Law student honours teachers’ passion, knowledge, and sincerity

Each year, the Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (The Centre) hosts a Students’ Teacher Recognition Reception (STRR) which gives outstanding students nominated by their respective faculty an opportunity to thank and celebrate two educators – one from Kindergarten to Grade 12 and one from their time at the University of Manitoba – who have most inspired them.

This year’s STRR reception was held on May 2 with Seth Lozinski (they/them) selected as the Faculty of Law’s Outstanding Student. In turn, Lozinski chose their high school French teacher Ingrid Moehlmann and Assistant Professor Brandon Trask from the Faculty of Law as teachers who had the biggest impact on their education.

“As a student, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have had some amazing educators who are passionate, knowledgeable, engaging, and truly care about their students’ success. Professor Trask certainly embodies these qualities,” Lozinski said in their speech at the awards presentation.

“He pushed me to look at the law critically and approach legal issues from my own unique perspective. It is obvious that Professor Trask loves teaching and he goes out of his way to make the law both interesting and accessible in the classroom. He has always been there to support me both academically and my future career goals.”

“[T]hanks to him, I have a better grasp of the justice system, a passion for the criminal law, and a clear vision for my future in the legal profession. I can say with absolute certainty that I would not be where I am today if it were not for his mentorship.” – Seth Lozinski, 3L

Lozinski later reflected on their law school experience and the influence Trask had on their chosen career path, stating, “there was no hesitation in choosing Professor Trask as an influential instructor throughout my law school career.”

Because of Trask’s encouragement, Lozinski ultimately chose to pursue the practice of criminal law. “I’m grateful for the care he took in crafting his lectures and offering a balanced perspective on how the legal system operates as well as on access to justice issues within the province,” they said.

Trask, who taught Lozinski for five courses, said, “Seth is incredibly deserving of the Most Outstanding Student Award.[…]In addition to writing wonderful papers for these courses, which demonstrated Seth’s exceptional critical thinking skills and advocacy abilities, Seth was extremely involved in community service work, with a particular focus on raising and addressing concerns relating to intersectionality and improving policies and procedures.”

“Given Seth’s unwavering commitment to the pursuit of social justice, I have every confidence that Seth will have a profoundly positive impact on the justice system and on the profession in the years to come.” – Brandon Trask, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law

Lozinski graduates this Spring having completed their law degree with a concentration in Access to Justice in French, which will make it possible for Lozinski to represent French-speaking clients otherwise unable to obtain legal representation due to language barrier. Completing this program would not have been possible without Moehlmann’s influence Lozinski explained.

Lozinski was able to enter the French concentration and participated in several oral advocacy competitions, winning the 2024 Spirit of Negotiation (French stream ) award for the Canadian National Negotiation Competition along with teammate Eric Gagnon. “That would not have been possible without Madame Moehlmann’s steadfast guidance and support. She had a tendency to ‘volun-tell’ me into extracurricular projects at school, and that improved my French and also helped me develop a passion for storytelling, which I still use in my legal writing today.”

“She pushed me to meet my potential,” Lozinski said.

Please watch Seth Lozinski’s full speech (which starts at 1:04:48) on the University of Manitoba’s Youtube Channel.

Story submitted by Faculty of Law.