Canadian Mennonite University

Students are the heart of CMU. Over the past quarter century, our alumni have shaped industries, inspired communities, and redefined what it means to lead with purpose. In celebration of 25 years, we have profiled one remarkable graduate from each year—25 years, 25 stories.

Their journeys reflect the diversity, resilience, and vision that define CMU. Their stories remind us that education is more than a milestone—it’s a catalyst for change.

Alumni Stories

From student to teacher: A journey of faith, learning, and community

From student to teacher: A journey of faith, learning, and community

Kenny Wollmann is a high school educator, teaching primarily Bible, theology, and world religions—but not in a typical classroom.

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Evan Klassen (CMU ’02) graduated with a Bachelor of Christian Studies during CMU’s early years as a merged university. Now Executive Director of the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, he continues to carry forward the rigour, curiosity, and commitment to community that shaped his time at CMU.

Rigour, curiosity, and the arts: A CMU story of leadership

CMU was a place of transition, community, and discovery for Evan Klassen, Executive Director of the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (MTC).

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Aaron Janzen (CMU ’08) completed a BA in Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies. His CMU education nurtured his sense of justice and care for creation, shaping his career in environmental conservation. Now a senior field campaigner with Oceans North, he works to protect marine and freshwater ecosystems in collaboration with northern communities.

From peacebuilding to conservation: A CMU alum’s journey of justice, community, and care for creation

Aaron Janzen knows being an environmentalist is as much about working with people as it is with the land.

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Anna-Marie Janzen (CMU '12) completed a BA in Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies. Her CMU experience deepened her commitment to community and sustainability, shaping her path as founder of Reclaim Mending, where she helps people repair rather than replace—reducing waste and strengthening connections.

Stitching together community and sustainability

Anna-Marie Janzen's earliest childhood memory is sewing.

She recalls sitting on the kitchen floor with her grandmother, playing with giant, oversized plastic needles and shaped cards as her grandma taught her the fundamentals of stitching and threading.

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Gindalee Ouskun (CMU ’17) graduated with a major in Communications and Media. Now Marketing Coordinator at APTN and a professional photographer, she credits CMU with helping her find confidence, creativity, and her voice as an Indigenous storyteller.

Through the lens: How CMU helped an Indigenous storyteller find her voice

Gindalee Ouskun points to the great paradox in her life—she is shy and introverted, yet her work is public-facing and relational.

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Ben Borne (CMU ’13) completed a BA with a major in Biblical and Theological Studies. His time at CMU nurtured his love for storytelling and community, shaping a career in communications and public relations focused on building relationships and advancing reconciliation.

Advancing reconciliation through storytelling

"I have always been a storyteller," says Ben Borne over a Zoom call from his home in Saskatoon, SK. "And what I'm really good at is bringing people together."

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Gode Katembo (CMU ’23) completed a BA in Social Sciences. His CMU experience deepened his sense of purpose, justice, and community—values that shape his work as a soccer coach, mentor, and entrepreneur creating spaces for newcomers and youth to grow, belong, and lead.

From newcomer to community-builder: A CMU alum’s journey of purpose, justice, and leadership

When Gode Katembo thinks about his time at CMU, he doesn't just remember classes and assignments. What stands out is how the experience reshaped his sense of direction.

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Tai Linklater (CMU '25) completed a BA with an interdisciplinary major in ecological pacifism and a minor in biology. The degree, and the whole interdisciplinary approach of CMU, deeply nurtured their love of learning, especially across such a variety of fields.

From martyrology to herpetology: A CMU alum's global journey of curiosity, community, and conservation

A few days after graduating from CMU in 2025, Tai Linklater was in an airplane on the way to the Netherlands.

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Marvin Marcial (CMU ’07) graduated with a Bachelor of Music and is now Policy and Program Coordinator in Manitoba’s Immigration Division. He credits CMU with teaching him the value of inclusivity and curiosity—lessons he carries into his work building welcoming communities for newcomers.

Finding connection as an outsider: How CMU shaped a public servant

Marvin Marcial didn't mean to become a CMU student. What was initially supposed to be one music elective as a visiting student from the University of Winnipeg turned him into a full-time student who ended up graduating from CMU with a Bachelor of Music in 2007.

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Heidi Derksen (CMU ’14) graduated with a Bachelor of Music before earning her master’s in nursing and working in ICUs and disaster zones around the world. From Ukraine to Turkey, she brings compassion, courage, and creativity to her work—values first nurtured through CMU’s diverse and close-knit learning community.

Notes, nursing, and new horizons: A journey of learning and service

When Heidi Derksen meets for a conversation in the mid-afternoon, she's wrapping up her day and going to sleep after the interview ends.

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Heitha Forsyth (CMU ’19) completed a Bachelor of Music Therapy and is now Executive Director of the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts, a music therapist at Misericordia Health Centre, and a professional musician known for her solo act Sol James and bands like The Solutions.

Education, performance, and healing: How CMU shaped a multifaceted musician

Heitha Forsyth decided to go back to school almost a decade after graduating with her undergraduate degree.

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Odelia Duffus (CMU ’22) graduated with a major in Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies. Now a mediator and caseworker with Mediation Services in Winnipeg, she helps people navigate conflict through restorative justice approaches grounded in listening, curiosity, and care.

From courtroom dreams to restorative justice: A journey in conflict transformation

Odelia Duffus wanted to become a lawyer after she graduated high school in Jamaica. Many years later, she's liaising with the court—but not in the role she expected.

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Everton McLennon (CMU ’15) earned a Master of Arts in Theological Studies while balancing full-time work as a civil engineer and his role as a pastor. Today, he leads Miracle of Life Apostolic Fellowship in Winnipeg, where he continues to draw on the theological grounding he gained at CMU.

From engineering to pastoral leadership: The impact of theological study

When Everton McLennon stepped onto CMU's campus for the first time, he was not like the majority of students.

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Heather Schellenberg (CMU ’09) majored in English with minors in Biblical and Theological Studies and Physical Education. Now a guidance and support teacher in Winnipeg School Division, she brings forward the ethos of care, hospitality, and community she experienced at CMU into her work with international students.

Relational learning, lasting impact: Carrying the spirit of CMU into education

Heather Schellenberg was thrilled when she found out about CMU's new education degree program.

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Nathan Dueck (CMU ’21) graduated with an interdisciplinary honours degree in history of western thought. Now articling with Manitoba Prosecutions, he credits CMU with shaping the conviction and clarity he brings to both law and life.

Conviction in the courtroom: How CMU prepared a future prosecutor

These days, you'll find Nathan Dueck in Thompson, MB, arguing bail conditions, speaking to sentences, and prepping for his first trials. It's a serious role, but he admits law school itself wasn't quite as grueling as people imagine.

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Bruce Guenther (CMU ’03) serves as Disaster Response Director at Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada, leading global humanitarian efforts in response to crises and disasters. He credits his CMU experience—with its blend of theological study, international development, and mentorship—with preparing him to integrate faith, learning, and leadership in a complex world.

Responding to Crisis with Compassion: How CMU Shaped a Global Leader

When a humanitarian disaster makes headlines, some people read about it while drinking their coffee or share it on social media during their bus ride.

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Kyle Penner (CMU ’05) graduated with a major in youth ministry. Today, as pastor of Grace Mennonite Church in Steinbach, he draws on lessons of faith, community, and character first nurtured at CMU.

Faith in Practice: How CMU Inspires Community-Centred Leadership

For Kyle Penner, CMU was where he learned how to think about faith, community, and leadership in ways that continue to shape his life today. "My time at CMU helped shape who I am and how I think in the world," he says.

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Joanne Moyer (CMU ’01) completed a Bachelor of Theology with a focus on service education. Her studies at CMU sparked a lifelong journey connecting faith and environmental work, which led her to become Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Geography at The King’s University in Edmonton.

Rooted in gaith, growing through ecology: A CMU alum's path of environmental leadership

Sometimes the most pivotal moments are only possible because of the communities we've already been part of. For Joanne Moyer, that moment came at an airport.

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Jess Klassen (CMU ’04) graduated with a major in International Development Studies. Now Manitoba Research Alliance Coordinator at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and a textile artist under the name Stories of Textiles, she continues to weave together curiosity, community, and creativity—threads that began at CMU.

Research, art, and advocacy: Threads that began at CMU

This September, Jess Klassen co-created an art installation at Nuit Blanche, a night of art, music, and festivities that lights up Winnipeg's downtown.

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Zachary Peters (CMU ’10) completed a BA in Political Studies after beginning his CMU journey with the Outtatown Discipleship School. His time at CMU nurtured curiosity, community, and critical reflection—values that continue to shape his work in marketing and communications.

From student council to corporate communications: A CMU alum’s journey of curiosity, community, and connection

Zachary Peters came to CMU for adventure.

In 2005, Peters joined CMU's Outtatown Discipleship School, a program that enabled students to experience travel through a mission trip while still keeping up with their studies.

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Andrew Klassen Brown (CMU '16, '21): "[CMU] enabled me to explore my faith, deconstruct and blow up whatever preconceived ideas that I had. CMU encouraged me to think about things intellectually, theologically..."

From basketball star to keeper of stories: CMU alum brings Mennonite history to life

Andrew Klassen Brown makes working in archives sound as exciting as an experimental jet test pilot.

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Kyle Devine (CMU '06), Dean of Graduate Studies at the University of Winnipeg, says he distinctly remember how exciting it was to be surrounded by faculty who encouraged students to seek out different disciplines of learning.

CMU taught alum how to think "inside out and upside down"

The current Dean of Graduate Studies at the University of Winnipeg came to CMU from Providence University College, by way of the University of Manitoba, where he initially planned to become a dentist.

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CMU 25th Celebration Program

Printed from: www.cmu.ca/about/cmu-25