Alumni

Alexandra Glinsbockel

Alexandra Glinsbockel will never forget the place where she found “a beautiful community that was mine.”

When deciding where to attend university, she was drawn to the beautiful campus and amenities at the University of British Columbia (UBC), but she was also searching for a tailored educational experience that provided connections with peers and professors. Corpus provided both. “At Corpus, I knew everyone’s name and they knew mine,” she remarks.

During her time at Corpus, Alexandra was known as an engaged student dedicated to the deeper explorations of academia. Her involvement in activities outside the classroom made her a familiar face to the community and the administration frequently sought her out to offer a student perspective on a variety of initiatives.

After earning an Associate of Arts degree (2014) at Corpus, she planned to transfer to UBC. Then she heard Corpus Christi College and St. Mark’s College would be teaming up together for the Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Culture program for future teachers - but it wouldn’t start for another year. “The school I loved, with the people I loved, was offering a program to do the thing I loved so I ended up waiting an extra year until the beginning of the program.” Alexandra was part of the first graduating class from the BA program, where every graduating student was then accepted to their preferred program at UBC.

After completing the Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Culture (2017) with a triple concentration in English, History, and Theology at St. Marks College, Alexandra was accepted into the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia and earned a Bachelor of Education (2018). While teaching full time at a local private secondary school, she went on to then complete her Master of Arts for Teachers of English (2020) at Simon Fraser University, which expanded her repertoire of First Nations socio-cultural sources and merged this awareness with her professional passion: literary education.

While attending UBC and SFU, Alexandra was able to reflect on her experience at Corpus. “Corpus gave me such a strong sense of professional and academic ethics. It taught me how to engage in the academic community in a respectful, professional way and when I went off to UBC and then SFU, I was able to really see just how much extra attention Corpus places on their students. I was able to see how that extra attention really guides you,” said Alexandra. Alexandra is currently an English and Career Life Connections teacher in Vancouver. Through her work, she aims to achieve her goal as an educator: opening doors through literacy, doors not only to other worlds but also to our visceral, genuine past and present world.

Book recommendations

With Alexandra’s extensive background in literature, we couldn’t resist asking her for some book recommendations. Here is what she shared:

The Winter Sea by Susannah Kearsley

“My absolute favorite book is ‘The Winter Sea’ by Susannah Kearsley. It's a historical fiction novel that follows a character in modern day, and then flips back to the 18th century in Scotland during the Jacobean Revolution. So there's some beautiful connections between history and modernity, and it's just so articulate because Susannah Kearsley was a curator- she actually knows what she's talking about. It's such a fun, beautiful read.”

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

‘The Marrow Thieves’ is a Canadian Indigenous novel that is geared towards young adults, but I find it so deep and just brimming with authenticity. It is a stunning post-apocalyptic dystopian novel about a group of Indigenous people after the end of the world. It is a beautiful book. The author of the “The Marrow Thieves” is Cherie Dimaline. I saw her speak a couple years ago at the Writers’ Fest in Vancouver and she is an outstanding speaker. I wouldn't be surprised if they turn it into a movie in the coming years, so honestly take a look. It’s honest, tragic, and beautiful.”