Our alumnae Tess Casher (YR 44/2019, Canada-YK) rocked it at Pearson’s 2018 TEDx Flipside with a presentation on The Art of Stuttering. Now, the Rhodes Scholar is doing more to encourage a better understanding of speech dysfluency with her novel, Sleuths in Skates. We recently caught up with Tess, who released her debut book “Sleuths in Skates.”

Before we dive into the book, tell us about your journey to Pearson and steps after graduating.  

I wound up at Pedder Bay after spending grades 10-11 in Whitehorse and grades 1-9 in Doha, Qatar, where my parents pursued careers as international teachers. I’ve been lucky enough to call the Yukon home since 2015. After Pearson, I studied English literature at Mount Allison, a small liberal arts university in New Brunswick where I lived with a house full of UWC students (one who was my roommate in my first year at Pearson)! I moved to Oxford (United Kingdom) in the fall and am studying a master’s English literature.

You were selected as one of Canada’s Rhodes Scholars for 2023 while you were studying at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick. Many people have heard about Rhodes Scholarships, but they may not know what it means to be chosen to receive one. Tell us about what this experience has meant for you.

The experience is one of incredible gratitude that poured jet fuel on my passions. Both Pearson and Mount Allison provided extraordinary environments to turn an idea into a committee that snowballs into an official Instagram account, strings of emails, and an event that works toward real change. Countless friends and mentors helped me mould passions into projects. Studying at Oxford in tandem with other Rhodes scholars is electrifying as I strive to build my skills and know-how to be a compassionate leader in my area.

You recently became a published author, and your book, Sleuths in Skates, is now available to the public. That’s some “side hustle” while also pursuing intense academic studies. Why did you write the book, and who do you hope to reach through it?

My first step down a path I’ve dubbed “speech advocacy” was delivering “The Art of Stuttering” TEDx talk at Pearson. The chats with friends afterwards led to kind, inquisitive, and reflective conversations as I realized people were curious about this area of my life. I wanted to expand these conversations, provide a representation of speaking with a stutter, and sketch a road map towards compassionate communication between people who stutter and fluent speakers. The best way I knew how to do this was the trusty written word and I am incredibly grateful to the Mount Allison University Reisman Design Internship who supported my creation of book. 

The novel focuses on Ingrid who moves to “Nowhere, Ontario.” She wants to rock the 8th grade, but her stutter keeps getting in the way. With parents and new teachers who are all too eager to fix her, Ingrid escapes to the sweet relief of the Spiralette figure skating team. But when their skates are stolen, it’s clear someone is out to destroy the team! Desperate to save the one place she belongs, Ingrid joins forces with other skaters. Learning to balance accepting and improving her frustrating speech, she musters every ounce of courage to get her town to listen to her.

Let’s go a bit deeper into the commitment and passion that led you to write Sleuths in Skates and inspire other initiatives to lift up young people living with speech impediments and encourage broader understanding. What is your own story inspired this?

A major piece of advice for crafting middle-grade books is “write the book your 10-year-old self wanted to read.” I might have taken it a bit too literally! Most representation of speech dysfluency follows the stutterer’s journey to becoming a fluent speaker. Achieving absolute fluency is not a guarantee. I wanted to create a book where the central conflict didn’t revolve around an assumed necessity to talk “perfectly,” but developing a healthy relationship with using speech techniques. I’m also excited to represent instances of internal monologue that I’ve experienced both while stuttering and using techniques. As stuttering is a very visible (and hearable) act, I was particularly inspired to highlight these less readily perceived elements and disentangle presumed connections between speech disfluency and capability, anxiety, and sociability.

Sleuths in Skates is available on Amazon, and we’ve linked to that. Can you tell us how the book relates to speech therapy spheres?

Thankfully books are not written in isolation. I graciously received feedback from amazing speech language pathologists (SLPs) who gave both me and Ingrid a voice. The proceeds from the book are being donated to the Institute of Stuttering Treatment and Research (ISTAR) in Alberta. As the North has limited access to SLPs, the Yukon Department of Education scheduled ISTAR SLPs to meet with students in Whitehorse in grade 10. I then attended the ISTAR speech therapy intensive program in the summer between my first and second year at Pearson. I’m thrilled to know ISTAR will have the book on hand.

We couldn’t chat without asking you about your time as a Pearson student. You are a Year 44 – tell us about some of your highlights from time on campus.

To repeat the cliché answer, my highlights were absolutely the friendships I developed at Pearson. Bringing together students from a variety of backgrounds who are excited about change and have a spark in their eyes engenders nothing short of magic. My teachers charted a path through the IB curriculum that kindled my intellectual curiosity and showed me the creativity, grace, and rigorous potential of an academic essay. Some of my favourite memories are being part of the kayaking club, the creative writing club, voyaging on outrigger canoe adventures, hiking the Sunshine Coast trail, and chatting with friends over mugs of tea.

We’re coming up to our 50th anniversary at Pearson which we’ll be celebrating throughout 2024 and 2025. With that in mind, what’s your message to current and future students?

Being a Pearson student is tricky. There is no “right way” to have a Pearson experience and I didn’t find my footing at the campus until around October of my second year. However, between the late nights of studying and the constant invitations to try new things you meet an incredible group of people who are excited to grow right alongside you.

As cheesy as it sounds, I think a solid strategy to make the most out of your Pearson experience is to be yourself. Your interest in Pearson is already a testament to your passion and hard work. Pearson exists for you to invest in your excitement, curiosity, and zeal — all of the wonderful things that sparked your interest in UWC in the first place. Follow your gut, chase your interests, and indulge in many long conversations under the stars!