Larissa Chubenko

Larissa Chubenko, BA, BEd
Valedictorian

Larissa Chubenko is passionate about working with inner-city children. After initially graduating from The University of Winnipeg with a Bachelor of Arts in international development, Chubenko chose to return to school and is now graduating with a Bachelor of Education (Early/Middle-Years Stream) through the After Degree program.

“Through the international development program, I was able to appreciate access to education — both locally and internationally — as a powerful means of helping even those most vulnerable with opportunities to reach their potential,” Chubenko said. “Having taught students and worked with children that have come to school directly affected by societal inequities that have left them without their basic needs being met has further established my own sense of purpose and calling as an educator.”

Working as a substitute teacher in the Winnipeg, Seven Oaks, and Lord Selkirk school divisions, Chubenko hopes to teach full time after convocation. In the future, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in international development and education.

As she reflects on her five years at UWinnipeg, Chubenko offers this advice to her fellow graduates:

“Always make sure you’re happy with what you’re doing in life and that it’s meaningful to you.”