Did you know that this month marks the 30th anniversary of Women’s History Month in Canada? Since 1992, every October has been dedicated to celebrating women who have contributed to a more inclusive Canada. This year’s theme is “She Did, So Now I Can” and aims to celebrate the trailblazers who pushed boundaries. As a women-owned business, we want to take this month to celebrate our very own trailblazers. That’s why this month our blog posts will be part of a 4 part series, where we introduce our founders Sky and Sherilyn.
In Part I, we will be introducing Sky McLaughlin, principal and co-founder of MT Consulting Group.
Who is Sky McLaughlin?
Business owner, educator, academic, and mother, Sky wears many hats and plays many roles throughout her day. Motivated by a personal philosophy to always “say yes” to new opportunities, Sky became the first in her family to attend post-secondary. Her interest in English and Linguistics led to both a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. (Her Ph.D. focused on how language and politics worked to establish an individual’s sense of identity.) Sky’s educational background, inclination towards activism, and personal philosophy led her across the globe to the Middle East as an English as a Second Language educator. Her skills and experiences as an educator saw her through program management experiences for McGill University, Indiana University Bloomington and the University of Alberta. Currently, Sky combines her skills as a manager and educator, working as an Employabilities Instructor for Autism CanTech and as Principal Consultant at MT Consulting Group.
“I was born to be a teacher”
Sky’s career as an educator started when she taught English in Ramallah, West Bank. Building her career in occupied Palestinian territory, Sky taught learners of all ages from primary to tertiary institutions. Her work led her to develop curriculum, author textbooks, and provide training-of-trainer programs to fellow educators. The impact of her work there was made evident, even today, when a past student reached out to her over Facebook. The woman shared her career successes and thanked Sky for all the pedagogical strategies she had taught some twenty years ago.
“Everybody has their own voice, so I’m not here to give somebody a voice. I’m here to give some tools to a person so that they can utilize their own voice.”
Regardless of the context or the learner, Sky’s goal as an educator is to build a classroom that empowers everybody to succeed in their own way. Whether this is through teaching employability skills to Autistic youth or leading DEI training sessions for employees, Sky aims to provide all learners with the tools they need to thrive in the world and make lasting change within their own spheres of influence.
A lifelong activist
Sky’s educational philosophy draws heavily from her experiences as an activist. While living in Palestine, Sky and other foreigners started the Checkpoint Watch, acting as witnesses to Palestinians crossing Israeli military checkpoints. Actively working to reduce the harm and abuse enacted on Palestinians, Sky would physically block construction equipment from destroying their homes.
Nowadays, Sky acts as an activist in different ways. Volunteering with local organizations, she mentors young women who are interested in similar career paths. By extension, her work as a DEI consultant blends her love for teaching and activism. She strives to share her knowledge and experiences so that those around her can build up not only themselves but their communities too. Sky has been a trailblazer throughout her life, and we hope her story has inspired you to forge your own path, no matter your gender or status.
Sky is only one half of our story, look out for Part II where we introduce Sherilyn Trompetter! If you can’t wait till the next post, you can always contact either Sky or Sherilyn to learn about our services, training & coaching programs, or just say hi.