Denise Buchner

It's a web (I made it using Inspiration)

My hero is my mom, Denise Buchner, because not only does she care for me, she helps other people in Third World countries. She has travelled to a lot of faraway places like Africa and Asia to study other cultures. Denise Buchner was born in Wetaskwin, Alberta. When she was 6 years old she moved to Edmonton, Alberta. At the age of 12 she moved to Calgary, Alberta. When she was a teenager she liked to read adventure books. She also liked to ski in the winter and hike in the summer. She went to Bishop Carroll high school.

A drawing of my mom (I drew it myself.)

Denise first went to a Third World country in 1991 when she went to Swaziland, Africa, to teach at a school for the deaf. After that she did more work in Africa and Asia. When she goes away she lives just like the local people do, in huts or small houses and not in big fancy hotels. I know this because she took me with her to Laos two years ago and we lived in a house that had no indoor plumbing. It was in a village called Phatang. It was a brave thing to do because no one there even spoke English.

Today my mom teaches at the University of Calgary. She teaches about community development. She is also a PhD student. She studies health systems in poor countries. She sometimes works at a place called Plan:Net where she helps do proposals for community development projects. She says she would like to work with Plan:Net on overseas projects. She hopes to do this next year when she is finished with her PhD. If she does this work, then she says she will take me with her.

A picture of my mom, sister, brother and me (Our personal collection)

When Denise is not busy working or taking care of my brother and sister and me, she likes to ski or snowboard in the winter or ride her bike on long trips in the summer. But when she is not snowboarding or riding her bike, she is at work or teaching at U of C. Denise also might be on the other side of the world. And if she is, then I hope I am with her! My mom is my hero because she helps people all over the world, including me.

Works Cited:

Buchner, Denise. Personal Interview. 15 Mar. 2009.

Semmens, Grady. "Innovation in Laos | University of Calgary." Home | Welcome to the University of Calgary. 25 Mar. 2009 <http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/uofcpublications/umagazine/winter2008/laos>.

Travels through Laos. Dir. Denise Buchner. Perf. Buchner family. DVD. Denise Buchner, 2008.