Carla was born and raised in the West Kootenay region of BC, and is now settled in Calgary, Alberta following a dozen years living in England. Her British husband and their son keeps her on her toes, but she is currently on the final stretch of completing her BA in English through AU. In her free time, she spends as much time outdoors as she can by hiking, biking, gardening and geocaching.
Besides writing for The Voice, she loves to share her passion for words by being a Little Free Library steward in her community.
Carla’s favourite topics to write about are hobbies, current events and popular culture.
From the moment that they sign up for a course, AU students know they are in a unique learning situation compared to other university students because of the self-directed learning format. Even if they weren’t familiar with it before, AU students discover that they alone are responsible for their learning—no falling asleep in the back… Read more »
Once each year, AU students are invited to come and hear what’s happening with AUSU. It is also an opportunity for AUSU members to bring up topics and give some feedback and direction about what AUSU should focus on. The topics raised at the meeting have been discussed and approved by council but it’s an… Read more »
AUSU’s monthly Council meeting, held on Thursday August 9th at 6:30 was a quick and smooth one. It was followed by the annual Member’s Meeting. Despite some dial-in issues at the beginning, there were twenty participants listening in (including Council and Staff) and discussion at both meetings was positive. Councillors Julian Teterenko and Vice-President External… Read more »
It is the high season of summer, which is also known as “patio season”. The long days and light evenings beckon people to stay outside as long as possible and invites casual dining al fresco. Patio season is also associated with enjoying an alcoholic beverage or two; perhaps a really cold pint of beer, a… Read more »
The topic of sports has been on people’s minds lately, with the current NHL hockey season ramping up for the playoffs as well as the recent Olympic and Paralympic games in PyeongChang. In Part two of our interview with AU’s Creative Writing professor, Dr. Angie Abdou, she talks about her upcoming books that combine her… Read more »
For many people, writing a book and seeing their name in print is their ultimate dream. Athabasca University’s creative writing professor, Angie Abdou, has taken her passion for writing and written several successful novels, including The Bone Cage, The Canterbury Trail, and her latest novel, In Case I Go. But does the life of a… Read more »
Spend some time on social media or send a text message and it’s pretty much guaranteed you will come across some little faces and symbols. Ah yes, it’s the emoji. Like them or loathe them, these little visuals are not only augmenting an online conversation, they often are the conversation. They express laughter, tears, and… Read more »
Each year, Athabasca University invites a Canadian writer to be its Writer in Residence, an invited artist who serves as a resource for students, faculty, and the university and writing communities. This year, AU has chosen Richard Van Camp. He is a proud member of the Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation from Fort Smith, NWT. He is… Read more »
Recently, The Voice Magazine was invited to discuss education issues with Alberta’s Advanced Education Minster, the Honorable Marlin Schmidt. We wanted to get a picture of the current issues facing Alberta education and politics; issues that apply not only to Athabasca University but also the overall climate of post-secondary education across Canada. Alberta’s NDP government… Read more »
The first meeting of January 2018 proved to be another marathon session but contained many important issues for council and AU undergraduates. The meeting was called to order at 5:31. The minutes from the December 2017 meeting were carried unanimously, but AUSU President Shawna Wasylyshyn clarified a couple of points on them. The meeting notes… Read more »