
HBSc Animal Biology from the University of Guelph, Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning from Christ Church College of Education
"There is nothing better than that aha moment of finally understanding a difficult concept. It can be a challenge, but Academic Upgrading & Development is definitely the place to gain those skills. You can do it!” —Karen Shoniker
Born and raised in Ontario, Karen graduated from the University of Guelph then travelled to New Zealand to obtain her teaching diploma. This led to more travelling before landing in Whistler, where she taught all levels of math and was the math department head at the local high school. It was there that she fell in love with a Kootenay boy, and after taking a year to drive down to South America, found it was time to move to Nelson and raise a family.
Karen feels extremely fortunate to work in Academic Upgrading & Development. This unique learning environment incorporates everything that she loves about teaching and learning. She looks forward to working with current and future students to build their confidence in themselves and reach their aha moments.