The start of December marked an exceptional date for Earth Common Journal. Dozens of students, professors, and administrative staff gathered in the Feigel Conference Centre to celebrate the extraordinary milestone and the life of Dr. Lucille Mazo, a MacEwan communications professor. 

Earth Common Journal was started in 2011 by Mazo, in hopes of inspiring students’ research on sustainability, conservation, and climate change. The journal provides an opportunity for students to be published, build their portfolio, and to make a difference. Each volume of the publication has only grown in its volume of content with research papers and podcasts being included. 

Each research paper deals with something along the lines of their motto: “Sustainability, Conservation, and Climate Adaptation.” Podcasts range from environmental word play to saving the waters. 

Teary eyes struck the audience as everyone sat in silence for each speaker to acknowledge the hard work the students and editors put into making this volume come to life. The speakers also shared how much Mazo meant to them. 

The managing editor, Jacqueline Ohm, took the stage to discuss this year’s theme of influence. Ohm said, “Anyone who knew her, knew Lucille was a champion of students, their work, and their lives. She found and made opportunities for undergraduates to expand their horizons and portfolios. She encouraged students to take academic risks while instilling academic rigor. Lucille believed in her students, and the belief was encouraging. We will miss her influence.” 

Rey Rosales, the communications department chair and Allan Gillard, dean of the faculty of fine arts and communications both graced the stage to share their love of what both Ohm and Mazo have built and to share kind words to the late professor. 

Gilliard said, “All of the great work that she did and that all of the students have done. So much amazing work, integrated learning experiences out of working on the journal and all of them that took part now have this amazing thing for their portfolios so that when they go out and look for work they can show that they’ve produced a publication and edited a publication. It always looks so professional.”

Students Elyse Colville and Emily Homeniuk are just two of Earth Common Journal’s editors who have dedicated time and heart into making the journal. Under the theme of influence, Colville believed that Mazo’s dedication and the initiative of sustainability were reasons for creating Echoes of the Valley podcast. Both Colville and Homeniuk were winners of the First Place Project Award. 

In addition to many communications faculty members, Annette Trimbee, MacEwan’s president, was in attendance as an event speaker. While Trimbee and Mazo had been friends for years, Trimbee believes in the power to change the world through the Earth Common Journal and the students who have the passion to keep it going.

Trimbee said, “I’m here in part because I, too, had excellent professors like Lucille Mazo who saw something in me and encouraged me to find my passion and to dream big. The students here at MacEwan do marvelous work and that’s in part because of professors like Lucille Mazo.”

You can find the ninth volume of Earth Common Journal on their website.

Photos by Leanna Bressan