Barbara Lehtiniemi is a writer and photographer from Ontario. She’s a graduate of Athabasca University, having completed her Bachelor of General Studies degree in 2018.
A regular contributor to The Voice Magazine since 2013, Barbara is an occasional contributor to other publications including Maclean’s and MC2. Barbara writes in several genres, including non-fiction, fiction, and poetry. She’s grateful to The Voice Magazine for providing the opportunity to explore an array of topics and writing styles, and she remains dreadfully sorry for those awful haikus.
Barbara has a fondness for travel, used bookstores, everyday absurdities, and oversized wine glasses. Originally from urban Southwestern Ontario, she now lives on a windswept rural road in Eastern Ontario with her indulgent and supportive husband, Leo.
You can follow Barbara on Twitter @theregoesbarb, or contact her at blehtiniemi1@athabasca.edu.
Each time I glance at my AU parchment, hanging near my desk, I think back to the effort that went into earning my degree. And, inevitably, I think back to the money that went into it, too. When I began pursuing my degree, I assumed that I’d qualify for the same financial assistance that younger… Read more »
Are you ready for the elation, the emotion, the high fives, and the cheering crowds? Students who finish their AU degree requirements by April 30 are eligible to attend AU’s convocation ceremonies this June in Athabasca, Alberta. Will you be among the hundreds of excited graduands visiting the campus of Athabasca University for the first… Read more »
Current AU students, entrenched in the seemingly endless struggle toward their degrees, may think I’m crazy. But after finishing my degree at AU last year, I returned to take one more course. I’m not a sucker for punishment. I’m not turning into a career student. I just decided to take one course simply for the… Read more »
Wouldn’t it be nice to do something different this year? Every year you swear it will be different, but by the end of December, you realize it’s been the same old, same old. How about exploring your creative side? How about being published? How about earning some extra money? How about doing all three things… Read more »
“We live on an island surrounded by a sea of ignorance. As our island of knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance.” — John Archibald Wheeler (1911-2008), American theoretical physicist. Should every university program require mandatory indigenous-content courses? That’s a question I pondered in 2016 after reading Tamra Ross’s article, “Truth and Reconciliation—Will… Read more »
When I arrived at the Student Town Hall in Ottawa last week, I knew I was in the right place. In a room set up for fifty, each of the students already there were sitting as far apart from each other as possible. AU students, it seems, are so accustomed to their solitary studies that… Read more »
“The more we try to keep up with the Joneses in terms of preparing our little athletes for future success, the less likely we are to leave ourselves time to enjoy the simple pleasures of family life.” – Angie Abdou, in Home Ice. If hockey parents aren’t shrieking in the stands this winter, it’s because… Read more »
Attending AU’s Convocation was, for me, a much-anticipated experience. As I worked my way through my AU degree program, the thought of attending convocation was on my mind. Although Athabasca is almost 4000 km away from home, I viewed it as a important destination for my AU journey. On June 8, my husband and I… Read more »
How do I thank everyone who helped me during my time at AU? In the lead-up to this weekend’s grad ceremony, AU’s convocation office asked me who I would most like to thank or acknowledge for their support while I completed my degree. This, along with my responses to other questions, will comprise “a short… Read more »
