Alumni - 2003
Amy Anderson -- University of Saskatchewan, pursuing an arts degree with a view to entering Law School
August 2003 Update: "I will definitely miss having another Augustine student around to talk and debate with. I found that my experience at Augustine has given me a very different perspective on the world around me. I imagine that many of the more subtle changes to my life have gone unnoticed so far, but I am certain that several dramatic changes have taken place and continue to take place in my life at the present time. I notice the lack of clarity and certainty in the reasoning that is basic to many people's understanding of the world. The abandonment of truth and the wilful destruction of morality and beauty in our society are so much more evident to me now than ever before. At the same time, however, I believe that my experience at Augustine has equipped me with the tools that will make it possible for me to combat these evils in my own life and in the world immediately surrounding me, if not the world at large. I continue to be struck (stricken?) by the way in which many of our professors blend their recognition of the bleak reality of our world with a steady hope and faith that God is able to turn even our society back to Him. I am just now realizing that in this way they combine the two primary goals of Augustine, that is, faith and understanding, in their everyday lives. I hope to do the same in my own life. I am not sure what God's plans are for me in the future. I am attending the University of Saskatchewan this fall, taking courses in everything from Latin to physics and, just for fun, drama. A BA in History or possibly English Literature seems quite possible and I plan to end up in law school. I'm currently at peace with that decision, which is a big step for me. However, I'm open to change and am excited to see where my life will go in the future! ... I enjoy talking about my experience at Augustine. It was one of the best I've ever had and I will always count it as one of the major milestones of my life. God bless you and your work! My prayers will be with you."
January 2006 Update: "Pursuing a law degree at Dalhousie Law School in Halifax."
Elisabeth (Batchelder) Akers -- law school at George Mason
August 2003 Update: "Since I left Augustine, I'm doing much summer reading… Dostoevsky's The Idiot I enjoyed it a great deal. I have spent my summer teaching remedial English classes for ninth graders at the high school where I taught from 2001-2002. I have also become engaged to Matt Akers. We plan to get married in June 2004."
October 2004 Update: "Things are going well. I was married to Matt this summer in Ohio (Michelle Leigh was maid of honor), and we enjoyed a honeymoon on the Outer Banks of NC. It was lovely. Matt is now teaching Latin at my old high school in Ohio, and is doing a phenomenal job. He's actually having them translate from the Vulgate, and is teaching them quite a bit of Church History, in which he is quite well-versed. I have transferred from George Mason University Law in VA to Akron University in Ohio, where I have learned more in two months than I did in a year at Mason. We had a trial team competition this weekend, which was ill-fated but an excellent learning experience."
Myra Cottle -- Trinity Western University, majoring in Science
Jasmine Curry -- working in Cochrane, Alberta as a waitress and as an assistant for an interior decorator
March 2005 Update: "Pursuing an Honors degree in Literature and History at St. Stephen's University in New Brunswick."
Challis Elkink -- University of Alberta, majoring in English
August 2003 Update: This year I will be majoring in English, as I need to complete a year of something before they will accept me into the commerce program at the University of Alberta. I hope to some day own a small business, but we will see where I am led by the Lord.
Some excellent news for myself and Augustine is that the University of Alberta is giving me transfer credits for my year at Augustine. I forget at the moment if it is a full 18 credits, but I know it equals up to over a semester of credits. Hopefully this will encourage even more students to come to Augustine now that another major college acknowledges the credits!
Augustine was by far the most challenging experience mentally in my life. I never imagined that something could be so horrific and wonderful at the same time. The intensity of the school was at times intolerable, but I would never have changed it. How else could they have possible fit all that information into a one year program? My world view has been expanded and transformed, leaving me looking at history and this culture with open
eyes.Although examining the fall of man throughout the ages often seemed pessimistic, I left Augustine with optimism about watching the future unfold as we are led towards the coming of Christ and seeing Him work through me in that process.
Thank you again to the profs and everyone that makes Augustine tick. Many blessings on you all as you continue to shape the minds of students and give us opportunities to expand!
Alicia Hobart -- St. Steven’s University, majoring in literature
October 2004 Update: I'm enjoying 3rd year of an honours BA in Interdisciplinary Studies at St. Stephen's Universtiy in New Brunswick. My summer was spent seeing the wonders of Western Civilization in Europe. The history and thinking habits that I learned at Augustine made the experience richer than I ever thought possible. Pray for me as I head out to Asia this winter for an SSU travel term!
Sam McLoughlin -- Taking a year off and considering Baylor's University Scholars Program
August 2003: "I've been slaving away in north western Alberta these past 3 weeks working as a grass trimmer on the highways (I cut the grass along the poles and signs along a few highways in the area spanning about 500km in total). But its over now and I can refocus my mind onto other things... I plan to take my SAT's, apply to a few colleges and find some scholarship money with the focus now being Baylor University. I'm interested in the University Scholars program ... as it seems the next step for me is to continue a classical education. However, money is always a problem with these sorts of things, so I guess if I'm meant to be there then God will provide a way and if not, who knows, I might end up in Ottawa! The humanities program at Carleton did sound interesting. A lot can change over a year though, so right now I'm trying to listen to God for direction."
September 2003 Update: "I realized that I haven't written any of my professors to thank them for providing the gauntlet some call an education I barely survived this last year. So here I am, sincerely thanking you .... When I returned home last May I felt strangely out of place, and that feeling has not left me since. I realized in hindsight that Augustine was not so much of an education in the sense I had originally known, as much as a total deconstruction and reconstruction of prejudice, or "vision of the way things are" as Bloom aptly defines it, which I guess, is what a real education is. Now that I have rebuilt the foundations, I can begin furnishing the rooms of my mind, now that I have been pointed towards the best places to go. No longer do I permit my mind to focus on the evolution of rock music, or whether the next Lord of the Rings movie will be better than the previous two, for my new worldview doesn't allow me to. As my friends discuss who said what on the Simpsons last night, I reminisce about the days I struggled desperately to contribute in a discussion of disgrace or freedom in philosophy class or Thursday night book discussion."
Rachel Sissons -- Considering pursuing a B.A. in Applied Linguistics at Trinity Western University
August 2004: I am now preparing to embark, once again, on a journey of post-secondary studies. I have been accepted at Trinity Western University, where I will study for a BA in Applied Linguistics. I am very excited to (hopefully) study New Testament Greek!
Jessica Weixler -- planning to go to Houghton College
At the National Gallery
