Fourth-year psychology student Eniola Odeleye is a prime example of this.

Going into her last year of studies with two courses left, the motivated St John’s College Student Association (SJCSA) Senior Stick and Bison Sports Track and Field athlete looks to continue in law school with the support of SJC.

“The core value you see in the college is community. It’s what we stand for. From the students and staff and how everyone is welcome here, the college has been my place on campus since day one.” 

Working towards law school next year, Eniola expresses her gratitude for the scholarships that helped her get to where she is today.

“The first scholarship I got was the opening gate for me. It allowed me to study for two years and not work, which helped me focus on my studies, stay on track, and be the best student I can be.” 

Since receiving her first scholarship in 2019, Eniola has found the scholarships to be a source of encouragement to continue pursuing her law school goal.

“Receiving scholarships from our donors is a huge encouragement and energy booster. It gives me the confidence to pursue law, give back to our community, and be better for our alumni.” 

In her conversation with donors at the 2024 Johnian luncheon, Eniola emphasizes that SJC is a significant part of her story.

“Talking with donors and having SJC as a part of my story has pushed me to succeed and make our community proud.” 

Taking the leadership skills, she’s learned in her involvement throughout the college, she is grateful for the applicable skills that she has been able to apply to her school, SJCSA, career, and all aspects of her life. 

“The college has helped me more than just being a student. It’s given me the skills to use in my career and everyday life.”

With the college community continuing to grow to 900+ student members, Eniola is excited for what’s to come as she continues to give back to the donors who have given her so much. 

We encourage you to support our growth by donating to the college on our giving back page.

This year, St John’s college invites alumni to a special edition of the lunch and lively series, where food, conversation, and history will be the focus of our celebration.

SJC is proud to welcome back alumni for one of the year’s top releases from the University of Manitoba Press, “The Honourable John Norquay”, authored by retired SJC fellow Gerald Friesen.

In a book with forty years in the making, this small thesis project has become a lifetime of Gerald’s work featuring Manitoba’s own, John Norquay.

The book showcases a biography of John Norquay, the Premier from Red River, offering insights into his legacy and views on the political landscape. 

The lunch and lively event will take place in the Cross Common Room (Room 108) at St John’s College on September 17 from 12 to 2 p.m.

To save your spot, RSVP by emailing to Development Coordinator, Edmund Opoku Agyeman. 

Click to learn more about Gerald Friesen’s book. 

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.

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.

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

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.

Dr. Smith presented on “Working Women Unite: Feminist Unions and Labour Organizations in Western Canada, 1970–1990,” touching on her research interests in gender and work, labour relations, and gender and women’s history.     

Twenty alumni gathered to hear Julia talk, where she talked about how some women in Western Canada combined labour and feminist activism to deal with gender inequality at work in the 1970s and 1980s. Julia discussed five groups in particular, including   

• The Service, Office, and Retail Workers Union of Canada, or SORWUC;   
• The Association of University and College Employees, or AUCE;   
• Edmonton Working Women, or EWW;   
• Saskatchewan Working Women, or SWW;   
• Winnipeg Women’s Liberation, or WWL.  

We look forward to connecting with our alumni at our next event!    

To learn more about what SJC alumni are up to, visit our website for recent news and stories.    

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.   

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.