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 for over ten years, Barbara has also contributed to other publications including Chicken Soup for the Soul and Maclean’s. Barbara writes in several genres, including non-fiction, fiction, and poetry. She’s eternally grateful to The Voice Magazine for providing the opportunity to explore an array of topics and writing styles.
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.
As an AU student who hopes one day to make the journey to Athabasca to collect her degree, I’m concerned with recent reports regarding AU’s long-term viability. Media reports predicting the demise of AU, or a merge with another institution, seem to crop up annually, followed by some water-on-the-fire response by the university. This year’s… Read more »
One of the best gifts I ever received was a Kobo Touch e-reader. I’m a book nut: I’m frequently reading, and I often have multiple books on the go at once. The e-reader makes it possible to read more often and in more locations than I can with traditional books. Previously, even a short weekend… Read more »
I remember my first lonely months as an AU student. Although I work well on my own, I know from experience that my learning process is enhanced by contact with fellow students. In my classroom of one, there is no enlightening discussion, no variety in points of view, no camaraderie. When I discovered the AUSU… Read more »
Navigating the AU Library’s website can take some patience and practice. And, even if you think you know how to get around, major website renovations in late 2014 may leave you feeling a bit lost. The folks at the AU Library want to help you find your way. AU’s library recently hosted a Library Orientation… Read more »
It’s one thing to know?just know?that your trusted partner is cheating on you. It’s quite another to hear it from their own lips. The certain knowledge of betrayal?even though not a surprise?brings gut-wrenching dismay. That’s how I felt at the May 27 AUSU Annual General Meeting (AGM) when AUSU Council President Shawna Wasylyshyn confirmed that,… Read more »
Will you be on AU’s Honours List this year? Every six months, AU publishes its Undergraduate Honours List. The next list is due out July 2015. Will you be on it? Here’s how it works: Who qualifies? The short answer: Undergraduate students who are enrolled in a program, and have achieved an average GPA of… Read more »
Would you hand over a sum of money to people you’ve haven’t met and then never hold them accountable for what they did with your dollars?which are supposed to benefit you? If you don’t attend AUSU’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 27, then you’ve done just that. How much money have you handed over… Read more »
May 13’s AUSU council meeting turned into an unexpected marathon session, clocking in at just under two hours. When the meeting wound up at 7:27 pm it was too late to attend the AU Library’s free orientation webinar, which finished at 7 pm. The slowness of the meeting was partly due to the cancellation of… Read more »
On April 27, AUSU introduced its new Executive Director, Karyna Hoch. Karyna has been with AUSU since 2009 as Office Coordinator. Two weeks after beginning her new role as ED, and in the midst of training new Office Coordinator Donette Kingyens, Karyna took the time to speak with The Voice Magazine writer Barbara Lehtiniemi about… Read more »
I have a strange relationship with the radio. At home, I seldom listen to the radio. I turn it on briefly to listen to the news or a specific program, then turn it back off. I don’t use the radio for background noise; I find it rather irritating. In the car, things are different. The… Read more »