Born in Vancouver, BC in 1963, Janet Kaszonyi completed her BGS with a concentration in Visual  Arts at University of the Fraser Valley and continued to UBC where she completed her BED in Secondary Art Education. She received academic honors as well as being the first from UCFV to win the prestigious BMO nation-wide competition in 2003. Janet Kaszonyi is a Me'tis who traces her ancestry back to the Red River Settlement in Manitoba.  She grew up with her Deaf mother, great Aunt and her dog on a farm in a small town called Onoway in Alberta.  As an only child, Janet spent hours drawing pictures and exploring the woods, imagining and acting out incredible tales.  Today she teaches art and photography and resides with her family in Abbotsford, British Columbia.