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.
One drawback of studying online is the lack of student interaction. AU has tens of thousands of students, yet few of us ever meet or speak to another student. We study in our silos, often struggling along without the peer support system that other university’s students enjoy. There are supports for AU students, but they… 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 »
Valentine’s Day will soon be here. Finding the right gift for your sweetie can be stressful at the best of times. For those living on a tight budget, the stress is amplified. However, marking Valentine’s Day need not be expensive. With a little imagination, you can express your love without straining your bank account. Here… Read more »
Where’s the money for your next AU course coming from? If you answered “I don’t know,” perhaps you need to explore AU’s scholarship opportunities. There are eight scholarships or bursaries with application deadlines of February 15. There is still have time to examine these opportunities and submit your application. AU’s awards application process is now… Read more »
The end is approaching quickly. Too quickly! I revised my study plan for the next few months and realized that I have just over three months of AU studies left—about a hundred days. By April 30 I will have completed all the courses for my degree. Suddenly, graduation will be this year. In one sense,… Read more »
Will 2018 be the year you make a difference in someone’s life? Could you help someone lift themselves out of poverty, launch a small business, or complete their education? Making a big impact is easier than you think. In 2017 I invested in a Peruvian corn farm. On the same day, I invested in a… Read more »
A fresh new year is intoxicating. In the last days of the old year, the new year sits there, like an unwrapped present. You don’t know what the package holds, but you know it’s full of promise. Last year started full of promise, too, but we’re ready to discard it. We eagerly await the new… Read more »
In her January executive blog, AUSU president Shawna Wasylyshyn asks, “who are the students of AU?” In her capacity as student union council president, Wasylyshyn interacts with countless people in the post-secondary education community. Some, she feels, view AU students as “disadvantaged”, “marginalized”, or people with “no other choice” but to attend AU. Like Wasylyshyn,… Read more »
For AU students, meeting another student is a rare occurrence. We study in solitude. Opportunities to meet other students are limited. Social media is one way to connect, but Facebook can’t replace face-to-face. Organized gatherings tend to focus on Alberta, with occasional gatherings held in large cities elsewhere. I was pleased to be able to… Read more »
I was asked to describe what it’s like to go to AU. Like many students, I benefit from the uniqueness of AU and I was happy to share my passion for the AU experience. If I could sum up AU in two words, those words would be “removes barriers”. The absence of barriers is the… Read more »