I am currently a student at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia, where I am pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in History and minoring in Math. After getting my Arts degree, I intend on furthering my education by obtaining a Bachelor of Education and becoming a teacher. Choosing History and Math as my two areas of academic interest is because as a teacher I want to have a diverse experience in multiple unrelated fields to give me a broader knowledge base. Plus I enjoy both, as each relies on different styles of knowledge and critical thinking skills, challenging me in unique ways.
I have been in Kamloops since 2014, but I was born and raised on a farm just outside of Kindersley, Saskatchewan. I grew up on that family farm and I have been working on that farm for most of my life, as I still work there in the summer months between school semesters. The family farm has deep roots in our family, as my great grandparents Abram and Helen Walde escaped Southern Russia (now known as the Ukraine) from persecution in 1928 and relocated to Kindersley to start the family farm. Myself and my family identify ourselves as Mennonites and continue to be fairly connected with our heritage.
My deep cultural ties in Mennonite life and farming guides my historical interest towards Western Canadian history, in particular agrarian Ana-Baptist groups in Canada such as; the Mennonites and the Hutterites. In other History research projects I have written about; The North-West Rebellion of 1885, Mennonites and the impact of the World War II on their culture and urban migration, and Hutterites and the differing responses by mainstream Canadians to their religious practices since their immigration.
One of the major reasons I came to Kamloops was to play on the Kamloops Broncos football team. I have been on the team for 4 years (2014-2017) and have had great success along the way. I have been a team captain for the last two years, a conference all star in 2015 and even garnered a professional tryout for the B.C Lions of the CFL in 2016.
In my spare time I am usually in some sort of sport setting. In the fall, besides playing football for the Kamloops Broncos, I also coach high-school football at South Kamloops Secondary School. In the winter I spend my time skiing at Sun Peaks or playing rec hockey. Then finally in the spring and summer I play baseball for the Kindersley Stallions in the Fertile Valley Baseball league, or I am at the lake enjoying a multitude of water-sports.
Visit my family farm’s website at: www.rosanafarms.ca
