Returning to school as a mature student is never a simple task. Brooke Ghostkeeper can attest to that. In spite of the challenges, her advice to others is concise: “Just do it! It is a life-changing experience. Things just fall into place.” It is evidently worth the sweat and tears, as Brooke’s…

Alumni Joline Lambert In conversation, Joline Lambert is vibrant and energetic; it’s evident that a day spent with junior high students is a day she enjoys. “From the age of five, I aspired to be a teacher. I don’t ever want to leave the classroom,” she comments. Joline teaches at Oski Pasikoniwew…

Northern Lakes College alumni Kris Porlier has worked in the field of paramedicine for 20 years and is passionate about the contribution paramedic practitioners bring to the health system. Kris returned to studies in 2016, after 15 years of paramedical experience, to obtain his Advanced Care Paramedic…

It all started with an invitation from the alumni of the Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) program to their Northern Lakes College instructors to come and see them putting their learning into action. In her email, alumni Gloria Fierro’s excitement was palpable, “I just wanted to drop you a note…

Northern Lakes College has always been a part of Andy Alook’s life. As a youngster, he would often accompany his dad, Russell Alook, to the campus. Russell was an instructor in the College’s Academic Upgrading program at the Wabasca Campus for over 30 years. His mother, after raising her family,…

Retiring from Northern Lakes College in 2020, Kathy Reid-Soucy did so after experiencing the College as a student, faculty member, and manager. Kathy is a beneficiary of the fact that Northern Lakes College (NLC) provides health programming in rural and remote northern Alberta communities. Kathy was…

Chris grew up near Wapella, Saskatchewan. She credits growing up on a cattle farm for developing her inclination for understanding how machines work. Her mechanical inclination led her to working with heavy equipment and, ultimately, to finding her passion in the welding trade. Chris learned to study…

She did her beadwork as the sun came up. She resumed her work in the evenings when the house was quiet, once the children settled for the night. It was a labour of love, what she calls “heart work”. With an estimated 40 to 50 hours of work, Northern Lakes College (NLC) alumni Ramona Young turned…

Ryan Broadfoot always thought he would cap a long carpentry career and ease into retirement by teaching in the trades. “I’ve gotten there sooner than anticipated,” he laughs. “The idea was that I would teach when I was 55 and didn’t want to work in construction or out in the elements anymore.”…