Stepping Stones: Celebrating a lasting Lakeland legacy

The decision made by Beverly Van Unen (née Strome) to attend Lakeland College came naturally – and continued a family legacy that would span generations.

Growing up on a farm north of Vermilion, Beverly, as well as her family, had close ties to Lakeland College from the beginning. The accessibility of a college education in their hometown encouraged their family’s attendance, with Beverly’s grandmother, Ada Viola Maggs (née Armstrong), graduating in 1914 from the first home economics class.

“The women back in those days, it took a long time for you to even be able to attend. They were fighting that all along. Not even getting the same wage as the men,” says Beverly when asked about her grandmother’s experience. “I think that it’s great that she went to school.”

In the years following her grandmother’s graduation, the college was closed to students during both the 1918 influenza pandemic and World War II, becoming a makeshift hospital and then training centre for the Canadian Women’s Army Corps. Due to these events, there was no 25th anniversary graduating class for the college.

Following in her grandmother’s footsteps, Beverly chose to take secretarial arts through Lakeland, where she graduated from the program in the 50th anniversary class in 1965.

“Lakeland really started my career. After I graduated from the secretarial arts program, I also worked at Lakeland for a while as a secretary. When I got married, they were good references for me to get my job up in Slave Lake (Alta.).”

Beverly enjoyed working in various secretarial positions in the years after her graduation, until a tragic car accident left her blind in one eye. Upon some reflection on her career path, she decided to return to Lakeland to take the interior design program, graduating in 1990.

“I was not supposed to be here. I was in the hospital for five days, so I decided, well, I've always liked designing. So that's when I went back to college in the 75th anniversary year. And, they said I couldn't draw with one eye, right? I couldn't draw three-dimensional. But I did.”

Upon her graduation from yet another anniversary year, Beverly went on to obtain her degree in interior design at the University of Manitoba, where she was granted credits towards completion due to her Lakeland diploma. Although she received her final accreditation from another institution, Beverly recognizes the impact Lakeland had on her from the beginning.

“Lakeland really provided me the stepping stone to achieve the goal that I had at the time,” she says. “I (moved) down there [Manitoba], and I actually ended up on the Dean’s Order.”

Beverly’s love for learning didn’t end there, and she enjoyed several other career shifts throughout her life.

Now retired, Beverly and her husband are enjoying their time in British Columbia. Although her own educational endeavours have come to an end, Beverly is happy to see her family’s Lakeland legacy carried on by her granddaughter, Jessie Wasylik, who graduated with a business administration certificate in 2014.

Continuing with the coincidence of anniversary graduations in the family, Jessie graduated from the business program in the 100th anniversary year. Their family also has numerous other relatives who attended, worked at, or graduated from Lakeland.

“Lakeland is a place that encourages people to keep coming back. The college has that nice small-town feel. To have a school like that in a place like Vermilion is great.”