Words

Critter care: Welcome to vet tech Christine Archer’s animal house

It’s a tired cliché: a little girl grows up dreaming of a career in animal care because, well, dogs are loveable and cats cuddly. That stereotype needs to meet Christine Archer.

“I am an unabashed reptile nerd and fish nerd. I love non-mammals in general and will talk about them at length,” says Archer, who graduated from Algonquin’s Veterinary Technician Program in 2009.

It’s not that Archer doesn’t love cute, furry mammals — she counts three rescue cat among her beloved “critters” — but her respect for animals is so much broader. It is founded as much on a keen interest in science as on natural empathy. Continue reading →

Walking Together: Social Service Worker grad gives back to his Indigenous community

When Kane Odjick-Dumont left his community in western Quebec to attend Algonquin College two-and-a-half-hours away, it was so he could help his community when he went back.

But as it turned out, not everything of value learned during his two-year Social Service Worker program was taught in the classroom. Odjick-Dumont’s experience with Algonquin’s Mamidosewin Centre, whose goal is to support and empower Indigenous students, left him with a deeper sense of his culture than he had when he arrived. Continue reading →