Reflections on Launch: Community, Support, and Gratitude

written by Michelle Johnson

On April 10, I facilitated my final session as part of the UFV Launch program team. While I tried my best to feign indifference, the moment actually carried a great deal of meaning for me. Launch has been a constant thread through my career at Teaching and Learning since 2018, and voluntarily leaving has given me an opportunity to reflect on growth, on community, and especially on gratitude.

When I think back to that very first Launch cohort in 2018, I remember starting with excitement mixed with a little bit of self-doubt. I honestly questioned what I had to offer. Working alongside Mary Saudelli and Maureen Wideman, who were both mentors to me at the time, I limited myself to facilitating sessions on technology and online learning because that felt like my safest contribution.

Over the years, Launch has grown into something really unique. While it has always offered helpful teaching and learning resources for newly hired faculty, the heart of the program has always been the peer learning network it creates. Launch reflects what I value most at UFV, a learning environment where everyone brings their knowledge, experiences, curiosity, care, and kindness into each session. There was never one “expert” in the classroom but instead, we all learned from each other.

This year, we introduced co‑facilitation, with Victoria and I working alongside the new faculty members in each session. That shift made this iteration of Launch the most impactful one so far. Co‑facilitating allowed us to work more closely with new faculty and really get to know them. It also reinforced the sense of reciprocity at the heart of teaching and learning. This experience helped me see my work as part of a larger learning community built on sharing, connection, and growing together.

I am grateful for the many colleagues I have had the privilege to work alongside on the Launch facilitation team over the years. In the early days, I learned so much from Mary Saudelli and Maureen Wideman. Later, I benefited from the wisdom and experience of Claire Hay, and the guidance of Awneet Sivia and this past year I found a strong sense of belonging in my work with Victoria Surtees. Each time I worked with someone new, it deepened my understanding of facilitation and what it really means to support faculty well.

As a closing activity this year, we invited the cohort to contribute to a Gratitude Jar. I was really moved by the words that were shared. Reading through the notes again today brought a fresh appreciation for how meaningful Launch has been for new faculty and for me personally.

As I come to the end of my time at UFV, I feel so grateful to have been part of a program built around belonging and shared support. Reflecting now, I realize how much I have changed as an educator. This year I didn’t have all the answers, but I trusted the collective wisdom of our Launch group. We got through the year by working together and learning from each other.

One moment from my final day captures the spirit of this year’s Launch cohort. While co-facilitating with Kirsten Van Houten, we were discussing new beginnings and the seasonal meaning of March–April as Welék’es, or “Little Frog Time,” in Halq’eméylem. I mentioned that I no longer hear frogs singing near my new home. Without hesitation, Kirsten decided we needed to hear a frog sing and opened the video The Rainbow Connection by Kermit the Frog. Soon we were all singing along, and even dancing, “Launchers” Smitty Miller, Rob Taylor, Hannah Sanvido, Andrea Sator, and Ron Sweeney all took turns dancing a “Last Dance” with me in the classroom. That shared laughter kept me from crying on an very emotional last day.

As I move on to new adventures, I am so grateful for the faculty who trusted us, and laughed with us, my colleagues who made the work meaningful, and the many Launch cohorts over the years that continue to inspire meaningful teaching and learning.