I think about my life as a series of stories, all interconnected, that have made me who I am, and inform who I am becoming. I think it’s important to let you know that I am a cis gender, straight, Indigenous woman with white skin privilege. I was raised by my lesbian mothers within the LGBTQ2+ community with very little connection to my Indigenous heritage during my “formative” years. As an adult I am trying to re-establish that connection.
Lots of people have months of significance, filled with holidays and celebrations that bring them closer to their community, family and friends. June is my month.
In June, I celebrate Pride Month with my family. This usually involves a dinner or two, many rainbows, and a few bottles of wine, if I’m being honest. My sister and I reminisce about our childhood. We tell our kids stories about our mothers and their friends and about our experiences as children of queer parents growing up in the '80s. In June we say “remember that time...” and “what happened to…” a lot. We also attend vigils, witness stories of strength, about loss of friends, loss of family, loss of community, and loss of faith in people we thought we knew. And we dress up, shout, dance and spread love during the Pride Parade, embracing and celebrating the community and people we love.
June 21st is Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day. It is also Summer Solstice and the birth date of my twins. For me it’s a day of story telling, celebrating, and mourning. Not always in that order. I tell my kids the stories I’ve learned about our family, stories about being proud of the indigenous side of themselves, stories about the importance of using their voices for positive change, even if it’s uncomfortable to do so. In the past we’ve attended pow wows. This year we’ll look for an online pow wow to participate in.
June is a month of celebration of the community I was blessed to be raised in and a month of reflection and hopeful reconnection to the community I lost.
It’s important to remember intersectionality and how our stories and experiences intertwine. It’s important to remember that our stories inform our choices, even as they relate to the work Advancement does. As someone who contributes to Queen’s, I choose to direct my donations toward programs at Queen’s that support Indigenous students. If there was a fund that provided assistance to LGBTQ2+ students (and I was shocked to hear that there isn’t), I would direct my funds there as well. Perhaps that’s something we can work on…
Employee Spotlight
The Employee Spotlight celebrates the arrival of our new staff by profiling responses they share through a fun and informal survey that will help us get to know them better. Be sure to review these profiles and use these fun facts and tidbits to find commonalities, embrace differences and spark a conversation! This week we are welcoming four new members to Advancement:
Meredith Meads in the position of Executive Director, University Wide Development. Learn more about Meredith and what fictional family she would like to be a part of!
Rachel Castellano in the position of Associate Director, Toronto Strategy. Learn more about Rachel and what interesting hobby she does in her spare time!
Bobbie O’Connor in the position of Senior Advisor, Strategic Initiatives & Operations. Learn more about Bobbie and how he feels about using #2 pencils!
Jobs with Advancement
We need your recruitment help. Know great talent that would be a good addition to our team? If so, please promote the vacancies below with your networks and let’s find some amazing new team members.
Applications (including a cover letter and résumé) must be submitted through CareerQ. For additional information on this posting, please reach out to either Carla or the hiring manager for the position you are interested in.
Available Position:
| POSITION | UNIT AND DEPARTMENT | CLOSING DATE | GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Associate Director, Regional Strategy | Alumni Relations & Annual Giving | June 20, 2021 | 10 |
| Executive Director, Development, Faculty of Law | Development, Faculty of Law | June 13, 2021 | 12 |
| Senior Analyst | Advancement Services, Information Technology Management | June 13, 2021 | 8 |
Fun Fact—Mottos
The Queen's motto is Sapientia et Doctrina Stabilitas, generally translated from the Latin as "Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times." The phrase is adapted from Isaiah XXXIII.6 and has been in use since the 1850s.
Two faculties and one student organization also have mottos:
The motto of the Faculty of Law is Soit Droit Fait, a Norman French phrase for "Let right be done." The phrase is traditionally associated with the rule of law in England.
The motto of the Faculty of Medicine is Manu et Corde Medicus, which translates from Latin as, "The doctor works by hand and heart."
The motto of Queen's Engineering Society - Quis Dolor Cui Dolium - is more irreverent. It translates as "Who suffers who has a cask of wine?" It was devised in 1963 by Classics professor Tony Marshall after he was approached by Engineering Society executives interested in lending Latin dignity to the society's informal English motto, "What the hell as long as there's free beer."