Please join us in welcoming our three summer employees: Jonah Ellens, Nigel Klemencic-Puglisevich, and Paige Mawson. The trio have some pretty impressive accomplishments between them, as well as some outstanding hobbies and interests. We’re very excited for you to read all about them and for the adventures we’ll have together as a team this summer!

I was born and raised in Ottawa and continue to reside in this wonderful city. I studied history at Carleton University and Museum Studies at Algonquin College. In September I’ll be heading back to school to begin my Masters in Public History.

This summer I will be taking on the role of Assistant Curator of Collections. My first tasks are to oversee the transcription project of Sefton Stewart’s letters from the First World War, and to help develop the weekly ‘What’s It Wednesday’ posts. Over the next few months I’m hoping to learn what makes a meaningful community museum collection and discover more about the history of Goulbourn Township.

In my free time I enjoy re-enacting the War of 1812 with the 100th Regiment of Foot, sewing historical outfits and building scale model airplanes. I hope to one day design a history-themed board game.

Fun Fact: I first encountered Sefton Stewart’s letters when I portrayed him on screen in “Richmond, The Film.”

I’m so happy to have the opportunity to return to Goulbourn Museum, this time as the Assistant Museum Administrator! I’m currently in my final year at Carleton University studying for my BA Hons. in Greek & Roman Studies and History with minors in Archaeology and Medieval & Early Modern Studies. I’ve worked in museums and archives for a number of years now and am so excited to continue gaining experience at Goulbourn Museum in the areas of communication and administrative assistance.

My work in this field first started at Clarington Museum & Archives in my hometown of Bowmanville. My love of heritage has brought me to a variety of opportunities, mostly in the areas of digitization, social media, digital content development, and research. After I finish my BA, I plan to pursue a Masters of Archaeology, specifically researching medieval Malta, and continue working in museums there.

When I’m not working, I enjoy researching my family history in Malta, Slovenia, Romania, and England. I also enjoy cooking, gardening, reading, and learning different languages. I can get by in Maltese, Swedish, and German and I can decently read Etruscan, Latin, and Ancient Greek. I’m currently learning Arabic and I could probably manage Italian and Spanish in a survival situation!

I’m looking forward to this summer and the variety of projects I’ll be working on with Goulbourn Museum!

Fun fact: I’m slated to appear in an upcoming David Suzuki documentary!

I am a graduate of McMaster University’s Arts & Science program and I’m currently pursuing my Master’s Degree in Museum Studies at the University of Toronto. I come to the Goulbourn Museum with a background in pedagogy and curriculum, and will be applying my skillset to develop the Summer Seekers programming. I’m based in Toronto (thank goodness for Zoom meetings!) and over the summer I hope to learn more about exhibition planning and community outreach to further enrich my skills as an emerging museum professional. I’m excited to get to know the Goulbourn community and immerse myself in the rich history of the area.

Outside of work, I’m an avid equestrian (I have four horses: Gretzky, Falco, Freddie and UFO!) and I participate in international showjumping competitions. I’m also a farmer! Every summer I harvest hay on my family farm in King, Ontario. My interests in agriculture and education inspired me to write a journal article on the pedagogy in the community garden programming at the Jewish day school where I grew up. It is published in Volume 29 of Canadian Jewish Studies. You can read it HERE.

Fun Fact: As an equestrian showjumper, I was the Canadian Junior Jumper Champion in 2013, and I continue to represent Canada as an individual and on teams in international competitions.