Alumni

Campus and community events planned to celebrate Black History Black Futures Month

Shetina Jones speaks at the Pan-African flag raisingDr. Shetina Jones speaks on campus during the raising of the Pan-African flag (FILE/University of Windsor)

Black History Month in Canada reaches a milestone in 2026, marking three decades of official recognition.

Looking back on generations past as well as into the future, the Canadian government has declared this year’s theme to be “30 Years of Black History Month: Honouring Black Brilliance Across Generations – From Nation Builders to Tomorrow’s Visionaries.”

At the University of Windsor and in the Windsor-Essex community, events throughout February are planned to celebrate Black histories and futures.

Game changer: Master of Education graduate tackles gender and video games

Kathleen Rose in front of her thesis defense presentationKathleen Rose wrote her Master of Education thesis on video games, gender and body image (PROVIDED BY K. ROSE/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

Kathleen Rose (MEd ’25) calls herself a long-time gamer, playing early role-playing games (RPGs) like Baldur's Gate since the 1990s. 

As the mother of young children at the time, and as a woman in the male-dominated video gaming space, she began to wonder about what messages these games were sending to players about gender and bodies. 

“As an English teacher, games are a text. They’re a media text like anything else,” she explains. 

Lifting weights, lifting spirits: Kinesiology student shares the joy of exercise with high schoolers through APEX

Chloé VidAmour in the gym at the Toldo CentreChloé VidAmour is an APEX program coordinator, MSc kinesiology and health studies student, and Lancer track and field athlete (DAVE GAUTHIER/University of Windsor).

By Kate Hargreaves

In high school weight rooms across Essex County, leadership class students and students with disabilities are sharing in the joy of exercise. 

Master of science in kinesiology and health studies student and APEX program coordinator Chloé VidAmour describes seeing these students build connections as “beautiful to watch.” 

“We see this blossom of friendship,” she says. “It’s so fulfilling to see how much everyone loves the program.” 

Curation as collaboration: MFA alumna wins curatorial award

Niku Koochak at Art Windsor-EssexAlumna Niku Koochak is a recent winner of a Galleries Ontario curatorial award. (DAVE GAUTHIER/University of Windsor).

By Kate Hargreaves 

Collaboration is at the heart of University of Windsor Master of Fine Arts (MFA) alumna Niku Koochak’s curatorial process. 

Koochak (MFA ’24) recently received the Galleries Ontario / Galeries (GOG) Award for First Exhibition in a Public Art Gallery for curatorial work at Art Windsor-Essex (AWE) as part of its Below the 6 series, which highlights Southwestern Ontario artists. 

Cross-Border Institute signs Memorandum of Understanding with Transport Canada

Ambassador bridge at sunriseThe Cross-Border Institute is dedicated to research on the movement of people, goods, services and finances across international borders (FILE/University of Windsor)

The UWindsor Cross-Border Institute (CBI) is internationally recognized for its leadership in cross-border research. The University of Windsor, with financial support from the federal government, was the first university in Canada to establish an institute dedicated to research on the movement of people, goods, services and finances across international borders.  

Getting Heated: Profs talk queer representation in sport and media

The characters Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov from Heated Rivalry wearing tuxedos on a balcony Actors Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie play hockey rivals Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov in the hit streaming show Heated Rivalry. (BELLMEDIA/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

From social media to the Golden Globes, the spicy new TV show Heated Rivalry seems to be everywhere.   

The Canadian-made romance, directed by Jacob Tierney and based on the book series by Rachel Reid, centres around fictional gay and bisexual professional hockey players navigating their on-ice careers and personal lives.  

Physically Empowered and Active Kids (PEAK) to provide free sports programming

A university student plays a game in a gymnasium with childrenPEAK makes physical literacy fun for kids 8 to 12 (NAOMI PELKEY/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

Registration is now open for the Faculty of Human Kinetics’s Physically Empowered and Active Kids (PEAK) program, aimed at children aged eight to 12. 

PEAK is a free physical literacy initiative, focusing on building children’s fundamental motor skills, from running to throwing and catching. 

Science Career Social: Eat, Meet & Network

group of people in discussionUWindsor’s Career Centre presents the Science Career Social: Eat, Meet & Network on Thursday, Jan. 29. (STUDIO ROMANTIC – stock.adobe.com/University of Windsor)

Ever wondered what people do with a science degree?

Let’s talk about it—while enjoying some food!

The Science Career Social: Eat, Meet & Network gives University of Windsor students a chance to explore careers in health, chemical and life sciences, as well as human kinetics, in a relaxed setting designed for conversation and connection.

'Rooted in blood memory': Education PhD student advances Black history curriculum

Teacher Shantelle Browning-Morgan sitting on a classroom desk smiling at cameraShantelle Browning-Morgan is a high school teacher and Joint PhD student (S. BROWNING-MORGAN/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

Shantelle Browning-Morgan describes her passion for Black Canadian history as “rooted in blood memory, fuelled by a duty to honour the past, present and future.”  

A descendant of Underground Railroad freedom seekers, Browning-Morgan has long worked to share that history through her work as a high school teacher and curriculum developer.