{"id":364982,"date":"2021-11-09T18:11:31","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T15:11:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/find-your-tru-calling-macleans-ca\/"},"modified":"2021-11-09T18:11:31","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T15:11:31","slug":"find-your-tru-calling-macleans-ca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/find-your-tru-calling-macleans-ca\/","title":{"rendered":"#Find your TRU calling &#8211; Macleans.ca"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40c1ecd637d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40c1ecd637d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/find-your-tru-calling-macleans-ca\/#Monique_Gray_Smith\" >Monique Gray Smith<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/find-your-tru-calling-macleans-ca\/#Dean_Nelson\" >Dean Nelson<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/find-your-tru-calling-macleans-ca\/#Kevin_Loring\" >Kevin Loring<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Find your TRU calling &#8211; Macleans.ca<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n                            Three alumni share how Thompson Rivers University (TRU) prepared them for making a difference in the world\n                        <\/div>\n<div>\n<h2\/><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Monique_Gray_Smith\"><\/span>\n<h2><b>Monique Gray Smith<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_1230017\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1230017 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Monique-Gray-Smith-1-Braiding-Sweetgrass-1280x720.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Centric Photo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An award-winning author, consultant and speaker, Smith says her time as a student at TRU (then Cariboo College) laid the foundation for how she thinks about the world. \u201cIt was such a safe place to land,\u201d she emphasizes. \u201cThe classes were smaller, our professors were very engaged, and they treated us with dignity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She learned about difficult issues like residential schools and AIDS in her first psychology class. \u201cWe could talk about hard things, and learned that they don\u2019t have to be societal secrets. It was a door opener, and I began to learn about aspects of the world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ability to speak openly stayed with Smith, who is Cree, Lakota and Scottish. \u201cThat\u2019s been huge in my writing, speaking my truth,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat\u2019s my role, my family\u2019s and society\u2019s role in moving forward and upholding humanity? TRU was the starting place for me to learn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smith\u2019s books, including her most recent novel, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tilly and the Crazy Eights<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (long-listed for Canada Reads 2021) share Indigenous experiences with <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">theme<\/a>s of resilience, wisdom, hope and the teaching that love is medicine. \u201cUniversity opens up windows to the world. My writing reflects that first critical-thinking and perspective-taking I experienced at TRU.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dean_Nelson\"><\/span><b>Dean Nelson<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1230018 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Dean-Nelson-iLoveGay-1280x1358.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1358\"\/><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A TRU honorary Doctor of Laws and Distinguished Alumnus, Nelson has produced the award-winning annual Whistler Pride and Ski Festival (2006-2018), founded the Pride House at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Game<\/a>s and co-founded Mr. Gay World. TRU\u2019s faculty provided Nelson, a tourism leader and LGBTQ activist, with the inspiration, motivation and confidence to succeed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhen I reflect on what was special about my experience at TRU, it leads me back to the instructors and the accessibility of the deans,\u201d he says. \u201cMany of them would push us to be better and think outside of the norm\u2014to really stretch outside of our comfort zones.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In particular, Nelson was mentored by the former dean of tourism Philip Schettini. \u201cHe was truly an inspiration and was constantly challenging me to do more. He and his team really helped to shape me to be confident and hit each challenge with both feet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At TRU, Nelson felt empowered to \u201cbe bold and fearless. Fail spectacularly as this is where you learn in a safe environment.\u201d His TRU network of fellow students and instructors became assets for him to draw on throughout his career. \u201cTRU has helped me to stay the course even in the most turbulent storms and allowed me to rise up and be the successful person I am today.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Kevin_Loring\"><\/span><b>Kevin Loring<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_1230019\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1230019 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Kevin_Loring-1280x1358.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1358\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Ian Redd<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A TRU Distinguished Alumnus, Loring has made huge strides in Canadian arts and culture as a playwright, actor, instructor and mentor. A member of the Lytton First Nation and the Nlaka\u2019pamux (Thompson) Nation, Loring has performed in numerous plays across Canada and is the artistic director of Indigenous Theatre at the National Arts Centre. His award-winning plays showcase Indigenous stories.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Loring\u2019s time at TRU helped him discover what he was meant to do. \u201cAs a young Indigenous student arriving at TRU right out of high school, it took me a while to really figure out the career path I wanted to pursue. The smaller class sizes gave me a lot of access to my professors and that helped me to figure out what my interests were and how best to pursue them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In particular, it was through associate professor Ginny Ratsoy\u2019s CanLit class that he first encountered Cree playwright Tomson Highway\u2019s play, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201cI was assigned a monologue from the play to memorize and present to the class. I stood up in front of that classroom and for a few short minutes I \u2018dropped in\u2019 and became the character. Then a miracle\u2014my classmates applauded. In that instant, I was hooked.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The following semester, Loring enrolled in an introduction to theatre course and landed a role in his first stage play. \u201cIt was a small role where I had only one line. But it was these humble beginnings at TRU that set me on course for a career and a passion that has carried and sustained me to this day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Loring continues to pay it forward through a fundraising campaign initiated by his Indigenous arts organization, Savage Society. He\u2019s working with TRU to support students from Lytton to continue their education, following this summer\u2019s devastating wildfire in that community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To find out more about how you can find your TRU calling, visit <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sr.studiostack.com\/c\/link?l=689356&amp;s=689348\">tru.ca<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"ctx-article-root\"><!-- --><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/sponsored\/the-tru-difference\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Find your TRU calling &#8211; Macleans.ca&#8221; Three alumni share how Thompson Rivers University (TRU) prepared them for making a difference in the world Monique Gray Smith Photo credit: Centric Photo An award-winning author, consultant and speaker, Smith says her time as a student at TRU (then Cariboo College) laid the foundation for how she thinks&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":364983,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Monique-Gray-Smith-1-Braiding-Sweetgrass-1280x720-766x431.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-364982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=364982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364982\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/364983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=364982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=364982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=364982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}