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.
A glance at student posts on social media and the AUSU Forums suggests that students? number one complaint is about their tutors. Specifically, students often express frustration at the length of time it takes to have an assignment or exam marked. What’s also apparent is that many students don’t seem to know how long is… Read more »
The Voice Magazine provides more value to students than any other single AUSU program or benefit. And, since it continues to provide increasing value to an increasing number of students, AUSU has no reason?no legitimate reason?to silence the magazine. AUSU Council quietly announced?via a meeting notice posted on its website?in early April that they would… Read more »
You have only one week to submit your application to AUSU to make the May 1 deadline for a number of AUSU undergraduate scholarships and awards. Since AUSU hasn’t been promoting the upcoming deadline, applications are likely to be lower than usual, reducing the competition. This is your chance! The AUSU Scholarship, Awards, and Bursaries… Read more »
Time is running out! AUSU’s Annual General Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, at 5:30 MST. Have you registered yet? If not, drop everything?yes, even this magazine?and e-mail ausu@ausu.org to register. Make sure your voice is heard. AUSU’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) is your opportunity to hear what student council has been doing on… Read more »
In a puzzling move last week, AUSU Student Council announced it would seek to replace The Voice Magazine with a “Writer in Residence.” Without notice and with minimal fanfare, AUSU placed an upcoming event listing on its website, and on the AUSU Update page in April 3rd’s The Voice, for the seemingly hastily-organized 2015 Annual… Read more »
Are you enjoying your long weekend so far? Me? Not so much. Long weekends, for me, are a thing of the past. In the transition from employed to self-employed, I seem to have lost the long weekend. When I worked at a regular 40-hour per week job, weekends were part of the framework of life…. Read more »
When Woody Allen said “80 percent of success in life is just showing up,” he was not referring to exams. Yes, showing up is critically important?think of the alternative?but what’s going to make the biggest impact on your exam success is your preparation. Studying, although of paramount importance, is only part of preparation. There is… Read more »
Have you visited Lynda yet? Lynda.com is the online software training company that is currently free for AUSU members. AU’s Student Union has arranged for free one-year access for AU undergraduate students, but time is running out. We first looked at lynda.com in this February 7, 2014 article in The Voice Magazine. If you didn’t… Read more »
Athabasca University is not closing and your credits are safe. Aren’t you glad The Voice Magazine‘s writers attend AUSU’s monthly council meetings to bring you news you need in a timely basis? Sitting in on meetings listening to discussions on policy is sometimes?dare I say it?boring. Judging from the number of other student observers who… Read more »
“AU Press operates on the model of a knowledge-based economy, to which we contribute by providing peer-reviewed publications unfettered by the desire to commodify thought or to restrict access to ideas.” Did you know that AU Press is so dedicated to sharing knowledge that it offers free online access to all its publications? That’s right,… Read more »