From globetrotting to CMU to working for the Province of Manitoba
Travelling for a year is a rite of passage for many high school graduates. Julia Tetrault turned that year into nearly a decade of globetrotting.
Tetrault (nee Wiebe, CMU ’08) visited more than 30 countries, including stints living and working in England and Australia, before arriving at CMU.
Julia Tetrault is the Manager of Policy,
Legislation and Board Operations at the
Province of Manitoba.
During that time, she worked as a housekeeper, barmaid, cruise ship attendant, front desk clerk, server at a bistro and more. Those work and travel experiences have shaped the way she approaches her career today.
Tetrault doesn’t believe there is one set career path everyone is destined to take that will lead to ultimate fulfillment. More important than the work one does is the way one treats others while doing that work.
“I’ve done tons of different stuff and it’s never really about the work for me – it’s about how you conduct yourself,” Tetrault says.
Tetrault brings that attitude to her work as the Manager of Policy, Legislation and Board Operations at the Province of Manitoba.
Tetrault manages the operation of a 14-member board, helping set the agenda for its gatherings and also working to ensure that the board meets its objectives.
She also helps to make sure that the strategies the board comes up with are operationalized.
Tetrault works specifically with Apprenticeship Manitoba. She got her start there in January 2012 as a policy analyst.
Tetrault studied in South Africa after receiving a $25,000
scholarship to study abroad.
The organization offers a work-based post-secondary training program that leads to a Certificate of Qualification in 55 designated trades.
“I get to work with legislation, which sounds boring, but I quite like that attention to detail,” she says. “I like figuring out what things mean and interpreting legislation. It’s kind of a unique opportunity to do that.”
Immediately after CMU, Tetrault worked as an intern with the Manitoba Legislative Assembly. She followed that with a stint as a researcher at the Public Interest Law Centre, where she had done her practicum as a CMU student.
After working as a constituency assistant for a member of the legislative assembly, Tetrault studied International Relations at the University of Cape Town in South Africa after Rotary International awarded her a US $25,000 Ambassadorial Scholarship to study abroad.
Tetrault's travels have taken her to
more than 30 countries.
Tetrault says that her time at CMU taught her how to think critically, and also honed her ability for self-reflection.
“CMU is good at fostering that sort of reflective thinking, that critical thinking and thinking outside the box,” she says. “You learn how to ask the right questions.
Being able to study multiple disciplines and make connections between her politics classes and her theology classes was meaningful.
“That, I think, was a unique experience,” she says. “Studying John Howard Yoder and Stanley Hauerwas and all these theologians, you learn that the church is very political. Jesus was very political, and having it framed that way was exciting to me. It was spiritually refreshing.”
Tetrault brings her critical-thinking skills and care for her fellow humans wherever she works.
“I try to make decisions every day that I’m proud of,” she says. “Our choices that we make every day lead to our character, so... I try to work with integrity.”
Tetrault keeps this in mind during challenging times at work.
“Even through hardships and difficulties, it’s how you treat people. Yeah, it’s busy, and yeah, it’s stressful, but you still have to treat people well and act with integrity. Then, even if... your job doesn’t work out, you’re in a good spot.”
Printed from: www.cmu.ca/community/blog/145
