Current Students

What if your co-op was your own company? One UWindsor student found out

photo of Sydney Thompson and Kalkidan Wubshet standing at the head of boardroomSydney Thompson (left), program co-ordinator with the Office of Innovation, Partnerships and Entrepreneurship, stands with Kalkidan Wubshet, the first student to take part in the University of Windsor’s Entrepreneurship Co-op program. (MAHNOZ AKTARI/University of Windsor)

 

By Victor Romao

Instead of stepping into a traditional co-op role, University of Windsor computer science student Kalkidan Wubshet spent the work term building a startup — an experience that began with a simple realization.

“When it comes to communicating on campus, most students rely on word of mouth, Instagram, Discord, bulletin boards, etc.,” said Wubshet. “Everything is scattered.”

From the football field to the classroom, BEd alum supports student success

Randy Beardy on the football fieldUWindsor alum, Indigenous graduation coach and Lancer football offensive line coach Randy Beardy (KYLE ARCHIBALD/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

Randy Beardy never imagined himself becoming a teacher.  

“I’m kind of a rebel at heart,” he laughs. “If you tell me to do something, I have a hard time doing it.”   

Rather than following in his mother's footsteps — also a University of Windsor BEd alum, Beardy (BA Psychology ’17, BEd ’24) says he wanted to become a football coach. 

A family legacy of teaching and coaching

Brett Bjorgan in front of a rack of weightsTeacher candidate Brett Bjorgan was inspired to follow his father's footsteps into teaching and coaching (KYLE SULLIVAN/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

While having your dad teach at your high school may sound like a nightmare to some, for Brett Bjorgan, it was an inspiration. 

“My dad is a secondary physical education teacher, and my high school experience was great having him there as a mentor and making sure I was doing the right thing and staying in line,” he says. 

Students, staff and alumni gear up for home-track return of Windsor Roller Derby

A wall of blockers in a roller derby game tries to stop their opponentUWindsor alumnae Veronica Van Winckle aka Big V, Adele Dollar aka Delirious and Sandra Caradonna aka Diana Boss block an opposing skater in a 2025 roller derby game in Guelph, On. (SKYLAR SAWYER/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves

For the first time since 2019, residents of Windsor-Essex will have a chance to see Windsor Roller Derby (WRD) play locally. 

Founded in 2010 as Border City Brawlers, the league has been playing exclusively on the road for the last few years.  

June 6 marks their return to home track with UWindsor staff, students and alumni among those gearing up for a game at Tecumseh Arena. 

University student initiative turns awareness into action with close to $25K donation to homelessness hub

photo of members of City Hall, Odette School of Business and the Farrow Family Foundation holding the donated chequeLeft to right: City of Windsor chief administrative officer Ray Mensour, president of the Odette Commerce Society Makennah Murphy, director of the Farrow Family Foundation Jeff Farrow, City of Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens, board chair of the Farrow Family Foundation Pat Soulliere and City of Windsor Commissioner Dana Paladino. (RONAK DOOWD/University of Windsor)

By Victor Romao 

Is generative AI making us more productive, or less connected to our work?

A head and shoulders photo of Dr. Esraa AbdelhalimOdette School of Business professor Dr. Esraa Abdelhalim has received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant to study how generative artificial intelligence can be used to enhance workplace performance without undermining motivation or personal agency. (DAVE GAUTHIER/University of Windsor)

By Victor Romao 

For most workers, the appeal of generative AI is obvious: faster drafts, quicker analysis, less time on the routine parts of the job.  

Why great art teachers still get their hands dirty

Sanja Srdanov in front of a wall of student artSanja Srdanov is a secondary art teacher and associate teacher mentoring teacher candidates from the Faculty of Education (S. SRDANOV/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

No matter where secondary visual arts teacher Sanja Srdanov (BFA ’01, BEd ’02) is teaching, her focus is both student-centred and grounded in craft. 

A Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate from the University of Windsor, Srdanov emphasizes the importance of being a practicing artist as a visual arts educator. 

High school students earn hands-on certifications at UWindsor's Faculty of Human Kinetics

Three high school girls using a blood pressure cuffHigh school students from three local school boards learned hands-on skills at the inaugural SHSM conferences this April (ADRIANA DUQUETTE/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

High school students had the chance to level up their skills this April as the University of Windsor's Faculty of Human Kinetics hosted three inaugural conferences for the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program. 

SHSM is an Ontario-wide program that allows students to graduate with skills, knowledge and certifications relevant to one of 19 industry sectors. 

Your teachers are on their own when it comes to AI — one UWindsor researcher wants to change that

Samita Sarkar in front of a grey background wearing heart shaped glassesPhD student and secondary English teacher Samita Sarkar is researching high school teachers' navigation of a changing AI landscape (PROVIDED BY S. SARKAR/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

When Samita Sarkar was a new teacher, a lot was happening in the world. ChatGPT was going viral online — and so was a global pandemic. 

As a secondary school English teacher, she found herself confronted with issues around artificial intelligence (AI) and student writing assessment with little to no policy guidance. 

“We had to make high-stakes decisions around academic integrity, assessment and what counts as ‘student writing’ with no institutional guidance or administrative support,” she says. 

The "Great Olympic Journey" of one Human Kinetics class

A group of people in front of a WADA signGraduate students visited the World Anti-Doping Agency as part of Dr. Scott Martyn's Olympics-focused graduate course (S. MARTYN/University of Windsor)

Guest submission by Dr. Scott Martyn

Having studied the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games (Milano Cortina 2026) held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy this past semester, five University of Windsor graduate students from the Faculty of Human Kinetics received an Olympic-calibre experience of their own last month.

The group, led by UWindsor professor Dr. Scott Martyn, travelled to Toronto, Montreal and Lake Placid, New York, to experience the modern Olympic movement first-hand.