When John Boopalan gave a 90-second pitch of his upcoming course, Eat, Love, Reflect, at the annual course launch forum back in April, I knew right away that it would be the only possible option for me to wrap up my Biblical and Theological Studies requirements at CMU. It was just too good to pass up (a thought many other people also had—the course apparently filled up within several hours of registration opening).
In the course description of Eat, Love, Reflect John asks, “What would it mean to engage head, heart, and taste buds in the pursuit of spiritual and social transformation?” Paired with this is a notion that is central to the course: balancing love of God, love of self, and love of others through the act of eating. These two main ideas are emphasized every single week. The readings typically consist of New Testament passages featuring Jesus eating with others, theological writings exploring these events, and articles that are not explicitly religious looking at topics such as food insecurity, Indigenous understandings of bodily nourishment, and general reflections on the act of eating.
Mike Thiessen
Eat, Love, Reflect is very much a discussion-based class. There is always a lively lecture component delivered by John (and occasionally other guests), but a good deal of time in class is devoted to talking with classmates, either in pairs, small groups, or all together. This is where a lot of the reflection in the “Reflect” part of the title comes into play.
Of course, it would be complete nonsense to have a course about food and not eat, and we’ve made sure to get our fair share of eating in. We took a trip to a downtown McDonald’s to consider the convenience of food and the intentionality of eating. We ate saskatoon and rhubarb platz on the front lawn of another professor to ponder hospitality. And, most excitingly, we took a field trip to Silverwinds Colony southeast of Carman to share a meal with the Hutterites there, where we thought about the importance of eating as part of a community on a regular basis.
As someone who grew up on a farm with both crops and cattle, I’ve always been very aware of where my food comes from—helping in the garden was always a mandatory summertime chore, and butchering beef and pork at my grandparents’ place has been an extended family affair for my entire life. Historically, I have had a good understanding of and relationship with the food I eat. This class has taken this to another level, however. The philosophy and theology of eating have permeated my mealtimes, with readings and lectures now often coming to mind when I eat. Particularly, I’ve become much more conscious of the love involved in preparing, sharing, and eating food together. Eat, Love, Reflect has been a true joy to be part of, and I am looking forward to the final four weeks, during which there will be even more learning, eating, and loving.
Mike Thiessen is a fourth-year Bachelor of Arts student, majoring in English.
I am an out-of-province student from Ontario. Since CMU is a small university, you might think it’s not heard of in other provinces, much less the world. You would be mostly correct from my experience. I had not known that CMU existed until my mama’s friend mentioned that one of her daughters went there. At that point I hadn’t even decided if I wanted to apply for post-secondary education yet or take a gap year. I knew that eventually I wanted to go and be the first person in my immediate family to go to university, but I had no direction for that desire.
My high school’s guidance counsellors had been breathing down our necks, encouraging us seniors to apply for anything, really, as long as we applied. Apparently in the last few years there had been a decline of students going into post-secondary education, and the guidance department had made it their mission to get that percentage up that year. As this was during the pandemic, I can’t say I’m surprised with that outcome.
Nevertheless, I applied to CMU and only to CMU, after researching possible programs and classes. Looking back, I would say there was a nudge there, as I never really second-guessed my decision to apply. I don’t really have a name for that nudge—it could have been God, or just a gut feeling. I knew that if I got in, I would have to move to another province, and while that was certainly daunting, it was very much a problem for future me. The fact that CMU was a smaller, Mennonite-founded school, and cheaper than almost everything in Ontario, definitely sold it to my parents. The process was scary, but listening to that nudge gave me a great beginning to a new chapter of life.
Obviously, I am now a student here at CMU, in my second year and loving it. The decision to move here, away from anything familiar, was hard; it still is sometimes. Now that I have a year under my belt, I can reflect back and say it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
The start of my first year was tough. It was hard making friends and settling into a whole new world, rising to a more challenging academic level and having my life so uprooted. That was when the doubt grabbed me. But living in residence brings the community right in front of you. Eventually I stepped out of my comfort zone and found confidence to make friends and develop a life here. That led to self-discoveries and the first steps to becoming an independent adult without my life and community back in Ontario, to really figure out who I am away from all the same influences.
CMU’s campus
Coming to CMU has given me a new perspective on life and changed my life quite literally and philosophically. The academics made me realize how much I love learning when it’s something I actually care about, and the classes are small and interesting enough to keep me engaged and on top of things. (That isn’t to say I don’t procrastinate. I am still a student, it’s part of our ramen-fueled bodies!) So that’s why I stayed. I found a place that feels like home away from home, that allows me to be who I am and be a student dedicated to something I enjoy learning.
Sometimes if we aren’t totally sure of what we’re doing, what’s going to happen, or if the direction we’re taking is the best one, the future has a way of surprising us. And then maybe that unknown future could be one of the best things that helps you become you.
Cloe Penner is a second-year Bachelor of Arts student, majoring in history.
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and the United Nations (UN) held a student seminar in New York City this past November called, “Ukraine and Armed Conflicts: Pursuing Justice and Peace.” This event was created for undergraduate students in Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies or other related fields. As two CMU students who took part in this seminar, we have written a reflection on the event.
We stepped out of the elevator on the second floor of the Church Center of the United Nations in New York City, where Travis Dyck, one of the organizers of the seminar, welcomed us. The room’s large windows looked out directly onto the 193 flags that embellish the looming and glorious buildings of the UN headquarters. As we gawked, other undergraduate students trickled in and found their seats. Soon, the seminar was underway.
We had no idea what to anticipate in attending the MCC/UN Student Seminar. The purpose of the event was to bring together students to wrestle with the central question: “How do we pursue justice and peace in places of armed conflict, such as Ukraine?” It was difficult not to feel intimidated by such a complex question. At times, we wondered why MCC and UN representatives chose to devote their time to university students with no authority. With more time, it became clear that the seminar existed to communicate that, regardless of authority, we are relevant stakeholders.
CMU students Jillian Recksiedler (left) and Danika Warkentin (right) in NYC.
Our time in New York was quick and a whirlwind of new experiences and opportunities. Every morning, we walked to the seminar through the lively and bustling streets of New York, attempting to take in as much as we possibly could. In the evenings, we met up with other students attending the seminar to explore the city. Although we all came from different contexts, holding unique sets of experiences, a sense of community was immediately established as we navigated through these exciting experiences together. One evening, we took the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and get tacos. As we stood outside on the balcony of the ferry, looking out at the city lights, we were able to unpack the different stories and messages that arose throughout the conference.
Over the three-day seminar, seven different presenters informed us on their approaches to peacebuilding from their own contexts, several of which are countries currently facing violence, including Ukraine, Myanmar, and Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the end of each day, we all gathered in small groups to reflect on what the presenters had talked about. This was a great way for us to make meaningful and more personal connections with other students. Discussing peacebuilding initiatives with them was uplifting and hopeful. The conference became a space where honesty, questions, and difference in opinions were welcomed.
It is difficult, yet critical, to retain optimism in peacemaking work. Some of the speakers who presented to us spoke honestly about their pessimism regarding violence in Myanmar and Ukraine. Although this was hard to hear, there were also many speakers who shared experiences of faith in nonviolent practices. We take hope in knowing that there are knowledgeable, intentional people in government and UN roles, and thoughtful, justice-oriented young people moving into the working, peacebuilding world in Jesus’ name. In this way, communities of faith are working toward transforming conflict all over the world.
Jillian Recksiedler (second-year) and Danika Warkentin (third-year) are Bachelor of Arts students, majoring in peace and conflict transformation studies.
CMU recently introduced a new intercultural program for undergraduate students called Estamos. This past fall, six students joined the program and made their way to Guatemala, where they lived, worked, and studied for three months. Upon their return, the Estamos cohort had the opportunity to share their experiences with the community, inspiring other students to enroll in the program for fall 2023. Here are some highlights and memories from their time in Guatemala.
The best part of Estamos was waking up next door to one of the rarest ecosystems in the world. At 1,800 meters of elevation, the rainforest stretches high above the lowest clouds, which slowly drift through the trees and around the mountain ridges. Up in the cloud forest, the air is thick with moisture; orchids, mosses, and bromeliads cover nearly every available surface of the trees. I spent my practicum placement in the last month of Estamos at Community Cloud Forest Conservation, an organization that works to protect these unique ecosystems while alleviating poverty in the communities around them. After learning about the enormous biodiversity of tropical rainforests in classes, it was incredible to see it firsthand and find species every day that I had never seen before. I had the chance to work with people who knew all the intricacies of this forest, who could name every bird by a few notes of their song and could tell you all the traditional uses of any plant you chose. As a biology student, this was definitely my highlight.
– Malcolm Reimer, fifth-year Bachelor of Science, Biology major
Being part of the Estamos program gave me the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone on a daily basis and to be ready for anything to happen. The immersion component of the program allowed us all to live with host families, eat different foods than what we’re used to, and use the Spanish we were learning in the classroom as our only way to communicate with locals. We had the opportunity to visit so much of the country, including the Tikal ruins, the cloud forest, Guatemala City, Antigua, the beach on the west coast, and Lake Atitlan. My favourite part of the program was spending a whole month in a town close to Lake Atitlan where I had my volunteer placement. There, we were able to explore the other towns on the lake, travel around in the back of pick-up trucks and visit lots of local coffee shops!
– Peri Wiebe, fifth-year Bachelor of Arts, International Development Studies major
When I first heard about the Estamos program, I was interested but I didn’t think it was something I would actually be able to do. It was very outside my comfort zone, something I had never done before… But as time went on, I couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of going, so I took a chance and went! Now that I’m back, I can honestly say that it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I got a chance to live independently, away from friends and family back home, and figure out who I was on my own. In doing so, I learnt a lot about myself. I also got to do all sorts of crazy fun things that I would never do here, like climbing ancient ruins or hiking up a volcano, going paragliding or releasing baby turtles into the ocean! All of that, plus being totally immersed into a new culture, made it an experience of a lifetime for me. And through it all, I bonded with the people I travelled with and created strong friendships with them. I am forever grateful for that experience and it is something that I know will stick with me for a very long time.
– Kayla Chartrand, fifth-year Bachelor of Arts, Psychology major
A big highlight from my time in Guatemala was exploring its many different landscapes, including mountainous terrains, volcanoes, black sand beaches, busy cities, jungles, rural Indigenous villages, and a cloud forest. For such a geographically small country it is amazing the diversity it has and I feel so lucky to have experienced such a variety of environments. What made these experiences so meaningful was that I was able to experience them alongside my host families and other in-country hosts. One memory that stands out specifically was our time at Community Cloud Forest Conservation, where we were able to explore the cloud forest and learn about the educational programs they were running at their site. We became immersed in learning alongside their teachers and students. One evening, I had the opportunity to participate in a research walk with some local and international researchers, and we found and documented a large venomous snake! The way they included me in their project was really neat and memories like this remind me of how thankful I am for all the people in Guatemala that made my time so meaningful.
– Mia Loeppky, second-year Bachelor of Arts, Social Sciences major
Spending the semester in Guatemala was more exciting and life-changing than I imagined! (Cliché… maybe. True… absolutely!) I went from speaking only English to learning and speaking Spanish! Learning another language in another country and trying to communicate in that language is a totally epic experience. There were so many memorable moments. We were fortunate to travel to many different parts of Guatemala and experience the diversity of the land, culture, and peoples. A highlight for me was when we moved to our host villages and experienced another way of life. This is where I lived with my second host family and completed my practicum in two different organizations. I learned traditional Indigenous ways of life, like weaving, shopping at markets, beading, squishing clay with my feet to build a bench, and cooking meals (there’s nothing like homemade tortillas!). Studying in Guatemala was incredible. I was not prepared to do the crazy activities we did or meet the most humbling people I have ever met or receive the gratitude I did in Panabaj. I will cherish our semester in Guatemala forever. #Estamos #DoIt!
– Ainsley Rowan-Keogh, fifth-year Bachelor of Arts, International Development Studies major
The application deadline to participate in Estamos 2023 is February 28. Visit cmu.ca/estamos for more information!
I remember being in grade one, sitting at the kitchen table doing my math homework with my sweet grandma, or “Khun Ya.” Helping me in her lingual mosaic of Thai and English, we added and subtracted pencils, beads, and tamarind seeds. We snacked on pieces of fruit as we drew tallies and diagrams to practice my arithmetic after school.
I remember my grandpa, my “Khun Pu,” a man of few words, who would eagerly sit counting trains with me and my sister as they rumbled by the window of my grandparents’ seniors apartment. He taught me how to fold paper airplanes and boats, showing me how to achieve crisp, precise creases with the edge of my thumbnail. He emphasized to me that experts who designed these vessels for a living must also be very precise in their calculations and very smart.
These are the memories that come to me when I ponder my early encounters with mathematics. Math and science were my favourite subjects during early school years, until I got my hands on chapter books. Storytelling and writing quickly became STEM’s rival in my life.
Katrina Lengsavath, third-year CMU student
A familiar stereotype is that many Asian immigrant parents have persuasively prophetic voices over their children’s career paths, considering “doctor, lawyer, dentist” as the sacred trinity of occupational options. Other acceptable paths may include becoming a nurse, pharmacist, scientist, or engineer. Many Asians end up in such professions.
According to Joan C. Williams et al. in The Atlantic, “…this belief has pervaded American pop culture and media for decades…Since the stereotype ostensibly is a compliment, there’s a temptation to think that pursuing careers in science, technology, math, and engineering is easier for Asian Americans.” At the end of the day, after our families struggled, escaping or immigrating to North America for safety or the potential of success, they want to see their kids succeed in the Western world.
Despite this stereotype and the prevalence of Asians in the sciences, Asians are disproportionately unacclaimed in these fields. How does this dichotomy exist?
Standards set by the National Institute of Health say people who identify as Asian overall are not underrepresented in STEM.* Research spearheaded by Yuh Nung Jan, professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the University of California San Francisco, found that “Asian Americans, who make up about 7% of the U.S. population, are overrepresented in biomedical research in the United States, making up more than 20% of the field’s researchers. Yet [Jan] found that Asian scientists have received just 57 out of 838 [prestigious science] prizes included in the study, which only looked at American awards. Asian women scientists have fared far worse, receiving less than 1% of the prizes.”
More broadly, in a study conducted by the National Science Foundation in 2015, only a mere 4–6% of degree holders in science and engineering are BIPOC women and men, and such degree holders from BIPOC minority groups were less likely to receive federal grants or contracts than their White counterparts within research-intensive institutions.
This gender and racial disparity in STEM shows up in my education. I learned much about Austrian monk Gregor Mendel and his pea plants and Alexander Fleming for his discovery of penicillin, the very first antibiotic. Comparably, it wasn’t ages ago that Watson and Crick were called out for taking more credit than they should have for Rosalind Franklin’s confirmation of DNA’s double-helix shape. Further, many science students have probably studied Okazaki fragments in their classes. How commonly do people know that they were discovered in the 1960s by Tsuneko Okazaki, a molecular biologist and Japanese woman?
Since the days of counting mandarin oranges at the kitchen table with my Khun Ya, I have grown into a young woman of colour pursuing sciences. I am currently a student serving on CMU’s faculty-run Science and Faith Initiatives Committee, and I’m thrilled that we are welcoming Dr. Francis Su into the CMU community as the very first BIPOC Scientist in Residence.
Dr. Su is an American mathematician, Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, former president of the Mathematical Association of America, and author of Mathematics for Human Flourishing. I’m looking forward to his discussions on the challenges and opportunities for equity, diversity, and inclusion in mathematics and the sciences. How can we make STEM spaces more just for everyone? Dr. Su will also illuminate the beauty and humanity of mathematics helping us all flourish. I would encourage everyone to check out this year’s Scientist in Residence lecture series at CMU.
I never had to be convinced to like school or studying, and I was naturally inclined towards STEM. I am one of many other first-generation anomalies who never actually felt stereotypical pressure to become the Asian “doctor, lawyer, or dentist” growing up. What does it mean or represent, when I get to choose my fate and go into STEM, anyway? Dr. Su’s op-ed in the Los Angeles Times on the gender gap in STEM asserts how, “…a healthy diversity of deserving winners represents a community’s visible commitment to encouraging its least visible members, who may one day do great things.”
BIPOC individuals and women choosing to go into STEM, whether honourable or onerous, face a glass ceiling of systemic and social biases that hinder access and recognition for excellence in STEM. I don’t know if immigrant or BIPOC grandparents all over the world would have imagined that their grandkids, who they tutored in arithmetic with spoons and raisins in a country and language new to them, would grow up to choose the art of sciences. Students like me depend on initiatives that highlight and pay respect to the STEM achievements of ethnic minorities. Without a doubt, our successes will be their success story, too.
Katrina Lengsavath is a third-year Bachelor of Arts student, majoring in Arts and Science with concentrations in biochemistry and music. She also co-leads the CMU Science Students’ Association. Her writing here was inspired by Dr. Su’s op-ed in the Los Angeles Times.
* Some Asian subgroups may be underrepresented, such as Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders. This observation from the National Institute of Health is based on an amalgamation of all Asian groups.
