emergency first responder erin christiansen overcame the odds

she credits the humanities 101 program with changing her life

"when i began the humanities 101 program, i was in one of the darkest places of my life," erin christiansen says.

"i felt lost, stuck, and unsure if i would ever find a direction forward. i carried a lot of doubt about who i was and what i could become.

humanities 101 did more than introduce me to new ideas and academic learning—it gave me hope."

hanging out with her dog tiny is one of erin's favourite ways to spend her downtime.

humanities 101 is a community outreach program offered by 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 that has been empowering people for 20 years.

this free one-semester, non-credit course introduces 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 to topics in the humanities and social science fields.

it was created to provide a university-level learning experience to community members facing financial or social barriers to postsecondary education, and to help them believe in themselves.

triumphing over hardships

"from a young age, life felt heavy and uncertain. i grew up in poverty, raised by a single mother while my father battled a terminal illness," erin explains.

becoming a registered heart & stroke first aid instructor was an exciting day for erin. "humanities 101 reminded me that growth is always possible and that hope can begin in the most unexpected places," she says.

"as a teenager, i struggled with addiction and eventually found myself homeless, living on the streets. although i fought my way back to stability, i still felt like i was standing still—surviving but not truly moving forward.

i never imagined that someone with my background would ever see the inside of a university classroom. higher education felt like something meant for other people—people with stability, money, and confidence. not people like me.

humanities 101 changed that."

a warm welcome from the campus community

the program is very close to the heart of associate professor dr. christina van barneveld of the faculty of education. she founded humanities 101 at lakehead and continues to lead the program in thunder bay.

"it's more than a course," dr. van barneveld says. "it's an invitation for people to gather into a supportive community to learn and grow together."

"humanities 101 was life-changing for me," erin says. "it opened a door i never thought i would walk through and gave me the courage to keep going."

erin agrees with those sentiments.

"the connections i have made through humanities 101 will last me a lifetime," she says.

"i found community, understanding, and people who saw potential in me, even when i struggled to see it in myself. that belief changed everything.

humanities 101 showed me that my past does not define my future. it reminded me that it is never too late and you are never too old to start again.

for the first time, i began to think that i could do something meaningful with my life and that continuing my education was not just a dream, but a real possibility.

i will carry what this program has given me for the rest of my life."

erin launches a career helping people in crisis

after completing the humanities 101 program at 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 , erin discovered an opportunity to volunteer as a medical first responder with fort william first nation (fwfn).

she completed 40 hours of in-class training and earned her emergency first responder certification. she then volunteered in that role for two years before being hired full time. today, she is the fwfn medical first response team coordinator.

fort william first nation medical first response team coordinator erin christiansen (fourth from left) with fellow members of her team.

"none of this would have happened without humanities 101," erin says.

"the program gave me the courage to take a chance on myself and step outside of my comfort zone. it allowed me to see my own potential and believe in the strengths i carried within me.

humanities 101 changed my life. without it, i would have remained stuck—doubting myself and never realizing what i was capable of achieving."

humanities 101 is proud to be celebrating its 20th anniversary. click here for more information about this transformative community outreach program.