Personal Growth through Creative Writing

This week’s episode is about anti-Black racism - what is it and what does it mean for a more inclusive society? Unfortunately, even after the Civil Rights Movement in the US, Black Lives Matters, and countless acts of civil disobedience and protest, racism persists in Canada and the world. More recently, we have been hearing about concepts about anti-Black racism, but many people do not know what this means. We thought this topic would be important for students who want to become Black allies and do what they can to fight against structural racism. Today’s podcast guest is Jemimah Amos, PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Windsor. Her PhD dissertation focuses on the encounters of African immigrant women with the labour market in Canada. She adopts an approach that reiterates the intersectionality of race, gender, and class. Jemimah is also working with a research team to develop an online course that will teach students how to effectively intervene when they witness an act of anti-racism.

This week’s episode is about the online undergraduate experience. Going to university is a wonderful opportunity to not only learn about a diverse array of subjects, but also make friends and build social networks. There are several universities in Canada that operate solely online, such as Athabasca University. Online universities are a great resource for students who are in remote areas or mature students, but it can be hard to cultivate the same interpersonal relationships as being on campus studying. We thought this would be a good topic to discuss as many students have been and are continuing to study online during COVID. This week’s guest is Devon Mair, a Business student at Athabasca University and Social Media Marketing Assistant at PFAU, who is passionate about marketing and art. Devon previously studied Criminology and Teaching, and found the perfect place where she can apply her passion for helping. She is a people-person, community-minded, and an amazing social connector.

This week’s episode is part of our series, Careers in the Liberal Arts. People often undervalue Liberal Arts degrees, but there’s a lot to gain from a Bachelor of Arts that can help you in any number of careers. Economics, for instance, is a valuable area of study for individuals interested in international business or trade. Understanding what you can do with an Economics degree can help you to truly value the content of the courses you’re enrolled in, and find ways to gain practical experience to develop a meaningful career after graduation. This week’s guest is Jay Qin. He is a Principal at Sard Verbinnen in Hong Kong. Prior to joining SVC, Jay was a transactional lawyer with two leading UK international law firms. Jay has advised a variety of clients, including those in the technology, venture capital, private equity, retail and manufacturing sectors. Jay has advised clients on M&A, cross-border investments, fundraising rounds, diverse commercial arrangement and regulatory matters, often acting as the external general counsel for his clients. Currently, Jay is doing strategic communications for crisis management SVC. Jay graduated with honors from the University of Toronto with a bachelor’s degree in Economics, and specialized international relations master’s degree in Asia Pacific Studies. He has also obtained a Juris Doctor degree and Postgraduate Certificate in Laws from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

This week’s episode is about the art of networking. We thought this topic would be helpful to students who have recently graduated and are working on finding their first full-time job. While job searching can be very stressful, having the right tools and strategy can make success easy. Robert Braathe is the founder of Braathe Enterprises, serving as a business trainer and leader of The Career Service Station, BEYourStart and TEMPO Business Training. Mr. Braathe received his MBA from Western Connecticut State University and his Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality from UMass. In addition, he has taken PhD level courses from The University at Albany and Northcentral University. After working in management positions with Walt Disney World, Gap and Apple, Mr. Braathe founded his company in October 2005. Mr. Braathe teaches at The College of St. Rose and several community colleges and private colleges in courses that include hospitality, management, marketing, and entrepreneurship.

This week’s episode is about the gifts that writing can provide to your mental health. Writing can be a great emotional relief, healing old wounds, providing unique insights, and enhancing personal growth. Journaling and self-reflecting are practices that I engage in daily, and make a huge difference in the quality of my life. I find creative writing an amazing outlet to tap into childhood memories and expand my self-awareness too. Today’s guest is Linh Nguyen, a Vietnamese-Canadian writer and workshop facilitator, passionate about #OwnVoices storytelling and creating space for underrepresented artists in mainstream media. She holds an H.B.A. in English from the University of Toronto and specializes in writing creative non-fiction and children’s literature and is currently pursuing her Masters at Cambridge. Her current project is a middle-grade children’s portal fantasy manuscript, which she is revising for publication.

This week’s episode is about the study of Sociology. Sociology is the study of human interaction or individuals as members of a group. Many students take a first-year Sociology course unsure what it is about and may even leave the course confused or overwhelmed by the breadth of information and topics that can be researched in the field of Sociology. In particular, students coming out of high school may be unfamiliar with the use of theories and methodologies to conduct research and write papers. This week’s guest is Jemimah Amos, PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Windsor and PFAU Academic Writing coach and editor. Her academic and research interests include migration, race and ethnicity, feminism, and qualitative methodologies. She is also an academic tutor and graduate assistant in the department of Sociology at the University of Windsor working closely with students to improve their understanding of course materials, assignments delivery, and essay writing. Jemimiah moved to Canada from Lagos, Nigeria in 2017. She enjoys reading, travelling, brainstorming, and watching movies.

This week’s episode is about the connection between mental health and creativity. Oftentimes students are so caught up with getting good grades or a prestigious job that they forget to have fun. They forget that learning is supposed to bring joy. They don’t realize that writing a research paper is actually a creative process, and it is possible to inject their own personality in the process. Most of all, they can easily buy into the idea that being successful means suppressing one’s emotions. But, feelings are not our enemy, they are our friend. This week’s guest is Phoebe Taylor, artist, mindful mover, community maker and creative director of Okay Shoe. Her work explores the intersection of art, mindfulness, intuition and movement. Okay Shoe works collaboratively with artists to create stuff + space for feeling okay. My work as a visual artist utilizes zines and other modes of public art and installations. She believes one good rock show can change the world, art is for everyone to make and enjoy, and everyone deserves to feel good in their body, even you

This week’s episode is about overcoming the tortures of writer’s block. So often students avoid starting a paper because of the pain associated with writing that first sentence, but writing doesn’t have to be so terrible. In fact, in many cases, it can be fun. It is an artform after all. Today we’ll be talking about how to make writing enjoyable, and even playful. This week’s guest is Davood Gozli, PFAU Academic Writing editor and coach, specializing in Psychology. Davood has over seven years of university-level teaching experience, a BSc from Trent University, and PhD in Psychology from the University of Toronto. He has published a book and dozens of peer-reviewed academic articles—including several articles co-authored with students—and has helped hundreds of students feel more comfortable about writing. Most notably, he believes in the power of writing as a personal practice that can excite, enliven, and empower us.

This week’s episode is about the art of writing a literary essay, something a little different than a research paper. For students accustomed to essays that require a lot of research, citations, and arguments on a specific topic, writing an essay for English 101 or Grade 12 English can be a real puzzle. This type of essay necessitates a more in-depth analysis of a particular text, or oftentimes only an excerpt of text. At first glance, it may seem easy, but it actually takes a high level of skill to write a strong literary essay. We thought this topic would be helpful to our listeners who are attempting their first literary essay or trying to improve upon a poor grade. Remember that writing is a practice that takes time and effort to improve upon.  Today’s guest is Natalia Hunter, PFAU Academic Writing coach and editor. Natalia has a Masters in English from Wilfrid Laurier University, and Bachelors of Arts in English and Medieval Studies. While pursuing graduate studies, Natalia was a teaching assistant for the Laurier English department, leading weekly tutorial groups and working closely with students to assist with their understanding of the course material and help with their essay writing and critical thinking skills. Her own academic experience and work as a teaching assistant have given Natalia a keen eye for what it takes to do excellent literary analysis.

This week’s episode is about socially conscious business. We thought this topic would be helpful to our listeners who are looking for meaningful employment and/or social change. In university, everything seems possible and many of us are inspired to create change in the world after graduation. However, after entering the workforce, we may start to feel discouraged and lose our spark. So, why not bypass the corporate world and its expectations and start something that you care about and that can create the change that you want to see in the world. Today’s guest is Braeden Wolf, founder of Remarkable Rejects, is a recent business graduate from Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario, who is passionate about nutrition, natural movement, and cooking. After graduating, he was inspired to turn his passions into a business that would reduce food waste and increase healthy eating. Braeden is also an avid baseball player, and previously was a team member of the Great Lake Canadians.