Summer Newsletter

SUMMER 2025

Exceptional Undergraduate Learning

Sessional Teaching Excellence Award Cody Esih Department of Decision Sciences

Sessional Teaching Excellence Award Dr.Lori Harper Department of Psychology

Teaching at MacEwan has been the honour of my life. I consider it a rare privilege to be able to wake up feeling excited to go to work and teach such amazing students. As a MacEwan alumni myself, I have an opportunity to give back what MacEwan has given to me. It is so rewarding to witness my students go through their own academic journeys to discover their potential and undergo personal transformation. MacEwan is such a special community with passionate, collaborative colleagues and exceptional students. I never could have dreamed of having such a fulfilling and rewarding career.

I am very grateful and humbled to receive the Sessional teaching award. Teaching at MacEwan is very special to me as my experiences have helped me to develop and grow, not only as an instructor and researcher, but personally as well. I love that class sizes are small and that I can get to know students well. I treasure both the relationships I have developed with students and the opportunity to watch them succeed. I very much appreciate the collegiality of the psychology department and sharing a common goal with my colleagues-student success.

Sessional Teaching Award Colin Waugh Department of Design

Early Career Award Kealey Dube Department of Social Work

Teaching at MacEwan has been an opportunity to share my hard-learned lessons from the film and video industry with a new generation of ambitious artists. Their big ideas and reckless excitement bring a unique perspective to my personal work, and wrangling those big ideas keeps every semester fresh, collaborative, and full of experimentation.

Teaching at MacEwan is a true privilege, made even more meaningful by the opportunity to collaborate with exceptional colleagues and engage with passionate, thoughtful students. Working alongside students who are eager to make a difference renews my hope in a more just and compassionate world. I am inspired by their resilience, their empathy, and their determination to challenge the status quo. Guiding students as they develop their voices is both a privilege and a powerful reminder that our collective future is in thoughtful, capable hands. Their questions, insights, and growth remind me why this work matters. Their passion fuels my own!

Early Career Award Soni Dasmohapatra Department of Arts and Cultural Management

My teaching journey at MacEwan has been both enriching and transformative. As an assistant professor in the Arts and Cultural Management department, I have focused on designing and delivering courses that are relevant, engaging, and connected to the broader arts and cultural sector. I’ve learned a lot from my students and colleagues, and I’m constantly finding new ways to make my teaching more inclusive and meaningful while integrating real-world applications and management strategies into the curriculum. This period has been one of significant professional growth. I continue to deepen my commitment to reflective teaching and expansion of equity-guided leadership models in the arts, culture, and heritage ecosystems.