Dr. Bonnie Reilly Schmidt has been a pioneer, not once, but twice.

As part of the first generation of women to serve as members of the RCMP and later as a scholar documenting their experiences through her doctoral research, Bonnie first discovered her passions as a mature student at what was then the University College of the Fraser Valley (UCFV) and parlayed those into a celebrated career.

Bonnie was an RCMP officer for a decade, between 1977 and 1987, mostly working as a plainclothes officer doing surveillance. She was just a few years behind the first cohort of women members of the force who graduated from RCMP Depot in 1974.

After leaving the RCMP, Bonnie worked in administrative roles in the non-profit sector before deciding to pursue higher education.

On hearing that UCFV was offering bachelor’s degree-level studies, she switched over from Kwantlen College.

The rest was, quite literally, history (and English), both of which were the focus of her Bachelor of Arts degree studies.

“I was taking English courses because I thought I’d like to write, and once I met history instructor Jack Gaston, I was reminded how much I enjoyed learning about history.”

Bonnie’s experience at UFV was influenced by impactful mentorship and pivotal moments.

“I was taking English courses because I thought I’d like to write, and once I met history instructor Jack Gaston, I was reminded how much I enjoyed learning about history,” she recalls. “So, I decided to do a double major.”

She ended up working as a research assistant for Gaston in the summer, gaining valuable skills, when just as she was about to graduate in 2004, another meeting gave her the nudge she needed to go further. “Jim Anderson, one of my English instructors said I should apply for a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant to cover my expenses for a master’s degree,” she recalls. “So, I had two profs supporting me, telling me what was available, and encouraging me to go to graduate school.”

And so she did, going on to complete her Master of Arts in history at Simon Fraser, and then continuing into doctoral studies. For her PhD thesis, she decided to focus on the history of women in the RCMP, with her lived experience and professional connections invaluable to her research.

After publishing her dissertation in 2013, Bonnie expanded it into a book, Silenced ­­­— The Untold Story of the Fight for Equality in the RCMP, published by Caitlin Press in 2015.

“There are a lot of books by male members of the RCMP that portray the stories from a heroic male Mountie perspective,” Bonnie explains. “I wanted to write a history of women in the RCMP from the perspective of female members.”

“I’m very proud of my thesis and happy that the document will be available to future generations of researchers.”

The book came out at a time when female RCMP members, and those who had left the force, were starting to talk more about the inequities and harassment they had faced while serving. For Bonnie, this made for a busy time fielding media calls from reporters eager to hear her perspective. Now retired, Bonnie enjoys a quieter life with her husband while staying connected to her interests in literature, history, and current events.

Bonnie is proud of being a published author, but even more so of the groundbreaking work of her doctoral thesis, Women in Red Serge: Female Police Bodies and the Disruption to the Image of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

“I’m very proud of my thesis and happy that the document will be available to future generations of researchers.”

Bonnie’s advice for current students?

“Find a mentor you trust and who can advocate for you. That’s the beauty of UFV. Because it’s a smaller university you get the opportunity to know your profs. Meeting Jack Gaston was one of the best things that ever happened to me. And if you’re a mature student like I was, don’t let age stop you. You’re never too old to learn, and you bring important life experience to the table.”

You can learn more about Bonnie and her research at https://bonniereillyschmidt.com/ .