Breath In, Write Out

This week's episode is part of our Careers in the Liberal Arts series as we discuss the journey of becoming a writer. Most people think of writers as authors of books, but there’s actually probably more writing than ever before with the advent of the internet. Websites, social media, newsletters, and online editorials all are areas where you can become a writer.

This week’s guest is Melody Belliveau, a freelance writer and author of the website, TheSocial-Commentary.com.  Melody started out writing for a local newspaper in her early thirties as a mother of four children. Then, family life put a pause in her writing career until she had to step back from her previous position due to health issues and decided to start her own website to inspire, encourage, and support others. She continues to challenge herself with new challenges, aiming to publish in a national magazine next. You never know when your writing career will flourish. The key is to never give up.

This week’s episode is something students often take for granted - editing! Good writers know that the first draft is never going to be their best work. They need to put aside time to revision, edit, and proofread their work. The best writers have colleagues or professionals to provide them with insights on their work and to fix any technical issues. Like all art, writing takes multiple drafts to reach a level of greatness.

This week’s guest is Daina Sparling, an editor and proofreader at PFAU Academic Writing. Daina has a Psychology degree from the University of Alberta, and experience working as a Research Assistant for the Department of Medicine, Division of Studies. While at the university she collaborated with other academics in the creation, editing, and statistical analysis of examinations used in the medical school. Diana has over three years experience editing graduate-level dissertations and publications with PFAU. In her free time, Daina enjoys travel, beekeeping, and camping. She is a mother to two children and wife of 15 years to Darryl.

This week’s episode is about academic integrity. For students going from high school to university, especially from other countries with different expectations, the ideas of academic integrity and plagiarism takes time to adjust to. Violations of academic integrity can lead to serious consequences from verbal reprimand to notation on the transcript or even suspension from school. During COVID-19, the issue of academic misconduct has heightened since schools can no longer use exam centres and classrooms, making them more concerned about cheating. This additional pressure has led to some misunderstandings and false accusations.

After graduating in 2007, Lisa Pfau worked in public policy and research, including: as a political intern at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing and a Research Coordinator at the University of Toronto. These experiences provided Lisa with the knowledge and networks to help her clients transition from academic to professional life.

She currently enjoys teaching specialized Creative Writing and Research Essay Writing courses and workshops at PFAU: Academic Writing, and other educational institutions, such as the University of Toronto and University of Alberta.

Over the past 20 years, she has mentored hundreds of clients in reading/writing fundamentals, critical thinking, research proficiency, organizational skills, and academic/career goal setting, as well as, research papers, scholarship proposals, and grad/professional school applications.

This week’s episode is about applying for university or college from high school, a critical step in many students’ lives. It is important to be fully prepared by exploring the programs and/or schools of interests, admission requirements, and application processes as there are different requirements. Extensive research and a solid plan are necessary to succeed in the application process.

This week’s host is Jane Miao, the Creative and Marketing Assistant at PFAU Academic Writing. She will be interviewing me, Lisa Pfau, founder and CEO of Pfau Academic Writing. As you may know, I have over 20 years of experience helping students with essay writing, application support and career development. One of my favorite things is getting to know students and helping them to develop their application essays.

This week’s episode is about something we don’t like to talk about, death and critical illness. When we are young we often think we are invincible, but this is not always the case. We are all fragile human beings, and at some point our lives will end. It is important to think of these eventualities sooner rather than later as it can save you a lot of additional hassle, stress, and even money.

This week’s guest is Mario Schwarzenberg is the owner/broker of MSI – Mario Schwarzenberg Insurance Services Inc., an insurance brokerage, has been offering its customers competitive insurance rates since the early 1990s. Mario guarantees you personal service and dedication that will help build a relationship for many years.  As a brokerage with many years experience in selling insurance, paying claims and access to all major insurance companies, we can offer a variety of plans at most competitive rates. MSI offers you a wide array of insurance services including: Life Insurance / Mortgage Insurance Business Benefits: Key-Person & Buy-Sell funding Dental & Medical Benefits for Businesses and Families Living Benefits: Critical Illness Insurance, Income Replacement / Disability Family Benefits Included with Insurance.

This week’s episode explores the experience of indigenous students studying at Canadian universities, and the issues that they care about. Six percent of the entire world population identifies as indigenous, and 5% of the Canadian population. In countries with a history of colonization, such as Canada, there is an underlying pain and tension between the indigenous and settler communities. As a result of generational trauma and discrimination, Indigenous students face different obstacles to their education than settler or international students.

This week’s guest is Fernanda Yanchapaxi, an Indigenous/Mesitzx PhD student in the Social Justice Program at the Ontario Institution for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. She has over 15 years experience working in the education sector to promote egalitarian policies and strategies that contribute to the healing of generations of racism and oppression. She has worked with youth and professionals to promote indigenous activism, policy development, and program implementation. Her current research focuses on indigenous knowledge with the context of Western intellectual property norms in her home country of Ecuador.

This week's episode is part of our Careers in the Liberal Arts series, but with a twist. We will be talking about vocations. A vocation is defined as a strong feeling of suitability for a certain occupation. People who talk about being called to do something or that they couldn’t imagine doing anything else are likely pursuing a vocation. I personally feel like teaching is my vocation, but not all teachers feel like me. For some, it may just be a job. However, one profession that requires individuals to feel called to it before they can even get an entry level position is ministry. This is an area of work that is often not discussed by career counselors because of its status as a vocation, but for individuals who seek meaning, purpose, and a connection to something beyond themselves this may be the ideal path.

This week’s guest is Reverend Emily Gordon, a minister of the United Church of Canada here in Toronto. Emily did not start out her education knowing that she would one day become a minister, but her education has helped her in ministry. Emily completed her Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in English and Classics at Mount Allison University, followed by a Masters of English in Print Culture from Simon Fraser University. After a couple years of exploration and reflection, she felt the call to the Ministry and enrolled in a Ministers of Divinity from Emmanuel College, becoming an ordained Minister in 2015. Her original love of reading and writing is now expressed in reflecting on Biblical and other spiritual texts and writing prayers and sermons for church services and materials.

This week’s episode is about how to successfully appeal a grade. Sometimes students work really hard on an assignment, but they do not get the grade they are expecting. This is usually because of a misunderstanding between the marker and the student. In these cases, it is often helpful to meet with your TA or professor to discuss the grading. These discussions are more challenging during Covid-19 because of social distancing; however, it is possible with strategies to successfully negotiate a better grade.

This week we are changing things up. The host of this week's podcast is Jingyi(Jane) Miao, the creative and marketing assistant at Pfau Academic Writing, and a fourth-year international student at the University of Toronto. Jingyi will be interviewing Lisa Pfau, the founder, and CEO of Pfau Academic Writing. As you may know, Lisa has over 20 years of experience helping students with essay writing, application support, and career development. 

This week’s episode is about men’s mental health. Men and women have been socialized differently around emotions, communication style, and dealing with life’s problems. Research has shown that men and women express depressive symptoms differently, for example. Women tend to emote and talk about their feelings, while men tend to pull inward and isolate themselves. It is unclear if their differences are biological or social, but they exist. And, this kind of self-isolating response to stress, especially emotional stress, can make it even more challenging for men to reach out for support than women when they need it the most.

Today’s podcast guest is Kristopher Morrison (Eagle Calling Man). Kris is an indigenous and men’s health advocate in Ontario. He was born in the Swamping Cree Territory, with a deeper connection to the Cree Territory. Kris continues to cultivate a connection to the land through spending time outdoors hunting, fishing, and trapping. While in Peterborough, Ontario, he employs his traditional and cultural knowledge and practices to teach leadership skills and build confidence in the community, with a special focus on changing how we view and cultivate male leadership. He believes that knowing who you are and what your values are is essential to the process of being a secure and competent leader in your own life, and the lives of those around you.

This week’s episode is about understanding introversion and breaking down barriers that often hold introverts back. We previously interviewed Faris Khaiilfeh, a Quiet Confidence Coach, about succeeding in the professional world as an introvert. The student experience as an introvert can also be challenging, especially in large educational institutions with tens of thousands of students. I remember myself feeling overwhelmed heading to university from a small town and I’m sure there are other students out there finding it hard to navigate the hectic nature of modern society.

This week’s guest is Julia Burdajewicz, also known as the Germann Introvert, a health psychology student and digital content creator, who is passionate about empowering fellow introverts and deconstructing popular stereotypes about introverts. She has been interviewed by Vice Magazine and connected with over 10,000 followers on her blog and other social media, on relevant topics related to introversion, such as creative strengths, mental health, mindfulness, and life experiences.