The Lake View Learning Centre is operated by the Dawson Creek Literacy Society, a not-for-profit community organization. The Society was founded in 1991 and has been growing ever since. Our success is due to the active participation of our board, staff, volunteers, learners and community partners.
Jennifer Neis, Executive Director
Jennifer has been with the Literacy Society since 2000. She has several years’ experience in the human services field and thoroughly enjoys working with all of the Literacy Society’s learners. Jennifer has been instrumental in the development of the Society’s English as a Second Language programs as well as the Settlement Services. She continues to help build the Literacy and Settlement programs. Jennifer often tutors learners, assists newcomers with their settlement needs and meets with community partners.
Zi Qing Ma, Office Manager, Settlement Services Support
Zi Qing immigrated to Canada in 2007 from China. She has a background in accounting and bookkeeping. She was the treasurer for our board of directors for several years and is a graduate of Northern Lights College. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, likes gardening, walking, biking, and exercising outside.
Michele Mobley, Literacy Outreach Coordinator for Literacy Now and Lead LINC Instructor
Michele has been working in partnership with the Literacy Society since 2010. She graduated with distinction from the University of Victoria in 2006 from the Faculty of Social Science (Anthropology). Before returning to university, Michele worked in broadcasting and communications for 10 years. She currently works as the Literacy Outreach Coordinator for Literacy Now and is our English Language Instructor.
Sankalp Chawla, Program Coordinator
Sankalp moved to Dawson Creek in 2019 enrolling in the Social Work Program at Northern Lights College. While there he became an active volunteer with the Student Refugee Program with World University Service of Canada (and now chairs the local committee,) he helped organize many events and activities and he was a peer tutor. His love for settlement and community led him to start up the Dawson Creek Quarantine Team during his practicum. This team helped international students during their COVID quarantine.
He won several academic awards while working on his diploma. He was rewarded the British Columbia’s Medal for Inclusion, Democracy and Reconciliation, and was Valedictorian for the class of 2021. He credits, and thanks his instructors for his success.
His love for playing piano and writing poetry is profound. In summers, he can be found on a tennis court or enjoying a road trip with friends sipping bubble tea.
Kokum, Theresa
Literacy Society for many years as the Indigenous Cultural Educator. This year in January Theresa welcomed and participated in the panel with the Resilience BC Anti-Racism Data Legislation Consultation 2022 held on zoom representing Dawson Creek.Another recent project with the Literacy Society was “TAR” (Talking about Racism). The objective was to create awareness regarding racism and how it affects individuals and our region as a whole. This event took place in Dawson Creek and Fort St John and included a diverse group of panelists who discussed ideas on how to unite people. In March, She organized a smudging webinar to teach people the basics of smudging and has now taken up the initiative to teach Cree through a series of webinars starting in April. These classes are open to anyone who is willing to learn the language.
Theresa’s impact and accolades are nearly immeasurable. Some of her impressive achievements include her election in 2008 as the first Indigenous City Councilor for Dawson Creek. She was the first Indigenous person to receive Dawson Creek’s Citizen of the Year Award. She co-founded the Aboriginal Women’s Awareness Resource Society and became the first Indigenous Liaison for the Peace Liard Regional Arts Council.
Her grace, energy, humour, and inclusivity has made enormous contributions to our community/region and on behalf of the Dawson Creek Literacy Society, we are pleased to nominate Theresa Gladue for the 2022 BC Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Award, Individual Category / Breaking Barriers.
Dale Cardinal, Community Volunteer Income Tax Program Coordinator
For the past three years Dale has coordinated the Annual Income Tax Program on behalf of the DCLS. He loves to volunteer in his spare time and loves fishing, exercising and playing cards with his grandkids.
Board of Directors
President – Éva Zita Zahradnyik
Eva was born and raised in Hungary and worked as a RN at a NICU and was a member and Head Nurse of an Infant Transport Team. She moved to Canada in September 2007 as a live-in nanny. Since then she has had the opportunity to work in various positions and works at a pharmacy as a pharmacy assistant. Eva is a substitute teacher with SD59 since November 2019. Through her participation in our language classes she has become an active volunteer. Dancing has always made her happy. She did Hungarian folk dances in Hungary and started to discover the Middle Eastern dances (aka belly dance) in Dawson Creek shortly after her arrival, and about a year ago began taking Zumba classes.
Vice President – Amna Khaliq
Amna teaches face-to-face and online Business Management courses as a permanent faculty member at Northern Lights College and writes bi-weekly columns for The Dawson Creek Mirror newspaper. She is part of the Education Policy Committee and Curriculum Subcommittee at the college. She has an MBA in Economic Development (Cape Breton University), B.COMM honours (University of Windsor), Adult Education Learning Diploma (Vancouver Community College), Women’s Leadership Development Certificate (University of Oxford) and E-learning Certificate (University of Toronto). In her spare time, she likes to travel (blessed to have been to more than 30 countries), volunteer, work out, read, and spend time with her family. Her research interest involves economic development, education and strategic leadership. She has presented her research at various national and international conferences. She believes the communities are not given; they are built.
Secretary – Marissa Thola
Marissa is not new to the Peace Region. She immigrated to Dawson Creek, Canada, with her daughter, mother and two siblings almost 30 years from the Philippines. Her work experiences span between the provincial government and Northern Lights College. She met her husband in Dawson Creek, and they then moved to Chetwynd. In 2005, she left Northern Lights College, and her family moved to Victoria, BC, to work for the provincial government’s Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training.
One of Marissa’s cherished experiences was being a volunteer Teacher Trainer in a Regional Teacher Training Centre in Stung Treng, Cambodia, where she spent three years supporting Teacher Trainers and teaching the English language to trainees. She also learned the Khmer language for her daily living needs.
In 2016, Marissa moved back to Dawson Creek to look after her terminally ill mother and be with her siblings. She is currently the International Engagement Coordinator at the International Education Department at the Northern Lights College. Marissa has a passion for adult learning and understands the different challenges and struggles of adult learners.
“I have faced several challenges as an immigrant trying to belong, and I feel blessed that I made it through the years. I am grateful for what I have accomplished, and paying it forward is my way of showing my unending gratitude.”
Treasurer – Christina He
Feng Meng (Christina) immigrated to Canada in 2006 and soon after joined our language classes and became an active volunteer planning and helping with many events & activities. A graduate of Northern Lights College, Christina works as an admin assistance with SD59. She enjoys spending time with her family, learning new things, and trying out new recipes.
Director At Large – Masoumeh Abdollah Khani
Masoumeh moved to Canada from Iran in 2008. She became involved in our organization as an English language learner and volunteer when she and her family moved to Dawson Creek. Two growing boys keep her busy. Masoumeh loves to study and learn new things and is looking forward to serving on our board.
