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Mrs. Laurel Lavell (BA 1998)

      Mrs. Laurel Lavell’s (BA 1998) University of Waterloo experience was highly rewarding both personally and career-wise because of her co-op positions, which gave her the opportunity to work with and motivate young people. Not only did Laurel choose UW for its innovative co-op program, but also because studying here gave her the chance to live at home with her family, which was important to her at the time. Furthermore, Laurel has a great passion for reading and writing, and so English was “the perfect fit” for her.

      Laurel’s co-op jobs built the foundation for her future career as a teacher. All of her co-op terms were spent in Outdoor Education jobs, where she worked to encourage young people to learn and master new skills.

      Laurel’s passion for English would be strengthened by some of her favourite English professors and subjects. Ted McGee’s Shakespeare course (a favourite amongst English students to this day) was especially memorable, along with Semiotics and Linguistics; she loved this course for its uniqueness and for the fact that it reached into “many facets of modern society.” This course, Laurel says, “forms the basis for much of the subject material I share with my current students.”

      After she graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Waterloo, Laurel entered teacher’s college at Queen’s University. Today, she teaches secondary school English at Bluevale Collegiate Institute in Waterloo Region. She lives with her husband and two daughters.

      Laurel offers this advice to students: “enjoy what you’re studying, learn from everyone, meet new people, and try new things.”