New journalist joins The Carillon

Graham Walker has joined The Carillon team as a summer reporter, continuing what is becoming a tradition of Red River Polytech Creative Communications (RRC Cre Comm) students earning their stripes here.

“This is a fantastic opportunity professionally and definitely fits with my passion for rural life and in particular local politics,” said Graham.

Graham is an unusual candidate for the position as he is a bit older than most interns, but he brings with him a wealth of experience from across the country.

After growing up in what was once the small bedroom community of Burlington, Ont. just south of Toronto, Graham joined the Royal Canadian Navy and lived in Halifax, N.S. where he did his undergraduate work in political science and graduate studies in defence and international relations.

Always a “news junkie,” it was while at Dalhousie University that Graham developed his taste for publishing, having worked as the editor and treasurer for the school journal and as the publications coordinator for the Centre for Foreign Policy Studies, earning several awards and scholarships for his work.

After moving to Manitoba and working as an award-winning instructor for the Corps of Commissionaires, Graham pursued his passion for rural politics with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives while living in Thompson before enrolling in RRC’s journalism program, where he recently won the Shawna Forester Smith Memorial Award.

Now living in Beausejour with his wife and having worked across Manitoba, Graham can’t wait to start sharing the people’s stories here. “There is a whole world outside the perimeter, and with the municipal elections this year and Steinbach being a vibrant and growing community, this is the place to be for someone like me,” he said.

Graham will be retuning to RRC this fall to complete his diploma in journalism, where he also works as the news editor for the school paper, The Projector, and the school magazine, Working Draft.