Dayna Graham is an Adult Learning Facilitator primarily at the Exchange District campus. Dayna’s education degree, EAL certificate, and 15 years in the field of education, combined with a lifetime commitment to sport, has driven her to seek out practices which elevate students’ learning and academic performance. Dayna has a hand in administering several student supports at the ASC, including academic coaching, tutoring, student success workshops, group review workshops, support for incoming students, and partnerships with various programs across Red River College Polytechnic.
As the Academic Student Success Coach at the Portage la Prairie Red River Campus, Maryanna Arendse supports students throughout their academic career. She understands expectations put on students and how stress can sneak up while going to school and living everyday life. She works with students to set goals and supports their efforts to reach them and helps clarify assignments, aids with finding supplementary study material and coordinates peer tutoring on campus.
As well as doing one-on-one work with students, she also shares academic skills based on research through group Lunch and Learn sessions. These sessions cover topics such as study skills, test taking strategies, time management, stress reduction, and the use of social media in a job search.
Marc joined the Academic Success Centre as a math/skilled trades Tutor and Academic Coach in 2018 and is happy to be here! He spent most of the last decade teaching and tutoring math to apprentices and students just entering the trades. He enjoys teaching, and loves watching his students succeed.
“My most fulfilling moments as a tutor have come from helping individual students who have been struggling to break through. I look forward to helping students make their time at the College as manageable, rewarding, and successful as possible.”
Lena Bender joined the Academic Success Centre as a Nursing/Science tutor and Academic Coach in 2018 and is thrilled to be here!
With a BA and a background in Kinesiology, Lena has over 13 years of experience in Medical Education and private tutoring, in both French and English. She supports students in Nursing and Applied Health/ Sciences programs. Her special interest is Human Anatomy and Physiology.
Lena loves teaching, and enjoys watching her students succeed. She recognizes that each student has their own unique learning style, and works to create an environment tailored to each student’s strengths and interests.
Hello! My name is Rebecca Hiebert and I am an EAL tutor in the Academic Success Centre.
After receiving my BSc. in Chemistry from the University of Toronto, I moved to California and completed my Masters of Education. Following this, I taught in Orange County, California to mixed classes of native English speakers and English language learners. Since moving back to Canada, I have taught English for Employment as well as newcomer cooking and baking classes. In 2019 I completed my EAL certificate from the University of Winnipeg.
I am passionate about developing student specific activities and programs so students can gain independence with their learning. I am a lifelong learner and am currently learning to play the fiddle and guitar.
Jody Kulyk is the Academic Student Success Coach at the Interlake and Peguis-Fisher River Campus. Her teaching degree allows her to fully support students in their post-secondary academic journeys. With an educational background focused in English and Math, and a Post Baccalaureate degree in Counselling, she is able to provide a well-rounded, comprehensive approach to assisting students in their post-secondary pursuits. Jody loves helping students and believes that everyone should be a lifelong learner in and out of the classroom.
Hi! My name is Meg Loewen and I have been working at the Academic Success Centre since 2017 as an EAL Tutor, Academic Coach and Diversity Trainer.
Since receiving my Bachelors of Education in 2009, I have worked in education both in Manitoba and abroad. I taught in Manitoba’s public school system for six years and spent time volunteering in educational settings on five different continents.
I have a Master’s degree in Cross-Cultural Education and the Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA).
I am deeply committed to teaching and excited about working with individuals from diverse backgrounds. Individual learning styles, goals, motivations, and stories shape us as learners, and I aim to support my students’ learning in the way that best suits them.
I am an Academic Coach at the Steinbach Campus. I graduated from the University of Manitoba with a degree in Human Ecology and Business, and recently completed my TESOL Certification.
My additional work experience includes: Author of 3 national best selling books, national newspaper columnist for over 18 years, professional speaker, instructor at the U of M and Steinbach Bible College, content provider for Red River College Polytechnic, and Practicum Coordinator.
My favourite part of working at Red River College Polytechnic is the students. Every time I connect with students, I feel honored that I am able to interact with them on a meaningful level. My advice for working in any role in post-secondary education is to put yourself in the student's shoes and consider each student as a unique and gifted individual. Be kind, patient, and have fun!
Hi. I am Mike Okrainec, and I have been with the college for 5 years, first as a staff tutor, later adding Academic Coach and Academic Attendant to my duties. Prior to that, I worked for over a decade with adult learners at adult learning centres and with Workplace Education Manitoba. before that time, I taught in public schools in northern Manitoba and Nunavut. My specialty tutoring area is pre-trades math.
My favourite part of any tutoring session is seeing students go from "stuck" to "unstuck", and watching their confidence grow with each passing day.
Hi all, I am the Academic Success Coach at the Winkler Regional Campus. I have been in this coach position since 2017, but with the College since 2005. In addition to Academic Success Coach, I am also an Instructor in the Early Childhood Education Diploma Program. I believe in a strength based approach with students; the GROW model followed by the Academic Success Centre is a very good fit for me professionally and personally. I recognize that each student is an individual with their own strengths and challenges and as such, each coaching session looks a little different for everyone that comes to see me. We work with what's going right and build on those successes - GROW!
My background is in Early Childhood Education (Diploma and Post Diploma) and a General Studies Degree with a Psychology / Science focus. I also have my Certificate in Adult Education and a Certificate in Recognition of Prior Learning.
Hi, my name is Cody, and I’m a new academic coach at the academic success center. My background is in applied psychology and am currently working towards a Master’s in Sports psychology.
I have a passion for health and well-being and like to keep that in mind when coaching. It’s my goal to get you engaged in learning, and from studying psychology, I have learned that students who take charge of their own learning will show a lot of growth and improvement from where they started. I’m always happy to discover shared interests with students, some of mine include sports, movies, music and games to name a few. I like to help students find a way to apply something their interested in, towards their school work. Any way to bring something familiar to the college setting is a doorway to taking charge of their learning.
Working primarily at the Exchange District Campus, Kyle has made the campus his home and can be found in the PSC Library (P214) tutoring students, leading workshops, or working on projects that seek to improve the delivery of services by the ASC to improve the success of the students at Red River College Polytechnic.
Kyle has experience teaching business related courses for over 10 years and has expanded his knowledge in such programs as Business Administration, Applied Accounting, and Commerce Industry Sales & Marketing. His ability to not only teach, but allow the learner the space to learn at their own pace and provide foundational skills applicable to all their courses, is what each student takes away from a meeting with Kyle. He models successful learning to students, and expects them to also put in the energy with their time together, as each student has control over their own progress and should feel pride in their achievements as they move from a new student to graduation. If there was only one piece of advice Kyle would give a student, it would be about reading questions from textbooks or on exams; “Read it again. Read it again! READ IT AGAIN!” He really believes that students do not allow themselves enough forgiveness in their own abilities, and cannot stress how important it is to read a question more than once. Kyle will be the first one to say he reads a question three times before he really understands it!
Hello! I am thrilled to join the staff at the Academic Success Centre as an academic coach and staff tutor. I began my teaching career as a high school math teacher, followed by years of learning about people through running a home day care. Through all these years, I was privileged to tutor a number of students, mainly in math. In all of my experiences with schools and academics, I have come to realize that my favourite and most fulfilling moments have come in my tutoring roles. I love to be able to provide an alternate way of looking at concepts and to be able to truly listen to a student’s struggles and questions. I look forward to helping students make studying, math, and school work manageable and rewarding. This job could only get better done on a picnic table by a campfire!
