For the Alumni and Friends of Vancouver Island University and Malaspina University-College
volume 6 | issue 1 | 2013 spring/summer
MURDERBALL'S MVP ADULT BASIC EDUCATION: CHANGING LIVES ONE COURSE AT A TIME ALUMNUS fINDS SUCCESS IN fOODIE APP
P ub . A greement n o .
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Your donation makes a difference. • Scholarships and bursaries for students like Angeline • State-of-the-art equipment in our labs & classrooms • Study abroad and field school opportunities for all students • Modern learning environments • Equipment, travel and funding for Mariner athletes
“The scholarships and awards I received at VIU alleviated the financial burden of being a student and allowed me to focus on my studies and get the most out of my undergraduate experience. I was also able to graduate free of debt which was a great relief. Receiving financial support was positively reinforcing, too. Knowing my hard work was noticed, encouraged me to study even harder. Thank you to all the donors who made this possible – your support made a big difference in my life.” Angeline de Bruyns (BSc ’12) Recipient of prestigious CIHR Master’s Scholarship Masters in Science student at McGill University researching cancer
Give to VIU’s annual fund and make a difference in the lives of VIU students viu.ca/giving Journey_spr13_pr5.indd 2
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volume 6 | issue 1 | 2013 spring/summer
features 11-13 Changing Lives One Course at a Time
Thanks to the vision of VIU’s founders, students like Lelaina Jules (BA in Anthropology and First Nations Studies’07; BEd ’12) are able to transform their lives through the university’s Adult Basic Education program.
14-17 Murderball’s MVP
Off the wheelchair rugby court Trevor Hirschfield (Two years BBA ’07) is quiet and self-deprecating; on court he’s a force to be reckoned with and considered one of the sport’s top players.
18-20 International Background Key Ingredient in App Success Michael Peng (BSc in Computing Science ’10) is pursuing a successful career in the cutting-edge world of computer apps thanks to his international perspective.
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departments 4-5 6-9 10 21-23 24-28 30-31
MESSAgES CAMPUS NEwS DONOr PrOFILE ALUMNI IN VIEw CLASS NOTES HOME STrETCH
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L AND R IS UN
alumni association message
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A LU M N I Est. 1936
what do you want anyways? As the President of the Alumni Association for 2012/13, I’ve asked myself, “what exactly is it the alumni want from the Association?” I know why I’m active with the Alumni Association – a chance to remain connected with former schoolmates and an opportunity to give back to a community I value. I also have a desire to support and encourage a more representative sample of age and gender in courses that have historically been divided with respect to those criteria. Increasing the number of women graduating from the Heavy Equipment Operator course? Yes, let’s do it! More men in the Nursing program? Hear, hear!
started. You may also have experience creating initiatives for other societies or associations – initiatives that worked really well and you feel would be perfect for the Alumni Association. If so we’d like to hear about those, too.
we’re making our best guesses, and while the guesses may be spot on, it’s unlikely that 10 Board Members will be as creative or diverse as the suggestions that could come in from all of you. So, send us your emails, your wall posts,
LET us knOw wHAT YOu LIkE, wHAT YOu wAnT, And wHAT YOu cAn dO. TOgETHEr, wE cAn MAKE THIS INTO SOMETHINg AMAzINg. and your tweets. Let us know what you like, what you want, and what you can do. Together, we can make VIU's Alumni Association amazing.
So, those are my goals, but what are yours? If you have an idea we’d like to hear about it. And if you’re interested in seeing that idea through to fruition then we’d be happy to help you get
We’d also like your feedback on the social media profiles we’ve set up over the past year on Facebook (www. facebook.com/viuaa) and Twitter (@ VIU_Alumni). Is the information we’re providing relevant and interesting or do we need to add something? Cats perhaps? The Alumni Association needs your feedback – we are here to serve you, so it’s important that you let us know what it is you want. Because otherwise
Publisher
graphic Design
We welcome letters to the editor. Editor, Journey University Relations 900 Fifth Street Nanaimo, BC V9R 5S5 janina.stajic@viu.ca www.viu.ca/alumni
Advancement & Alumni Relations Office Vancouver Island University
Executive Editor
Nancy Pagé Nancy Pagé Design www.nancypagedesign.com
Julie Keenan Director, Advancement & Alumni Relations
Cover Photo
Managing Editor
Journey is published in the spring and fall by VIU’s Advancement & Alumni Relations Office and is distributed free of charge to alumni and friends. All material is copyright © 2013, Vancouver Island University Advancement &Alumni Relations, and may be reprinted with written permission. Opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of Vancouver Island University.
David Forrester (Phys Ed ’02, Rec & Sport ’02) Manager, Advancement & Alumni Relations
Editor & writer Janina Stajic
Contributors
Adrienne Wanhill (BA in Creative Writing ’01) Rachelle Stein-Wotten (BA ’11) Jacqualine Johnson (BSc in Computing Science ’04)
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Feature Image: Steve Gerecke
The Vancouver Island University community acknowledges and thanks the Tla’Amin, Qualicum, Snaw Naw As, Snuneymuxw, Quw’utsun, Halalt, Penelakut, Lyackson, Chemainus, and Lake Cowichan First Nations on whose traditional lands we teach, learn, research, live and share knowledge.
Jacqualine Johnson BSc in Computing Science '04 President, VIU Alumni Association
Advertising Inquiries
David Forrester Manager, Advancement and Alumni Relations 900 Fifth Street Nanaimo, BC V9R 5S5 250.740.6214 david.forrester@viu.ca Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40063601 place at actual size, no scaling!!
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president's message
Lauren (MacNeill) Dryden (L) takes a break from her volunteer nursing work at Haiti's only Critical Care and Trauma Hospital, to rest with colleagues and some of the Haitian nurses (full story page 22).
Young alumni are making their mark
In this issue of Journey, I’m proud to share stories about recent VIU graduates who are already making a mark in the world. These alumni are using their new found knowledge, wisdom and skills to blaze a path in their chosen careers, make positive changes in their community or, as in the case of Lauren Dryden, in communities around the world. Dryden is one of our Alumni in View stories (page 22) and has recently returned from Haiti where she was supporting local staff at a critical care and trauma hospital.
These young alumni also embody what I believe is one of the principal goals of education - to create citizens who are capable of dreaming new dreams and accomplishing new things, rather than simply repeating what the generations before them have done. Turn to page 18 and you’ll find a story of a computer science whiz who’s making a career for himself in the world of computer apps – a knowledge-based industry that didn’t
exist five years ago. Another feature tells of a young Aboriginal woman who changed her life around thanks to VIU’s ABE programs. Then there’s the inspiring story on page 14 of a young man who became a quadriplegic at the age of 16 and today is one of the best wheelchair rugby athletes in the world. All of the stories demonstrate there is a world of opportunities out there, and that VIU’s alumni are taking advantage of those opportunities to better themselves and the world around them. I hope you’ll be inspired by these alumni – perhaps you’ll even recognize a person who was in one of your classes a few short years ago. Do you have your own inspiring story to share? As always, we’d like to hear from you. Please email me directly at viewpoint@viu.ca. Ralph Nilson, PhD President and Vice-Chancellor Vancouver Island University
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campus news
wHAT’S NEw AT VIU?
pHOTO: scOTT ruzEskY
TrEK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE wOrLD Jay ruzesky, a professor in VIU’s English department, was raised on cold Canadian winters and stories of his famous ancestor, roald Amundsen, the norwegian explorer who first discovered the South Pole in December 1911. ruzesky felt a kinship to Amundsen and hearing tales of polar expeditions was impetus to both tell his own stories and dream of making a journey to the Pole himself.
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In the early 1990s Ruzesky began exploring how he could make that journey a reality, and get to the South Pole for the centennial of Amundsen’s own journey. He discovered, for the right price, there were companies that would trek him up Mount Everest, fly him to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere, as well as deliver him safely to the South Pole, but Ruzesky’s budget wasn’t that luxurious. In 2010, when it became clear he wouldn’t reach the South Pole,
Ruzesky decided Antarctica would be close enough. On December 9, 2011 Ruzesky and his brother Scott Ruzesky, Amundsen’s ancestral sons, left for South America. They travelled from Santiago, through Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, Argentina. There they traded hotel rooms for bunk beds aboard a 235 foot vessel that could cut through the ice of the Antarctic Circle. For Ruzesky, boarding the ship was a defining moment: “It is not a dream, but a dream realized. To stand at the tip of South America waiting to embark on a ship bound for Antarctica is something I have tried to imagine for thirty years. So now there is no more imagining, only being, and already I feel a deep connection to this place.” Ruzesky has written a book called In Antarctica: An Amundsen Pilgrimage that will be published in March 2013 by Nightwood Editions. In the meantime you can read about the journey on his blog: http://jayruzesky.blogspot.ca/ search/label/Antarctica
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campus news
PHOTO: BOB BUTKUS
VIU will be one of the sponsors at a TEDx Talk scheduled for March 18, 2013 at the Haven Institute on gabriola Island.
Jock McKeen, VIU Honorary Doctorate of Letters, will be one of the keynote speakers at the event, which will explore the theme of empathy. Rachel Davey, Executive Director of the Haven and one of the organizers of the event, says they felt empathy would be a good theme because, “Empathy…is about learning to see the world in another person’s eyes. Wherever we live that’s a great thing to foster and support.” Other speakers include Mary Gordon, creator of the Roots of Empathy schools program; CBC radio host Shelagh Rogers; musicians Victor Wooten and Mike Stevens; performance artist Megan Daalder; artist Sheila Norgate and community activist Shelagh Huston. www.tedxgabriolaisland.com
\ Art On Campus :
POwELL rIVEr’S TOTEM POLE Standing proudly at the front of VIU’s Powell river campus is an authentic Coast Salish totem pole, carved by Ivan rosypskye from the Tla’Amin First Nation. The totem pole is called ‘Cheh Cheh Hum’ which means welcome in the Tla’Amin language. Its extended arms demonstrate the traditional First Nations’ formal welcoming gesture usually used by an Elder or honoured person within the First Nations community to welcome visitors. rosypskye carved the figure to welcome all people to Vancouver Island University’s Powell river campus, and to show the university is a ‘community house of learning’.
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VIUAA BOArD MEMBErS 2012-2013 The 10 members of the VIUAA Board are committed to creating an alumni association that will benefit the more than 45,000 graduates of the university. Their vision is to establish a thriving, connected network of alumni who value their continued link to VIU. The Board is doing this by creating numerous alumni communications channels through magazines, enewsletters and social media, organizing events, and establishing benefits for all VIu alumni. If you’re interested in getting involved with this dynamic group contact David Forrester, Manager Alumni relations at david.forrester@viu.ca. Erin Brook, Secretary (BA with a Major in Liberal Studies and a Minor in Philosophy ’04) Terry Dolan (Assoc. in Commerce Dipl. ’89; Arts & Science Dipl. ’07; BA in Business Administration ’10) Kazue fujiki (PE Dipl. ’90) Terence fitzgerald (Arts ’92) Jacqualine Johnson, President (BSc in Computing Science ’04) Jennifer Kennedy (Assoc. in Comerce Dipl. ’99; BA in Business ’02) Dan Lines (Heavy Duty Mechanics ’75; Commercial Transport Mechanics ’88) Tim Mawdsley, Vice-President/Treasurer (BA in Finance ’02) Nathan Thornton (BA Transfer ’87-’90) Mike Walker (BA in Commerce Transfer ’79)
NEw ExECUTIVE DIrECTOr FOr VIU’S ADVANCEMENT & ALUMNI rELATIONS DEPArTMENT In September 2012, Dan Hurley became the Executive Director of VIU’s University relations and is taking a leading role in shaping VIU advancement, alumni relations, communications, marketing, government relations, and stakeholder and community engagement.
He brings a wealth of experience in communications and government relations to the position having worked in federal politics and for CBC Radio while living in Ottawa. He spent many years at the University of Winnipeg as Senior Executive Officer and Advisor to the President as well as overseeing the External Affairs department. An active community volunteer, Hurley is on numerous boards and volunteers for a variety of different community organizations. He’s pleased to be continuing his career in education. “Post-secondary education can empower and inspire people to achieve their dreams, regardless of social or economic background,” said Hurley.
FESTIVAL rAISES $115,000 FOr VIU STUDENTS Thanks to the generous support of VIU’s Foundation Board Members, sponsors, community members and student volunteers, the VIU Foundation’s 18th Annual Festival of Trees raised $115,000.
The funds will support VIU students through newly created bursaries and scholarships, as well as help fund stateof-the-art improvements to the university’s campuses. More than 3,000 people attended the various Festival events at Nanaimo’s Vancouver Island Conference Centre. This year’s Festival Gala also provided an invaluable opportunity for current VIU students to get real-life experience. The emcees for the evening were all current students; Culinary Arts students prepared appetizers, Hospitality students served the guests and Criminology students provided valet parking and a safe ride home to guests.
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campus news
pHOTO: TArYn scAmmELL (BA In gEOgrApHY, 3rd YEAr)
MArINErS MAKE IT ON NATIONAL AND INTErNATIONAL STAgE VIU’s athletes are making their mark in Canada and beyond. Dani Smith (Phys. Ed. Dipl. ’10; BA ’13), the star setter for the Mariner’s volleyball team, earned a spot on Team Canada in June 2012 and spent a month training with 29 other women for four weeks at Team Canada’s training centre in winnipeg.
She plans to try out for Team Canada a second time in June 2013, although athletes who’ve already been chosen are usually selected again. If she’s chosen, she’ll represent Canada at the International University Sports Federation Games, taking place in Russia during the summer. Over on the soccer field Jared Stephens (BA ’12), former Mariner soccer star and two-time PACWEST Male Athlete of the Year, was asked to join Sheffield FC in England, recognized by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association as the world’s oldest football club. In November 2012 he was loaned to Belper FC where he’s putting his skills to work and gaining new ones in the key position of striker. In other Mariner news, VIU’s athletes continue on their award-winning streak. The men’s soccer team won silver at the national championships, taking home their third national medal in as many years. The men’s basketball team is currently #2 in the national Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association rankings and both the men and women’s volleyball teams are in second place in the provincial standings. Go Mariners, go!
FOCUS ON cOmmunITY BAsEd rESEArCH
VIU students and Bamfield community members on a community mapping exercise, gathering information for the Official Community Plan.
On the fourth floor of VIu’s Library at the nanaimo campus is an office known as the Community Based research Institute (CBrI).
Anthropology class is working with social agencies in Cowichan on solutions to homelessness and students in the Master in Tourism Leisure Management program are working in Costa Rica on ecotourism initiatives. The CBRI invites inquiries from community members and groups who want to collaborate with students and faculty from a variety of disciplines to develop research projects on issues of concern. “This collaboration allows community members to define their own research agendas and provide students with the opportunity for hands-on experience in interdisciplinary research,” says Hood. If you have an idea for a project please contact Hood at Robinjune.Hood@viu.ca.
It’s a small space where big things are happening. Director Dr. Robin June Hood nurtures powerful research partnerships between VIU students and faculty, as well as community organizations, businesses or individuals all with the goal of enhancing the quality of life and the economic, environmental and social well-being of Vancouver Island communities and beyond. Currently, a fourth-year VIU geography student is looking at models for measuring the carrying capacity of the Regional District of Nanaimo, an entire VIU Geography class is helping with Bamfield’s planning process, an
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donor profile
A CONVErSATION wITH VIU’S DONOrS
of young women Murphy had coached. The team name? Muffy’s Law. “Erica had this gorgeous curly hair and her nickname was Muffy,” says Walton. The Muffy’s Law team formed an idea to start a bursary in her honour. Walton and Trumbley took the lead and decided to raise funds through a community event. The first one they organized was a Halloween Pumpkin Patch, where people could come and pick their own pumpkin for a donation of any size to the bursary. “Local organizations got on board. Save-on-Foods donated pumpkins, Starbuck’s, hot drinks,” says Walton. “Then the public came to pick pumpkins and started making donations.” It was a moving experience for Walton and Trumbley. Children emptied their piggy banks to donate their pennies; adults gave as much as $100. In the end they HONOUrINg A FrIEND wHILE raised enough to create the bursary. SUPPOrTINg VIU STUDENTS In 2009, they decided to go bigger and focus on the fact that Murphy had been when Dawn walton and Delea Trumpassionate about sports. They organized Delea Trumbley (L) bley decided to establish a bursary in the Muffy’s Classic Golf Tournament. and Dawn Walton. In its first year there were 44 golfers; honour of their friend, Erica Murphy (nee d’Alessandro) it was easy to decide the second year there was 80 golfers. Their goal for the 2013 tournament is the criteria. Murphy, who passed away to get 100 golfers and supporters. Since at age 32 from breast cancer, was an they started fundraising for the bursary avid athlete and mentored countless they’ve raised approximately $7,500. young women as a popular and inspiring Even though it’s a lot of work, fastball coach. The bursary her friends Walton and Trumbley are committed to created, the Erica Murphy Athletic continuing to organize events to honour Bursary, is a $1,000 annual award for a their friend and support VIU’s female female athlete at VIU. athletes. The feedback from the recipients of the award has been great but, says “Erica was an amazing woman and Trumbley, there’s more to it than that. showed everyone what was possible with “It’s heart wrenching to lose someone perseverance and dedication,” explains so special at such a young age but it was Trumbley. “She knew what it meant to an honour and privilege to have known live life to the fullest. Even today, I’m Erica,” says Trumbley. “This award keeps inspired by her spirit.” her memory alive and it’s something we truly believe in. I know Erica would True to Murphy’s spirit of inspiring too, if she were still here to say so. That’s others to get involved in sports why we’ll continue our fundraising and community, the funds for this efforts as long as humanly possible.” bursary are raised through sports For more information on awards tournaments and community events. contact Susie Caswell, Advancement “It all started when a group of us put Manager at 250.740.6216 or together a fastball team and played in a susie.caswell@viu.ca. charity tournament in Erica’s memory,” explains Walton. The team was made up 10
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CHANgINg LIVES
ONE ABE COUrSE AT A TIME when Lelaina Jules (BA in Anthropology and First Nations Studies ’07; BEd ’12) left school at 16 to raise her newborn son, her life opportunities suddenly became very limited. Thanks to her perseverance, and VIU’s Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs, she was able to create new opportunities for herself, graduating as valedictorian of her university class and returning to the high-school classroom, this time as a teacher intent on inspiring other students to learn.
It’s a cold, wet, windy morning in November 1992. The sun hasn’t risen yet, but 15-year-old Jules is huddled in a boat, bent against the cold, heading to high school. On a clear, sunny day the trip takes 40 minutes; in stormy weather it can take more than two hours. Her high school is in Ahousaht, a small community on Vancouver Jules celebrates her university graduation with her husband Alex and their son Jackson. 2013 SPrINg/SUMMEr
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Island’s west coast, population about 1,500. To Jules, who comes from Hot Springs Cove, population 150, it’s practically a metropolis. When she arrives, she’s frozen stiff. Sitting in the classroom, she tries to focus but soon drifts off. The teacher is talking government – federal, provincial and municipal – but Jules, a member of the Hesquiaht First Nation and more familiar with First Nations government, can’t relate.
she’s charged with giving a speech to her fellow students. And not just any speech, but one to inspire, make them laugh and, perhaps, bring tears to their eyes. She manages to do all three by relating the story of the path she took from Hot Springs Cove, baby in hand, to donning the robes of a graduate and valedictorian, a path that would have led somewhere different if it wasn’t for the pivotal moment when she signed up for her ABE. More than 20 percent of VIU’s graduates can relate to Jules’ story, as they too wouldn’t be where they are today if it weren’t for ABE. The numbers are a vindication of Malaspina’s founders who insisted that the college must provide opportunities for ‘secondchance’ education through ABE programs. Don Hubbard, VIU’s 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award Winner, was one of the first students to take
“FOr JULES THE ABE PrOgrAM wAS A BrIDgE FrOM BEINg A HIgH SCHOOL DrOPOUT TO BECOMINg A TEACHEr.” She’s been making the daily trek for three years and, as she enters Grade 11, is tiring of it. The school also has another new teacher – they seem to get one every year – and Jules can’t relate to the stream of new faces. Instead, she daydreams of fishing with her father, preserving blackberries with her mother, and her childhood, much of which she spent building forts with other children in her community. In another year Jules is pregnant. When her son is born, she drops out of school. Flash forward 19 years later. Jules is attending the Aboriginal graduation ceremony at VIU’s Malaspina Theatre. She’s nervous because as valedictorian,
advantage of ABE programs in the early 1970s. “I’d dropped out of school at 14 and was working as a heavy equipment operator foreman for Hub City Paving in Nanaimo.” To get a ‘desk job’, he needed his Grade 12. “I learned firsthand that without a proper education opportunities are limited,” says Hubbard. “But once you drop out of high school, it’s difficult to go back. Thanks to ABE I was able to get my Grade 12 and that opened so many more doors.” For Jules the ABE program was a bridge from being a high school dropout to becoming a teacher. She didn’t stay long in Hot Springs Cove. Fleeing an unhealthy relationship, she took shelter
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VIU's Adult Basic Education instructors.
at her cousin’s home in Victoria. As the dust settled, Jules realized she wasn’t keen on the work options available to someone with her level of education. But it took her five more years, and the support of her new husband, to get up the nerve to again try her hand at school, signing up for Math 10 and English 11 on VIU’s Nanaimo campus. Within a few months her views on education were radically altered. “For the first time in my life I liked school. I left every class feeling I understood what my instructors were talking about and what they were teaching would benefit me in the real world.” She also felt her ABE teachers treated her like an equal partner, instead of just telling her what to learn. “One of my favourite teachers, Dave Muirhead, told us personal stories, like how he used to ride his motorbike to Gold River. It was a different perspective, picturing your teacher on a motorbike. It made it seem less like a teacher-student relationship.” Jules felt the emotional support she got from ABE instructors and staff was critical. Often they’d check in with her, listen to her concerns and make her feel she could keep going. Tom Leavitt, VIU’s Chair of Academic and Career Preparation, says ABE instructors approach teaching with the understanding that, “many ABE students have negative associations with school. For some, it’s so bad they don’t finish. This may be due to other events in their life, but it gets wrapped up in their feelings about school. Even university students who take pre-requisites probably avoided that subject in school because of negative associations: for instance, ‘it’s too hard’ or ‘I’m not good at math’.” To address this, ABE teachers have more classroom hours per semester and strive to make subjects less scary. “We also understand adult students are different than high school students. In high school when you’re losing students, they act out. Adults don’t. They’re polite to a fault, almost to the point that if there are too many heads nodding in agreement, they probably don’t get it!”
Jules thrived in the supportive ABE environment, getting As and Bs and two years later, her Grade 12 diploma. She went on to achieve two university degrees and spent a few months in New Zealand at a field school. She now has a permanent teaching position at a small First Nations school in Kyuquot and, using her own experience, inspires her students by bringing an Aboriginal perspective to the curriculum. In fact, her long term career goal is to help bring an Aboriginal context into BC’s education curriculum. For now though, Jules’ day starts off in front of her home computer. She sips her coffee and sends an email to her eldest son, that baby who was born when Jules was 16. He’s planning to start university in September 2013 at VIU. Later that morning, after getting her two younger children to school, Jules will also be in the classroom, at the front teaching. It’s a life scenario created, in large part, by VIU’s ABE program which opened the doors for Jules to take advantage of opportunities that her 15-year-old self, sitting in the freezing cold on a water taxi, would never have thought possible. 2013 SPrINg/SUMMEr
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MUrDErBALL'S
PHOTO: STEVE gErECKE
MVP
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When Trevor hirschfield (ABe ’00; TWo YeArs BBA ’07) WAs 15, he WAs A sTAr plAYer on hockeY And fooTBAll TeAms. A 16, he WA AT WAs s llY Ying on his BAck BA AT vAncouver generAl hospiTAl Being Told he’d never WAlk AgAin AfTer A devA dev sTATing A Acciden TT. ThAnks To T The he persis persisTence of duncA unc n cAmpBell, one uncA of his former r e cr e ATi onAl T her Api sT s , T he Ac c id enT d i d n ’ T meAn The end of his involvemenT in sporTs.
TodAY hirschfield is The mosT vA v luABle p l AY e r o n T h e c A n A d i A n n AT i o n A l TeAm in one of The ToughesT conTAcT sporTs There is–WheelchAir rugBY,
oT h e r W i s e k n oW n A s
murderBAll. 2013 SPrINg/SUMMEr
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with his boyish good looks, tattooed body and phenomenal sporting ability, Trevor Hirschfield, or as his fellow teammates call him “T-Bone”, is one of the most popular wheelchair rugby players in the world.
PHOTO: KEVIN BOgETTI-SMITH/CANADIAN wHEELCHAIr SPOrTS
After making Canada’s national team in 2006, he participated in a series of friendly games in Australia. Hirschfield was pumped to put his skills to the test on an international stage. What he wasn’t prepared for was the attention he received from hundreds of wheelchair rugby fans, most of them women. “It was like he was a rock star,” says Travis Murao, fellow athlete and
Hirschfield with his father, Bob, at the opening ceremonies of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Hirschfield’s close friend. “Everywhere we went they lined up to get his autograph, waiting outside the change room and our buses.” Hirschfield handled the unexpected attention with aplomb, signing autographs and posing for pictures. He also proved he could handle himself just fine on the international stage. Since then he’s been named All Star at the 2010 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships and awarded the 2010 Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association Male Athlete of the Year. He was a key reason the Canadian National team brought home medals from two Paralympics, bronze from Beijing 2008; silver from London 2012. According to Campbell, himself a quadriplegic and one of the founders of wheelchair rugby, Hirschfield is the best in the world in his class. (Players are classified according to their functional level and assigned a point value ranging from 0.5, the lowest functional level, to 3.5, the highest. Hirschfield is classed as a 1.0.) Off the court Hirschfield shines too, putting his mischievous side to work as one of the co-hosts of YouTube show Trev & Trav Wheelchair Rugby Talk. He’s also starred in two commercials and is founding a charity to provide grants to children who can’t afford sporting equipment and fees. Not bad for a guy just shy of his 30th birthday, especially when you consider a devastating accident during the August 2000 long weekend irrevocably altered the course of his life. “I’d been camping near Sicamous with friends. We were heading home on a logging road and pulled over to let a truck pass. Our van sunk into the
shoulder, rolled down the embankment and pinned me underneath.” Because they were in a remote location it took an hour for help to arrive. The accident broke Hirschfield’s neck and he spent six months at Vancouver’s GF Strong Hospital learning to live life as a quadriplegic. Campbell was his recreational therapist and believes Hirschfield’s attitude, and the unwavering support of his parents, helped him through the difficult recovery. “Trevor is a real go-getter and boy is he stubborn,” says Campbell. “His injury was severe enough that he was offered a motorized wheelchair. I suggested he try a manual wheelchair first. It was tough going, but he stuck it out, even though sometimes he could barely push his chair down the hall.” That determination, or stubbornness, has made Hirschfield one of the top wheelchair rugby players in the world. He first tried the sport during a ‘Have-a-Go’ day in Victoria, a “Bridging the Gap” event organized by the BC Wheelchair Sports Association, which gives people the opportunity to try wheelchair sports. “As soon as I rolled onto the court, I knew it was for me even though I was pretty bad at first,” says Hirschfield. “Before my accident I loved contact sports, and here was a chance to get involved again. I also felt I had something to prove and I knew if I worked at it, I could be good.” In true Hirschfield style, he set his sights high, dedicating himself to making the provincial team. That meant
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PHOTO: KEVIN BOgETTI-SMITH/CANADIAN wHEELCHAIr SPOrTS
court and felt the energy of the fans, it made us want to play that much harder.” Although Hirschfield was disappointed to lose the gold to Australia, he recognizes silver is still an achievement. He’s committed four more years to Canada’s national team, which means he “mY gOAL Is TO BE As gOOd, If nOT BETTEr, THAn can use his skills and competitive spirit HIgHEr-funcTIOnIng pLAYErs. durIng THE sEAsOn I to go for gold at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro. Even with that commitment, TrAIn EVErY dAY wHIcH cAn BE mOnOTOnOus And Is he’s making plans for his post-wheelchair rugby life, fitting studying for his ExTrEmELY HArd, BuT fOr mE, IT’s wOrTH IT,” bachelor’s in Business Administration into a grueling training and playing schedule which has him on the road for super aggressive on the court and leads nationals in 2002. In 2004 he made by example, giving his all to every game.” six to eight months a year. One day he Team Canada’s Development team; by plans to go into public relations and, as According to Campbell, Hirschfield 2006 he’d made the Top 12 roster. he’s newly engaged to Lisa Walker, settle has an in depth understanding of the “My goal is to be as good, if not down and raise a family. According to game’s strategies, knowing how to be better, than higher-functioning Murao it doesn’t matter what Hirschfield in the right place at the right time. players. During the season I train does. His determination and strong “He also has a great understanding every day which can be monotonous work ethic will ensure he’s successful of his body’s abilities and how to use and is extremely hard, but for me, it’s whatever he puts his mind to. For now, those abilities to the best advantage.” worth it,” says Hirschfield. “I’m really The highlight of 2012 was representing his legions of fans are thankful they’ll get competitive. When I’m playing, I’m another four years of watching T-bone Canada at the London Paralympics. “It playing to win and focused on doing was an incredible feeling. Everyone was so Hirschfield perfecting his style, both on what it takes to beat the other team.” and off the wheelchair rugby court. supportive and when we rolled onto the Today, Hirschfield is a key player on travelling from his Parksville home twice a week to train in Vancouver. His determination paid off as a year later he met his goal and was part of the BC team that went to the
Canada’s national team. His soft-spoken demeanor belies a fearless approach and competitive edge that’s helped the team reach the highest level in this demanding sport. “He’s a leader,” says Murao. “He’s
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campus feature news
WHAT’S NEW AT VIU?
a Recipe
foR app
SucceSS MICHAEL PENg (BSC IN COMPUTINg SCIENCE ’10) HAS COMBINED TwO OF HIS PASSIONS, COMPUTErS AND grEAT FOOD, TO ESTABLISH A CArEEr IN THE CUTTINg-EDgE wOrLD OF SMArTPHONE APPS. OUT OF A SMALL OFFICE IN NANAIMO’S DOwNTOwN COrE, HE AND HIS PArTNErS ANDrEw wALKEr AND MArTA gOLIANEK, HAVE CrEATED BONAPPIE, A HOT NEw App wHIcH ALLOws HungrY smArTpHOnE usErs TO quIckLY pInpOInT THE BEsT pLAcE TO sATIsfY THEIr fOOd crAVIngs.
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Two features set BonAppie apart from other foodie apps. First, it focuses on independent restaurants. “Chain restaurants are easy to find and you know what they’re serving,” explains Peng. “BonAppie helps people discover great independent restaurants and helps those restaurants, which don’t have a huge marketing budget, access a wider market.” The other feature is the app allows people to peruse user-friendly online menus. “This is key, because most people choose a restaurant based on the menu.”
The evidence suggests the team has a winning recipe for a foodie app. When BonAppie debuted in July 2011 it immediately hit iTunes’ ‘Top 100’ list. Online reviews are overwhelmingly positive and, in November 2012, the BonAppie team won the Innovation Island Innovative Start-up of the Year Award. It sounds like a fairytale story of young, computer savvy entrepreneurs, making a splash in a new knowledge-based industry. But fairy tales usually involve a long,
struggled to adapt to Canada’s food culture, and, of course, there was the language barrier. “I thought I knew how to say ‘cat’ but I was pronouncing it ‘kate’, so no one could understand me.” Over the next few years, Peng learned English fluently and decided to continue as an international student at VIU. To this day though, he sees himself with one foot in Taiwan and the other in Canada, not completely fitting in anywhere. “I’m a fence sitter, not completely comfortable in either country because experiences from both affect who I am. I also tend to make friends with others who have international experience. Someone who’s entrenched in one culture can’t relate to someone who’s caught between two.” One reason Peng has been so successful in his chosen career, though, is because he is a ‘fence sitter’, with experiences from Taiwan and Canada influencing his life’s path. For example, it’s no accident he co-founded a foodie app. He’s obsessed with great food, having spent his formative years in Taipei consuming mouth-watering dishes from around the Asian sub-continent.
“TO THIs dAY THOugH, HE sEEs HImsELf wITH OnE fOOT In TAIwAn And THE OTHEr In cAnAdA, nEVEr cOmpLETELY fITTIng In AnYwHErE.” sometimes challenging journey, and for Peng this one is no exception. His journey started thousands of miles away in Taipei, Taiwan, where he was born and raised. When he hit his teenage years, his parents realized their inquisitive son wasn’t conforming to Taipei’s rigid school system, which demanded students sit quietly and learn lessons verbatim. They decided to send him abroad, and in 1998, a 14-year-old Peng found himself starting Grade 9 at Lake Cowichan Senior Secondary. It was a shocking experience. Taipei was a city of 2.5 million people; Lake Cowichan had 3,000 residents. Peng
“Eating out is an important part of our culture. Our family got together once a week at a local restaurant where we’d spend the afternoon sharing great food and gossip.” His favourite dishes include marinated squid and Beef Noodle Soup. “There are so many spices in the soup the broth is a deep orange colour; the beef is so tender it melts in your mouth and the noodles are always fresh, made that day. There’s nothing like it here.” His love of computer software also has its roots in his childhood. He was given a personal computer at age 12 and spent hours poring over ‘howto’ books, trying to get the primitive 2013 SPrINg/SUMMEr
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“I HAVE TO LIVE wHErE FAILUrE IS AN OPTION BEcAusE In mY IndusTrY, InnOVATIOn Is kEY.” interface to respond, enjoying the experience so much he decided he wanted to work with computer software. The only reason he realized that goal was because he moved to Canada. “The computing industry is innovative. There are false starts as people try new technology. In North America that’s okay – you learn from your mistakes and try again. In Taiwan, failure isn’t okay so it’s difficult to be innovative. Taiwan’s approach allows for important historical and cultural traditions to continue, which is good. But I have to live where failure is an option because in my industry, innovation is key.” Peng speaks from experience. His first foray into designing apps was a dismal failure. He and his partners spent seven months designing an iPad app that high-end restaurants could use in lieu of traditional menus. Market research with Vancouver restaurants showed there was interest, but when the team crunched numbers they realized it wasn’t viable, with a huge initial investment needed and only a niche market to support it. “I was really depressed when we realized it wouldn’t work. I didn’t eat or sleep for 24 hours; didn’t talk to anyone for a week. But, we finally met to figure out what to do and after a lot of brain-storming, had an epiphany.” Working around the clock for three
months, they launched BonAppie in June 2011. “We realized lots of people have smartphones, so we redesigned the app for them, with the idea of helping small restaurants reach a wider audience.” BonAppie was a hit, although success, by design, has been slow and steady. They’ve carefully avoided app design pitfalls like expanding too quickly or ‘feature creep’ - stuffing as many features into an app until it’s overwhelming for users. Instead they’ve listened to their clients’ feedback and only made changes if they fit with BonAppie’s purpose – to connect users with great food. The slow and steady approach has paid off. The team has a steady revenue stream in the mobile version and are focusing on launching a web version as part of BonAppie 2.0, in Spring 2013. Their success means that for now Peng’s feet will be mostly in Canada. But he’ll still go home periodically if only to reconnect with his Taiwanese roots, his family and friends and indulge his craving for that unbeatable Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup.
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Graduates are makinG a difference here, there and everywhere.
alumni in view
pHOTO: gEOffrEY knOT
THE VULTUrE wHISPErEr For as long as she could remember Annie Ellison (BSc ’12) had wanted to be a marine biologist and work with fish. no animals fascinated her more, especially not birds. “I thought birds were so lame,” she said. But all of that changed when she got a summer job at the pacific northwest raptors, a birds of prey education centre in Duncan, between third and fourth year university.
She dove in, quickly learning how to handle the huge raptors, and eventually she was given an opportunity to travel to the Vancouver Aquarium with other handlers to lead a variety of hawks, a bald eagle and a turkey vulture in flying demonstrations for crowds of 400 spectators. It wasn’t long before Ellison’s indifference towards birds turned to sheer enthusiasm. “When you’re holding a hawk or flying an eagle, it’s so awesome to see this bird coming towards you, talons out. There’s something so incredible about them, you can’t help but get drawn in.” Her personal favourite was a turkey
vulture named Judge Dredd; JD for short. “Turkey vultures,” Ellison said, “in addition to being very smart, are also quite social.” To get JD to accept her as leader, she had to work her way up from the bottom of the vulture pack, almost becoming, in her words, a ‘vulture whisperer’. Turkey vultures can read body language, so Ellison had to calmly and quickly approach JD and gently displace him from his perch. When he came back to regain his position, Ellison stood her ground, showing JD that spot
the end was attached to JD’s perch. He couldn’t get it from the ground or by reaching down off his perch. He figured out he could get the meat by pulling the string up toward him. Ellison said the test shows, intelligence-wise, turkey vultures are in the company of crows and ravens, which are considered highlyintelligent. In August 2012, Ellison presented her research at the North American Ornithological Conference in Vancouver to high acclaim. In a strange twist of fate, when Ellison
“SHE BECAME THE FIrST PErSON EVEr TO rEsEArcH A TurkEY VuLTurE’s LEVEL OF INTELLIgENCE.” was hers. After a few repetitions, JD conceded and stopped challenging her. The experience changed Ellison’s life. When she started her final year at VIU she switched her research focus from fish to raptors and in doing so became the first person ever to research a turkey vulture’s level of intelligence. She worked with JD, using a problemsolving strategy to test his vulture smarts. A string with a piece of meat on
graduated from VIU, she was offered two Master’s positions – one at Simon Fraser University (SFU) where she could research raptors; the other at the University of British Columbia (UBC) to do marine-related research. The UBC offer meant she could fulfill her life-long dream of becoming a marine biologist, but Ellison chose SFU. JD and the raptors had won her over and now her dreams lie firmly with the birds. 2013 SPrINg/SUMMEr
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alumni in view
PHOTO: NANAIMO & DISTrICT HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
FOr THE LOVE OF wOrKINg ABrOAD After graduating from high school Lauren (MacNeill) Dryden (BSc in Nursing ’08) spent a few years backpacking around the world, exploring far-flung countries like Thailand and Borneo.
During that time an idea crystalized in her mind that she wanted a career that would allow her to work overseas and continue to indulge her passion for travelling. After she hung up her backpack to pursue post-secondary education she knew exactly what program to take – nursing. “Nurses are in demand all over the world. I also thrive in stressful environments so I knew nursing would be a great fit for me.” After finishing her nursing degree at VIU she took specialized training in emergency nursing and then landed a job at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital’s emergency room where she decided to spend a few years getting concrete experience
before venturing abroad for work. “The organizations you travel overseas with invest a lot of time and money in their projects, so I wanted to make sure I could give them my best.” The work experience paid off, not least because she discovered some of her colleagues shared her interest in working abroad. In June 2012 she applied with her colleagues to an aid
as there were gang wars nearby. The emergency room had two battered stretchers in it and medical supplies scattered haphazardly on the counters. Dryden had to learn within hours how to provide the best care with minimal resources, but, thriving in the stressful conditions she rose to the challenge. Through a translator, she also worked closely with the Haitian staff who were eager to learn new diagnostic and treatment techniques from her. There were some situations that she would rarely, if ever, have faced in Canada. “Many children suffered from malnutrition and there were lots of patients with head traumas because they’d fallen off bikes or motorbikes and hadn’t been wearing helmets.” She also had to adapt to cultural differences. Some, like the fact families stayed with patients around the clock, she found touching. Others were more difficult to take. “One day an extremely sick infant was brought in. It was clear he wasn’t going to make it, but in Canada our instinct is to do whatever possible to try and save a life. The Haitian staff felt differently. They’re faced with death much more often than we are in Canada and have limited resources so they base decisions
“HAITI's EArTHquAkE wAs OVEr TwO YEArs AgO, BuT IT LOOkEd LIkE IT HAppEnEd YEsTErdAY.” organization called Project Medishare, to spend a week in Haiti’s only Critical Care and Trauma Hospital to provide, “life-saving care to Haiti’s sickest adults, children and premature infants.” Dryden wasn’t prepared for what awaited her. “The earthquake was over two years ago, but it looked like it happened yesterday. There were ruined buildings everywhere and thousands of people were still displaced and living in huge tent cities.” The hospital had armed guards outside
on practicality rather than emotion. They knew that even if we could resuscitate the baby, they wouldn’t be able to continue treatment.” The experience taught her a lot about working in a foreign country and confirmed that her goal of pursuing a career she could take abroad was sound. In fact, she’s already thinking about where else she’d like to go, and the only thing she’d change, is that next time, she wants to stay longer.
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alumni campus in news view
BLAzINg A MEANINgFUL CArEEr PATH when he goes on a hike, Tony Litke (BA in global Studies ’06; Advanced Dipl. in gIS Application ’08) likes to blaze through the woods. “My wife calls this a ‘Tony walk’,” he said. “And the 'Tony walk' isn’t on a trail.”
It’s an approach Litke takes to many aspects in his life. At VIU, he didn’t follow one educational track, preferring to dabble in a breadth of classes including political science, geography, global studies, mathematics and economics. His career path has been similar, with Litke trying his hand in a variety of fields – retail, banking, fish farming, even satiating his passion for cycling at a BMX distribution company. It was all in an attempt to fulfill his desire, honed while taking Global Studies courses at VIU, to pursue work that genuinely contributes to the common good. For a long time he was having trouble finding work that fit. “All of the positions seemed solely concerned with their bottom line, so I decided to return to VIU for the Advanced Diploma in GIS Applications, thinking I might have more options combining my first degree with a marketable technical skill.” His decision paid off as he eventually landed a job as a Snow Networks Technician with BC’s Ministry of Environment. Now he’s responsible for measuring BC’s snow pack and producing data that can be critical to keeping people safe by forecasting river overflows and floods and producing backcountry advisories. He also collects data that BC Hydro uses to monitor power generation as well as data that builds an understanding of climate science. “We measure snowfall and rainfall which allows scientists to examine how the precipitation changes from year-to-year and season-to-season.”
For Litke it’s a dream job. He sees the work as a return to pure science – incorruptible – and that sits well with his moral compass. It also helps he gets to indulge his penchant for blazing of-the-beaten-track trails. The data he needs for his work is gathered at 32 snow survey stations scattered around some
of BC’s highest mountains. To get it, he’s helicoptered up to the stations and, during winter, hops on a snowmobile or, in true Litke style, snowshoes through some of the most remote places on earth. At one station he and his partner stumbled across a 100-year-old survey marker for the Alberta/BC border. “You’re in a place no one even hikes to,” Litke said. “At some sites you can stand there and say with confidence
that maybe a dozen people have been there in the history of the world.” It doesn’t mean that Litke is finished blazing new careers for himself, though. For him the road ahead means fanning the spark started at VIU, firing him up to find new ways to make a positive impact. “When I’m driving home at the
end of the day, I always ask myself, ‘Do I actually believe in what I’m doing?” The second the answer to that question is ‘no’ Litke will be on the move again.
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LET us knOw ABOuT YOur nEw jOB, prOmOTIOn, wEddIng, fAmILY AddITIOn, TrAVELs Or furTHEr ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS AT ALUMNI@VIU.CA.
1970 s
pHOTO: gArY pETErs
Ian Douglas (Two Years of Commerce degree ’76) completed his BA in Commerce at UBC in 1980. He’s been an Investment Advisor since 1985 and today is Vice President with Raymond James in Nanaimo. Douglas married his wife Carolyn in 1987 and they have two children in university taking Commerce and Computer Science. Douglas loves the outdoors and spends his free time hiking, outrigger canoeing and playing tennis.
1990 s In 2004, after working as a hairdresser for many years, Dawn Doiron (Hairdressing Cert. ’96; BSc in Nursing ’07) returned to VIU in 2004 to pursue her nursing degree. She now works at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. Doiron has one child who is four years old.
2000 s Daniel Anderson (BA in Business Management ’07) has been working for the city of Calgary in a variety of roles most recently in an asset management accounting role with the water works department. In his spare time he likes playing golf and hockey.
In January 2013 Dale Hunt (BA in First Nation Studies ’02) took on a new position as Aboriginal Coordinator, Returning Home Demonstration Project. The project is a Tri-partite agreement between the Vancouver Island Health Authority, First Nations Health Authority and Child Health BC. It’s the first project of its kind in BC and Hunt will be helping Aboriginal families, whose children have been discharged from BC Children’s Hospital, navigate healthcare resources after they return home to the central-north Vancouver Island.
PHOTO: VANCOUVEr ISLAND wEDDINg PHOTOgrAPHEr | www.patricephotography.ca
class notes
Travis Rogers Kairat Ibrayev (ESL Academic Prep V ’05; Post-degree Dipl. in Business Studies ’06) was the first student from Kazakhstan to attend VIU. He now works in Kazakhstan as a Lead Analyst for BG-Group, a British oil and gas company. In 2009 he got married and he and his wife recently celebrated the birth of a baby girl. Travis Rogers (One Year Carpentry ’09) was married on September 22, 2012 to Kayla Rogers. They are currently living in Nanaimo where Rogers owns his own contracting business called TR Contracting and does hardwood floors. Laurel Sliskovic (BA in Tourism Management major in Recreation’02; MA in Sustainable Leisure Management ’12) was awarded the 2012 Pat Corbett Leadership Award, given to individuals who have demonstrated leadership in the Tourism and Leisure industries. She was recognized for her dedication to the industry through her employment and volunteer work as well as her enthusiasm and passion for leadership and tourism. Since 2001 she’s been working at Nanaimo’s Living Forest Oceanside Campground & RV Park, but moved to Campbell River in January 2013 to explore opportunities on the north end of the island.
PHOTO: VINCENT L. CHAN
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class notes
Keri Montgomery (BA Major in Anthropology & Minor in Psychology ’00) has been consumed by wanderlust since she was a child and her studies in Anthropology at VIU fuelled her passion. During the past 15 years she’s travelled to more than 50 countries on six continents. For eight years she was an international tour leader for Adventures Abroad and then worked as Operations Manager for Discover Canada Tours before cofounding Finisterra Travel, a company that specializes in providing off-thebeaten-path adventures to global destinations. www.finisterra.ca
In December of 2012 Josh Nychuk (Culinary Arts ’02; ITAS Internet Essentials Cert ’05; ITAS Digital Media Technologies Dipl. ’06; Applied Arts Graphics Dipl. ’08) spent a few weeks in Helsinki, Finland after being chosen to be one of 10 Canadian designers to participate in the Design and Architecture Trade Program with Scandinavian designers. The program gives Canadian designers and architects an opportunity to create professional links with their counterparts in Denmark, Sweden or Finland. Nychuk’s program was an exchange with Finnish designers and during the three weeks he participated in seminars, site and studio visits, networking events and one-on-one meetings. Dustin van Gerven (BA in English ’05; BA in Psychology ’10) recently completed an MSc in Experimental Cognitive Neuropsychology at UVic. In August 2012 he began his doctoral research at UVic. Van Gerven was married in 2011 and has a 17 month old baby boy.
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Derek van Pel (BSc ’06) recently defended his PhD at the University of British Columbia. His research focused on using the genetics of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to identify new anticancer targets and to develop new, broad-spectrum treatments for cancer. In January 2013, he started a job as a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Drug Research and Development in Vancouver, where he’ll be developing tools to identify new drugs to combat a variety of diseases.
Keri Montgomery at one of her favourite places on earth, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile.
Since graduating, Simon Wainwright (Business Management Dipl. Marketing ’05; BBA ’06) has been focused on real estate appraisal. After articling at a local appraisal firm for a number of years, he received his commercial appraisal designation through the Appraisal Institute of Canada. Currently he’s a Partner and Director at Cunningham & Rivard Appraisals Ltd. Jenna Wait (ABT Computing/ Accounting Assistant Cert. ’05) is a Bookkeeper and Office Administrator at Classic Home Improvements in Nanaimo. Shira Windecker-Frano (BA in English ’02; BEd ’04) moved to Maple Ridge in June 2012, with her husband Marek Frano (BA in Business ’01) and two year old daughter Yelaina. After working as a teacher in Alberta, Windecker-Frano discovered a passion for writing and photography and now works as a freelancer in both fields (www.shirawindecker.blogspot.com). Frano works for the BC Ambulance Service as an Advanced Care Paramedic.
PHOTO: SHIrA wINDECKEr-FrANO
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class notes
2010s James Gibson (Dipl. in fine Arts, Theatre ’12) transferred into the BFA program at UVic in Fall 2012 and is continuing his professional acting career auditioning for and acting in plays whenever he gets the opportunity.
26 PHOTO: LUANNA BOwEN 2012
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class notes
In September 2012, after being awarded a Natural Science and Engineering Research Council scholarship, Megan Willis (BSc in Chemistry ’12) started a PhD at the top Environmental Chemistry program in Canada at the University of Toronto. Her PhD research is examining the fate and distribution of black carbon aerosols (soot particles) in the atmosphere, contaminants that effect climate and human health.
Rick Merriman (RMOT Natural Resource Protection Degree ’11) splits his time between two careers. During the summer he’s a Conservation Technician with the Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Program assisting in the recovery and monitoring of this unique Canadian species. In the fall and winter he works in the water division of the Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations as a Resource Technologist helping with the Dam Safety Program. He spends his spare time fishing, hunting and hiking.
In August 2012 Megan Yim (BA in Psychology ’10) successfully defended her Master’s thesis in experimental neuropsychology which examined how people learn to navigate in a virtual environment. In September 2012 she started working at Applied Brain and Vision Sciences, an EEG data analysis company and also started a PhD program at UVic, where she’ll be identifying the electrophysiological correlates of decision making in regards to spatial navigation or, in layman’s terms, researching how people decide which navigation strategy to use to reach a specific location.
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class notes campus news
WHAT’S NEW AT VIU?
A ‘pack’ of VIU education grads took
a costumed spin on their motorbikes around the Yangtze Delta about 70km southwest of Shanghai in China. The alumni are all teaching at the SinoCanada High School. from left to right Rory Peffers (BA ’10; BEd ’12) in green; James Dodd (BA ’10; BEd ’12) in green, fellow teacher in panda outfit; Casey Westergaard (BA ’10; BEd ’12) in orange; Ross MacKinnon (BA ’10; BEd ’12) in orange; fellow teacher also in orange.
Support VIU students when buying or selling a house When VIU alumni, staff, faculty or students buy or sell a home with Nanaimo Realtors and VIU alumni Rob Grey (Arts ‘83) or Dave Hammond (Business ‘72), they’ll donate 25% of their commission to support scholarships and bursaries for VIU students.
For more information contact: David Forrester, Alumni Relations Manager, 250.740.6214 or david.forrester@viu.ca *This program is not intended to solicit property already listed. 28
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rob@robgrey.com
If you are considering Buying or Selling Real Estate in Nanaimo then contact Rob Grey and his team of professionals to assist you. Rob Grey and his team are one of Nanaimo’s top producing real estate teams. Rob is a member of the VIU Foundation Board, volunteering to raise money to support VIU and it’s students.
www.robgrey.com
(250) 713-3322 | 1-800 836-3311
View Our Listings
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5573 Norton Road, Nanaimo BC. Ocean View Private Yard Legal 2 Bedroom Suite Magnificent Finishing
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DIFFErENT FACES. DIFFErENT VOICES.
THE EVOLUTION OF A MASTEr POET
continue to swirl through the minds of people across Canada and challenge their perspectives on the world. One of the first conventions he played with was voice, realizing he could affect Dennis Lee’s poetry – both his adult and children’s work – has garnered him the tone, rhythm and meaning of a numerous accolades including the Order poem by using more than one voice. “At first I used two contrasting voices of Canada and the governor general’s such as a loud stentorian tone with a Medal. In 2001 he became Toronto’s soft, more musing voice. Then I started first poet Laureate and in 2012, VIu included more voices, or had them awarded Lee the 2012 gustafson Trust hopping over one another, and discovered Chair of Poetry, an annual trust estabyou could move poetry from place to lished in 1999 with the goal of advancplace, by going from voice to voice.” ing Canadian poetry and supporting He then played with poetic lines, deserving poets. In October 2012, Lee making them “dance across the page” by indenting them in different ways and visited VIU to share the evolution of his leaving large gaps between words. This poetics and how he’s spent a lifetime allowed him to shape the rhythm in new creating ways of communicating ideas ways. He also started paying attention that belie poetic tradition and make to the words at the end of a line, noting people of all ages sit up and listen. the choice could either pull readers ahead or make them pause. Lee was delighted with these new conventions, believing That evolution began when Lee, as he’d spend the rest of his life exploring a young, mostly unpublished poet, how to use them to communicate ideas. was trying to shoe-horn his ideas into Then he started writing poems traditional forms of poetry, producing, about the environmental destruction in his words, “awful stuff ”. It wasn’t he was witnessing and something until he stopped following tradition frightening happened. “Words started that something profound happened. splaying open on the page, breaking “When I relinquished the colonial wrap of writing, I discovered there was an apart and then reforming into new, unrecognizable words.” It was a shocking unexpected energy in the words, I call it experience, but he knew enough to an ‘undermusic’. I sat and listened to the follow the ‘undermusic’ of the words. glide and whoosh of the words as they It took a few years to understand he came through me onto the page.” The was channeling the destructive forces difference in Lee’s work was immediate. battling the environment and the His words and ideas took on the life and words were reacting to that force. meaning he’d been unable to capture For some, Testament, the work using traditional poetic conventions. that evolved from this experience, is a The experience opened him up to a lifetime of developing poetic conventions depressing lament over environmental destruction. In reality, it’s a testament to that would allow the ‘undermusic’ of the a master poet using poetic conventions words to flow through him and create developed over a lifetime to embed award-winning adult and children’s layers of meaning in his works. The work, with words and rhythms that
actual words in Testament are bleak and disconcerting. But the play of words across the page, the upbeat rhythms and the different voices suggest that within that dark vision, Lee harbours a small belief there’s hope for the future. It’s a challenging read, but readers who allow Lee’s poetics – the voices, syntax and rhythms – to weave through them can sense the invitation to come in, come in and experience the creative talents of one of Canada’s most iconic poets.
OPPOSITE PAgE: TAKEN FrOM TESTAMENT: POEMS 2000 – 2011 BY dEnnIs LEE. pErmIssIOn grAnTEd BY www. HOUSEOFANANSI.COM. ALL rIgHTS rESErVED. ExcErpT frOm THE IcE crEAm sTOrE. TExT cOpYrIgHT © 1991 BY dEnnIs LEE. ILLusTrATIOns cOpYrIgHT © 1991 BY dAVId mcpHAIL. puBLIsHEd BY HArpErcOLLIns PUBLISHErS LTD. ALL rIgHTS rESErVED.
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Excerpts from Testament
Excerpts from The Ice Cream Store
Home Last call for a trashable planet, bring it on home. Bring it on sotto, bring it on shockabye. Bring it on oilwise, soilwise, waterwise, methuselah – memory holes in the phyla, and bring it on home.
The Ice Cream Store Oh, the kids around the block are like an Ice cream store, ’Cause there’s chocolate, and vanilla, And there’s maple and there’s more,
(If home still has a home. If roots still grope for rootedness. If butcherama, botcherama, wide-screen world has not yet metamulched what is.) And farfew the habitat heroes, bring it on AwOL. Bring it on oilwork, soilwork, patchwork, begin again – through plagues of our fathers, blue culpa. And bring it on, bring it on home.
asif As if a day more diurnal, a night more maternal, a planet more chockfull of plenum & wonders still dawdled ex mammary/machina/magica, poised for a last-real comeback.
And there’s butterscotch and orange— Yes, there’s flavours by the score; And the kids around the block are like an Ice cream store!
The Secret Place There’s a place I go, inside myself, where nobody else can be, And none of my friends can tell it’s there— Nobody knows but me. It’s hard to explain the way it feels, Or even where I go. It isn’t a place in time or space, But once I’m there, I know. It’s tiny, it’s shiny, it can’t be seen, But it’s big as the sky at night … I try to explain and it hurts my brain, But once I’m there, it’s right. There’s a place I know inside myself, And it’s neither big nor small, And whenever I go, it feels as though I never left at all. 2013 SPrINg/SUMMEr
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