feel like I was making a difference, albeit a small one, in the lives of those facing disease and hardship.”

Yakubovich has done undergraduate and postgraduate research in a variety of fields, including gender studies, belief systems, cancer, heart disease and HIV/AIDS. She is currently working with Katherine Starzyk of the Social Justice Laboratory at the U of M and with the Centre for Human Right Research, on strategies to improve water and sanitation services for First Nations in Canada.

When she returns to Oxford this winter, her focus will be on improving child well-being in socially disadvantaged communities, specifically how social disadvantage compounds child health problems, studying HIV-positive adolescents in low-income South African communities.

Barnard notes, “Alexa Yakubovich is an outstanding example of someone who challenges the status quo, wanting to change the world through pioneering and trailblazing work for the betterment of all.”

The Rhodes Scholarships are postgraduate awards supporting outstanding all-round students at the University of Oxford, providing transformative opportunities for exceptional individuals.

Established in 1903 through British-born entrepreneur Cecil Rhodes, the Rhodes is the oldest and perhaps the most prestigious international graduate scholarship program in the world, first awarded in Canada in 1904. A class of 83 Scholars is selected each year from countries around the world, from Australia to Zimbabwe.

Rhodes’s vision in founding the Scholarship was to develop outstanding leaders who would be motivated to fight “the world’s fight,” to “esteem the performance of public duties as their highest aim” and to promote international understanding and peace. Of the more than 7,000 Rhodes Scholars to date, many have gone on to serve at the forefront of government, the professions, commerce, the arts, education and research. Many are advocates for expanded social justice and others have advanced the frontiers of science and medicine.

University of Manitoba Rhodes Scholars include former mayor of Winnipeg William Norrie, Paul Vogt, former clerk of the executive council and cabinet secretary for the Government of Manitoba, international trade expert and former MLA Wilson Parasiuk, leading business lawyer Jillian Welch and Sara Kreindler, Manitoba Research Chair in Health System Innovation and assistant professor in community health sciences at the U of M.

Other well-known Rhodes Scholars include President Bill Clinton, astronomer Edwin Hubble, NBA Hall of Famer and Senator Bill Bradley and ABC political correspondent George Stephanopoulos.