All Class Notes

  • Mary English-Cooper holding up her book The Peter Robinson Experiment

    In July 2005, I began researching my ancestors’ involvement in the 1825 Peter Robinson emigration experiment, which relocated 2024 impoverished, Irish tenant-farmers from Ireland to Canada. It was a sunny afternoon when I first visited the Peterborough Museum and Archives to investigate the topic. I began by searching through documents for information about my father’s paternal ancestors, surname English, but discovered that it was his mother’s grandparents, Patrick and Margaret Heffernan, who had been participants. I was interested in not only the facts but in how the participants must have been feeling and thinking while completing this monumental uprooting and life-changing journey.

  • Dawn McIlmoyle smiling at camera

    Being a student at Trent University changed my life. As a mature student and single mom of two, it gave me a purpose for my pain and skills to be able to assist others. Going to university and getting my Bachelor of Science in Nursing is one of the things I am most proud of, and it has only added to the advocacy I have been doing for survivors of sexual trauma and harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces since 1998. The Paul Harris Fellow is given to deserving individuals who demonstrate service above self, and this year I received this honour in the area of vocation from the Kawartha Rotary Club.

  • Mike Watt looking at camera

    I came to Peterborough for Trent University and fell in love with the city, never wanting to leave. We have just celebrated 25 years in business with Flavour Fashion and have since opened two other downtown businesses in Peterborough. Flavour offers a curated selection of clothing, accessories, and footwear that reflects both current trends and timeless classics. Balancing business with family life, I enjoy spending weekends exploring Peterborough's scenic spots with friends and family.  

  • Tony Arthur looking at camera

    During a recent vacation in Barbados, retired professors emeriti Dr. David Morrison and Dr. Alena Heitlinger had lunch in Bridgetown with Tony Arthur ’65 (Champlain College). Tony was one of five students in a new course on African political economy that Professor Morrison taught in 1967-68, his first year as a faculty member in Trent's Politics Department. 

  • Karen Wickerson smiling and holding two black cats

    I'm thrilled to officially announce the launch of my long-awaited book "Listen to Your Animals: They Know More Than You Think". Have you ever wondered what your animal friends would say if they could talk? Now, you don’t have to imagine anymore. I invite you on a transformative journey into the minds of animals. Through my ability to communicate with creatures of all kinds, I share the powerful insights animals have about their relationships with us, life and death, and their experiences in the afterlife.

  • Jamie Fleming smiling next to friends

    There’s a group of alumni rowers from the mid-late 1970s, who continue to return to Trent every two to three years to reunite, reminisce, and row!

  • Jessica Outram smiling

    It seems like yesterday I was at Trent University, studying English Literature and Cultural Studies while preparing to become a teacher. Recently, I am proud to have been selected as the 4th Poet Laureate of Cobourg (2019-2022) and to have won the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People in 2024. “Bernice and the Georgian Bay Gold” is a novel for middle grade students, inspired by my Métis family story, and takes place at the lighthouse where my grandfather lived. Last year, teaching at Trent University felt like my story had come full circle, returning to where it all began.

  • Jennifer Gillingham smiling

    As an elementary school teacher, I saw the need for more Social Emotional Learning. I wrote the children’s book, “Releasing the Complain Dragon,” which includes a detailed discussion guide for parents and teachers. This story is designed to help children understand that all emotions are important, that we are capable of meeting our needs, and that the best way to move forward during uncomfortable feelings is to practice self-compassion. The book is currently available for purchase on Amazon. 

  • Angela Moore smiling next to her son and best friend

    As a proud member of Trent's Class of 1994 and an Otonabee College affiliate, I was delighted to return for HOTT to celebrate my son, Felyx Greenway-Moore, at his 2024 Traill College scarfing ceremony. It fills me with joy that he has chosen the institution that shaped my life so profoundly. My time at Trent gave me cherished memories and lifelong friendships I will always treasure. Returning was a nostalgic journey that allowed me to reconnect with so many other graduates that I had lost touch with, rekindling cherished relationships. 

  • Kelsey Scott with water and boats in the background

    This past summer I had the incredible opportunity to complete a field research internship with the prestigious Orca Behaviour Institute on San Juan Island, Washington. By recording the behaviours of two separate populations of killer whales in the Salish Sea, including the critically endangered southern resident orcas, I was able to utilize the skills I’ve gained from Trent, contribute to meaningful science, and make global connections with the marine mammal community. It was the experience of a lifetime, and I hope to continue advocating for these whales and their environment throughout my conservation career.