Laurel
Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Laurel moved from the city at 17 for university. She found herself in a variety of places for nearly ten years but was drawn back and now resides and works in her hometown. She works as a French teacher and this year is teaching French Immersion at the Senior Kindergarten level. What others may see as an incredibly tough undertaking, Laurel loves the energy and creativity that young kids can give. “They come in unbelievably excited to see me each and every day and their enthusiasm for learning and growing together is contagious.”
She has always loved to work with children and a few years ago was able to merge her love of travel and her passion for education. Moving to France after graduation, she lived on an island called Île de Ré while she worked as an au pair for three year old twins. While there, she was able to better her French language skills and took advantage of the proximity to the rest of the continent and spent her free time visiting other countries across Europe. She hopes to one day return to visit her other family and keep traveling.
Another challenge Laurel took on recently was rock climbing. Thunder Bay has a lot of great local groups and the rock climbing community is one of them. With a plethora of places to try, she loves taking on whatever is in front of her with the encouragement of the community behind her. “My favourite thing about the sport is how social it is. Everyone you meet in your travels is so friendly and supportive. It's lovely to find encouragement when you're starting something new!”
Despite all the places Laurel has lived and travelled, she has never found a place quite like Thunder Bay. Even if you’re living in the heart of the city, it is always so easy to escape for a little while. “You can drive 25 mins in any direction and be in the forest, by a lake or river, or even up a mountain.” She also believes we have a special and supporting community. “I find the community welcoming, and love that our diversity is growing as newcomers decide to stay.”
Laurel loves to shop local and hits up her favourite spots when she can, whether it’s the Thunder Bay Market for groceries, Bay Village for a hit of caffeine before work, or wandering the aisles at Jewels of Crown. You could also find her regularly picking up dinner at Rebel Salad.
During the last year, Laurel has missed the sense of ‘togetherness’ that is gone with being physically distant from friends and family. It is specifically hard when you need the support and she is learning how to take better care of herself, particularly with her mental health. “I believe it's so important to seek help when you need it, or to accept the help from others when it's offered.”
Another way she coped with the start of quarantine was deciding to foster a mother cat and her three kittens. One of those kittens, now named Juniper, is her new favourite thing. “He is a ball of energy, a huge cuddle bug, and my best buddy.” She also was able to find homes for his siblings and mom who are now living their best and… purr-fect (author’s note: I’m sorry) lives.
Laurel’s favourite place to escape is the Tree Farm. “I love wandering the paths and staring through the rows of trees. It's a beautiful place to unwind or walk with friends, family and your dogs…once you get in between the trees everything else becomes quiet. “