Wednesday, March 4, 2015

New Team Members at Angus Central!!

It is an exciting time at Angus Central. We have added two new team members to team Angus! Sydney Budgeon will be with the office until later this fall and will be helping with special projects at Angus Central. Please help me in welcoming Sydney to team Angus!!

Name: Sydney Budgeon

Where are you from:  I grew up on a mixed farm just north of Crossfield, Alberta; the farm is worked by both my grandfather and father who run primarily a grain operation, but have intermittently kept a small feedlot as well.  In December, I returned home back to the farm after travelling and living in Edmonton for the past five years.

Schooling:  I studied at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and I graduated this past June with a Bachelor of Arts in English and History.  I focused much of my degree on Western Canadian history, particularly rural history and Aboriginal history.  During my degree I was accepted to study at the U of A’s satellite campus in Cortona, Italy, and also to intern at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. through the Alberta-Smithsonian Internship Program. Both experiences were truly incredible and life-changing.    

Organizations: I am a 4-H alumni, having belonged to the Rosebud 4-H Sheep Club and Crossfield-Madden 4-H Beef Club while I was growing up.  One of my favourite projects was a sweet-tempered Black Angus steer named Baht.  Organizations I have worked for in the past include the Musée Héritage Museum in St. Albert, Alberta where I worked as the Lead Interpreter at their Grain Elevator site, giving tours of the historic grain elevators and teaching children about both historical and modern agriculture.  I’ve always really enjoyed teaching and bringing the rural perspective to the urban.  I’ve also worked as a research assistant to Dr. Sarah Carter who is producing a book about female homesteaders in Saskatchewan that will hopefully be coming out shortly.

Role at the Angus Office:  I am working at CAA as the Special Projects Coordinator in a temporary internship position.  I have applied to study in Amsterdam in the fall for a Master’s degree, so I’m really enjoying the time I have here in Alberta to get back to my roots and spend time in a more rural environment again. 

Hobbies:   I am absolutely passionate about creative writing, mostly short fiction and non-fiction.  While studying in Edmonton, much of my work was published through a friend’s magazine The Glass Buffalo.  In 2013 I was awarded the Amber Bowerman Travel Writing Award by the Writer’s Guild of Alberta for a piece about traveling in Italy.  Additionally, right now I am very focused on learning a second language, practicing both Italian and Danish.  This summer I will be traveling to Denmark to meet for the first relatives on my mother’s side, and I am very determined to be able to speak at least some Danish when I get there.

Posted by Karla Ness Feedback: cdnangus@cdnangus.ca