For the Alumni and Friends of Vancouver Island University and Malaspina University-College

volume 8 | issue 2 | 2014 fall/winter

Pub. Agreement no. 40063601

ACTIVE BODY, ACTIVE MIND: SERENE KERPAN LEADS INSPIRING RESEARCHIN HEALTH AND LEARNING

ANCIENT CAVE HOLDS EARTH SCIENCE SECRETS

INCLUSION FOR ALL: A LIFE'S CALLING

All Alumni are entitled to receive a variety of benefits and services at a discounted rate, including: • VIU Bookstore 20% discount on selected

merchandise• VIU Campus Recreation & Mariner Athletics

includes 25% discount on gym passes, intramurals, fitness & outdoor programs along with Campus Rec and VIU Nation merchandise

• Milner Garden Membership discount• Fairwinds Golf Club $10 discount on green fees• And much more

FREEALUMNIBENEFITSCARD

Contact the Advancement and Alumni Relations office to get your free alumni privilege card.

Call 250.740.6215 or email alumni@viu.ca

2014 FALL/WINTER 3

volume 8 | issue 2 | fall/winter 2014

features11-13 UNCOVERING ANCIENT SECRETS Rhy McMillan’s (BA Anthropology & Earth Science ’13) career has taken him on a serendipitous journey in education and research and to the depths of a world famous cave in Belgium.

14-17 ACTIVE BODY, ACTIVE MIND Serene Kerpan (BA Major, Phys. Ed & History ’08) has earned VIU’s Distinguished Alumni Award for Early Achievement for research on physical activity and its effects on children’s learning.

18-20 EVERYONE INCLUDED: A LIFE’S CALLING Malerie Meeker (Early Childhood Ed. Diploma ’86) has devoted her career to supporting some of the most vulnerable people in society.

departments4-5 MESSAGES

6-9 CAMPUS NEWS

10 DONOR PROFILE

21-23 ALUMNI IN VIEW

24-28 CLASS NOTES

30 VOICES OF VIU

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PublisherUniversity Relations Vancouver Island University

Managing EditorsDavid Forrester (Phys Ed ’02, Rec & Sport ’02)Manager, Advancement & Alumni Relations

Janina Stajic Manager, Communications and Public Engagement

Editor & WriterShari Bishop Bowes

ContributorsMarilyn Assaf (BA Liberal Studies ’12)

Graphic Design Nancy PagéNancy Pagé Designwww.nancypagedesign.com

Cover PhotoSerene Kerpan (BA Major Phys. Ed & History ’08)

Journey is published in the spring and fall by University Relations, Vancouver Island University and is distributed free of charge to alumni and friends. All material is copyright ©2014, University Relations, Vancouver Island University, and may be reprinted with written permission. Opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of Vancouver Island University.

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.

We welcome letters to the editor.Editor, JourneyUniversity Relations 900 Fifth StreetNanaimo, BCV9R 5S5journey@viu.cawww.viu.ca/alumni

Advertising InquiriesDavid ForresterManager, Advancement and Alumni Relations900 Fifth StreetNanaimo, BCV9R 5S5250.740.6214david.forrester@viu.ca

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40063601

alumni associationmessage

After serving on the board for the past two years I am pleased to be taking on the role of president of the VIU Alumni Association, particularly as we had such an exciting year and have great plans for the future.

Last year a record number of alumni attended our alumni events both here

in Nanaimo and further afield. They reconnected with friends, shared stories of their time at VIU and also made new friends with alumni they’d never met. The events were so successful more are being planned for next year.

I’m also excited to announce that the Alumni Association board has just revealed a completely redesigned Alumni Privilege Card. It’s free for all alumni and features new benefits which are exclusive to VIU alumni. If you haven’t had the chance to pick up your card yet, visit us on Friday, October 3 at the Nanaimo campus for VIU’s

Open House. This will be a great time for all alumni to pick up their cards, reconnect with faculty members and network with fellow classmates.

Stay tuned as well for a series of events we’re planning for next year – casual meet-ups outside Nanaimo and more formal networking events in

Cowichan, Nanaimo and Vancouver. The Association is committed to supporting current students as well, and we are looking forward to more on-campus special events in Nanaimo and Cowichan throughout the year.

You may also want to learn more about our new Alumni Ambassador program – a chance for our graduates to mentor current and prospective students. As an Ambassador you’d provide an invaluable service by strengthening our communication and connection between the University, local communities and current and prospective students.

You can learn more about the program and also see a full list of our upcoming events at our website: www.viu.ca/alumni.

I would like to personally encourage all alumni to get involved, to reach out and to connect with us. I know from firsthand experience how fulfilling it is to connect and engage with fellow alumni.

Also, please let us know what you think about what we’re doing and what you would like to see. We can be reached by email at alumni@viu.ca, through the Alumni Association’s Facebook or Twitter page – and we hope to see you at one of the upcoming events!

Sincerely,

Tim MawdsleyBA Commerce ’02President, VIU Alumni Association

Get Involved, Get Connected

THE ALUMNI PRIVILEGE CARD IS FREE FOR ALL ALUMNI AND FEATURES NEW, EXCLUSIVE BENEFITS.

All Alumni are entitled to receive a variety of benefits and services at a discounted rate, including: • VIU Bookstore 20% discount on selected

merchandise• VIU Campus Recreation & Mariner Athletics

includes 25% discount on gym passes, intramurals, fitness & outdoor programs along with Campus Rec and VIU Nation merchandise

• Milner Garden Membership discount• Fairwinds Golf Club $10 discount on green fees• And much more

FREEALUMNIBENEFITSCARD

Contact the Advancement and Alumni Relations office to get your free alumni privilege card.

Call 250.740.6215 or email alumni@viu.ca

2014 FALL/WINTER 5

‘Global reach’ can be an overused phrase these days, but it’s a challenge to find better words to describe the impact of international alumni and students at VIU.

International students and alumni from around the world enrich our lives, adding diversity and unity to our campuses and the communities we serve. Students from 80-plus different countries in the world bring global perspectives to our communities, where they make their homes, work, volunteer and create lifelong friendships and enduring connections.

VIU’s Study Abroad program offers another dimension to VIU’s global reach. Students gain international experience and connections in Study Abroad experiences that range from exchanges of one or two semesters to short term field trips focused on research or project work.

I know the deep impact of this program from conversations I’ve had with Bachelor of Science in Nursing students who travel to Nepal to work on a

community health project, Anthropology students who collect materials from Neandertal times in a Belgian cave, and Professional Baking and Pastry Arts students who travel to France for one of the largest trade shows in their industry, among many others. Simply put, these experiences can be life-changing.

International education offers students more opportunities as the global economy continues to change and shift. Today’s business landscape requires people with international experience and connections, ready to establish global partnerships and work cross-culturally around the world.

We know that our alumni play a large role in sharing the news that VIU is a fantastic choice for international students around the world seeking a post-secondary experience. We’re grateful for your influence in attracting students to come to VIU and add their unique culture, customs and perspectives to the University.

We’ve recently developed a new program to thank and encourage

president's message

International Impact Valued for Worldwide Connections

alumni who take the time to connect international students to VIU.

VIU’s International Student Referral Program, launched March 1, 2014, rewards alumni for referrals of new international students who are accepted at VIU to attend a full semester of ESL, undergraduate or graduate studies. Please contact our Alumni Office for more information about the honourarium for alumni referrals, and to learn how you can get involved.

As VIU alumni living anywhere in the world, we value the contributions you make and the connections you keep alive with each other and with your University. We’re always interested in stories about how VIU has impacted your life, and where your post-secondary education has taken you. If you have stories to share, we’d love to hear from you – please email me directly at viewpoint@viu.ca.

Ralph Nilson, PhDPresident & Vice-ChancellorVancouver Island University

VIU’s international students celebrate their culture during the University’s annual International Education Week.

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campusnews

“TALKING ARTS, SEEING IDEAS”: COLLOQUIUM SERIES CONTINUES

The Arts & Humanities Colloquium Series is celebrating its fifth anniversary at VIU this year.

A special event in March involved presentations by six faculty and a group of students who shared cutting-edge research on “Fascinating Technologies: Future Directions in the Arts and Hu-manities.” The presentation marked the Series’ five years of university-community engagement through the popular, free public lecture series.

The first Arts & Humanities Colloquium attracted a dozen people but caught on so well that topics and faculty involvement expanded. Now the series attracts up to 200 people for its presentations.

For information on the fall 2014 Colloquium Series, visit www.viu.ca and enter "Colloquium" into the search field.

VIU INVITES COMMUNITY TO OPEN HOUSE 2014

Mark your calendars! VIU alumni are invited to indulge in some nostalgia with a visit to the Nanaimo campus for the VIU Open House on Friday, October 3.

Join community members, and bring family and friends as you explore old classrooms and new learning spaces and research facilities, and find out what’s been happening at VIU since you graduated.

Hundreds of guests visited VIU during a successful Open House in October 2013. The theme was “Discover Your University, Explore your Community” and the goal was to build stronger con-nections with the community. Highlights included free public lectures, a trade show, musical performances, culinary arts demonstrations (and tastings!), a World Café, tours of Fisheries facilities and the chance to come face to face with a giant fish right out of the Jurassic era.

VIU’s Student Ambassadors point out the many activities community members could participate in during last year’s Open House.

In the spring 2014 Colloquium series, Digital Media Technology expert and VIU professor Robin Davies (pictured) explored the creation and exhibition of video in Arts & Humanities studies.

campusnews

OPENING OF COWICHAN TRADES CENTRE

VIU’s new Cowichan Trades Centre (CTC) celebrated its official opening in June.

The new facility, located a few minutes from VIU’s Cowichan Campus, resulted from a unique partnership between VIU, School District 79 and Cowichan Tribes. The CTC was developed in the former Koksilah Elementary School, which the school district was set to decommission. With renovations to the school, and the construction of a new building to house a welding program, the facility now serves the needs of both high school students and adults in the region seeking trades career training.

Students are currently studying at the Centre in a variety of programs including welding, hairdressing, carpentry, and HVAC (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration), with the possibility that more trades programs will be added in future.

ANOTHER GREAT SEASON FOR VIU’S STUDENT ATHLETES

For the third time in the past four years, VIU’s student athletes have been recognized as the most Academic All-Canadian athletes of any school in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).

To be selected as an Academic All-Canadian, student athletes must have a B+ average or higher and be selected as a Pacific Western Athletics Association (PACWEST) League All-star.

“This is a great accomplishment by our athletes and shows their commitment

to excellence in both their academics and athletics,” says Bruce Hunter, VIU’s Athletic Director.

The Mariners have also had a suc-cessful athletic season with the women’s volleyball team winning the provincial championship and a bronze at nationals; the men’s soccer team taking bronze in the PACWEST provincial champion-ships; and two members of the badmin-ton team winning gold at nationals: Graydon Robb and Pat Thompson.

Welding student Jareth Thorne works in VIU’s new Cowichan Trades Centre.

Graydon Robb of Calgary, AB (BA program), left, and teammate Pat Thompson of Summerside, PEI (BSc program) compete for VIU on the badminton court.

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campusnews

campusnews

Faculty, staff and volunteers helped dig up the remains of a 20-plus tonne gray whale buried at Beecher Bay near Victoria for the past four years. The whale skeleton will be prepared as a marine science educational exhibit at VIU’s Deep Bay Marine Field Station in Bowser.

RAISE A WHALE PROJECT

The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to assemble 145 bones of a 10-metre long, 20-plus tonne gray whale into a world class exhibit at VIU’s Deep Bay Marine Field Station has captured the imagination of students and the public.

With recovery of the bones completed in June, and fundraising for the ‘buy-a-bone’ campaign reaching ever closer to the $75,000 target, the project is well underway. The completed skeleton will weigh approximately 2,000 pounds and will hang from the ceiling as a highlight of the Deep Bay Marine Field Station’s public education program.

There is still time to get involved in the project – you can buy your own bone for as little as $200. All purchasers will receive a certificate of “bone ownership”

signed by Dr. Ralph Nilson, VIU President and Vice-Chancellor, name recognition at the Deep Bay exhibit and an invitation to the exhibit preview party.

See www.viu.ca/whale for more information.

campusnews

The Vancouver Island Symphony, based in Nanaimo, will present a special performance of the Victoria Symphony at the Port Theatre Nov. 12 to commemorate Remembrance Day and the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I. The concert will incorporate personal letters and photos of Canadian soldiers collected in a VIU project initiated in 2001 by VIU History Professor Stephen Davies – the Canadian Images and Letters Project (CLIP).A display in the lobby of the Port Theatre will include a selection of poster-size reprinted original letters and personal photographs collected for CLIP. The ‘Lest we Forget Performance’ will feature music from the WWI era and VIU will present a pre-concert chat. To learn more about the project, see www.canadianletters.ca or contact Dr. Davies at letters@viu.ca.

VIU STUDENTS’ UNION LAUNCHES TOTEM POLE PROJECT

Totem poles representing three Vancouver Island First Nations will soon grace the entrance to Shq’apthut, the Aboriginal Gathering Place at VIU.

The totem pole project was initiated by Sherry McCarthy, chairperson of the VIU Students’ Union (VIUSU). Carvers from three tribal territories in the region – the Kwakwaka’wakw, the Coast Salish and the Nuu-chah-nulth – are involved, with work underway this fall next to the Gathering Place. Students and the public will have the chance to view the carving through the summer and fall, with an expected comple-tion of late October.

FINDING FAIRY HOUSES AT MILNER GARDENS

Beautiful fairy houses magically appeared at Milner Gardens and Woodland June 20-22, thrilling children and the young-at-heart who visited to search for them. The Fairy House Surprise weekend is one of many popular events that take place throughout the year. Discover something new for your own garden at the Fall Plant Sale September 27 and 28, and make a date with family and friends to attend Milner Christmas Magic, held the first three weeks of December. Alumni can take advantage of a discounted annual membership – $11 for individuals or $22 for a family.

Canadian soldiers gather on Christmas Day, 1918. Photo courtesy of VIU’s Canadian Letters and Images Project.

Island Timberlands president Darshan Sihota (left) joins Nuu-chah-nulth Elder-in-Training Steve Howard, and carvers George Hunt Jr. (Kwakwaka’wakw) and Qwaya Sam (Ahousaht First Nation), in a traditional First Nations blessing of cedar trees donated by the forest company to VIU’s totem pole project.

PERSONAL STORIES OF WWI SHARED IN SYMPHONY OF REMEMBRANCE

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research, publishing projects and sports tournaments, among many others.

The locally operated and proudly Canadian grocery company looks for unique opportunities with partner organizations in the communities it serves, says Chenard.

“Partnering with the University is important,” she adds. “We hope we’re a good role model to students, because they’ll become entrepreneurs out in the community, and they can see how organizations can work together to make the world a better place.”

Fundraisers at VIU and in the region displaying the “Double Up” logo have become a common sight. The Double Up banner was displayed prominently at the popular Hot Pot dinner organized to fund special Culinary program activities, at beer-and-burger nights in support of study trips abroad, and during a Silent Auction raising funds to support VIU’s Natural History Museum.

donorprofile A CONVERSATION WITH VIU’S DONORS

The Thrifty Foods Double Up Program at VIU is a unique community partnership that is making a difference.

Thrifty Foods established the program five years ago to help students, faculty, alumni and staff reach fundraising goals for a wide range of projects. The company matches funds up to $1,000 for each project that qualifies. Since 2009, the company has contributed $111,500 in matching funds to complete various projects.

“We saw this as a unique way to engage students, making their efforts that much more effective, as the program offers an incentive,” says Vivian Chenard, Manager of Community Relations for Thrifty Foods.

The range of projects supported by the program touches every corner of University life – scholarships, graduation celebrations, international field schools, sustainability efforts, community-based

In the most recent 12-month period, the program supported 22 student, faculty and staff initiatives, including field schools in five different countries on three continents.

One project supported in 2013 by the Thrifty Foods Double Up Program benefited students travelling to Costa Rica as part of the “Heart of Gold Community Empowerment Project”. Now in its tenth year, the Heart of Gold program assists farmers in establishing ecotourism and agritourism businesses.

The Double Up Program also helped students in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program raise $90 to host the first ever School Pizza Day for Khowhemum Elementary in Duncan in April.

“So often fundraising helps bring communities and schools together,” says Chenard.

Members of the VIU Mariners Women’s Basketball Team received support for their Shoot-a-Thon fundraiser from the Thrifty Foods Double Up Program in September 2013.

THRIFTY FOODS DOUBLE UP PROGRAM HELPS WIDE RANGE OF VIU PROJECTS

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These are questions that fascinate many of us, if we pause to think about them, but for Rhy McMillan (BA with Distinction, Anthropology & Earth Science ’13) they have taken him on a serendipitous journey in education and research and to the depths of a world famous cave in Belgium.

“WHO ARE WE, WHERE DID WE COME FROM, AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE US?”

UNCOVERING THE SECRETS OF SCLADINA CAVE

2014 FALL/WINTER 11By Shari Bishop Bowes

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It all began on a blustery December day in 2009, as McMillan leaned on his

surfboard, watching waves crest on Long Beach near his home in Ucluelet, BC. Recently returned home from a year of touring playing his music, he’d decided it was time for a new direction in life.

Answering his cell phone, he got the news he’d been accepted to study for his Bachelor of Arts degree at VIU. He packed and moved to Nanaimo the same day.

With hardly a clue at where his

university experience might take him, McMillan registered in Anthropology 112, one of the courses still available after his last minute registration. Within the first hour of the class, Professor Dee Cullon had McMillan thinking critically about who we are as humans, inspiring him to begin his academic journey.

“Ever since then, thanks to Dee, it was something I knew I wanted to do – to find out more about what it means to be human,” he says.

Since that defining moment, McMillan has let his interests, skills and passions shape a path that is today fully occupied by the disciplines of archaeology and geoscience. Entering UBC’s Master of Science in Geologic Science program in fall 2014 – which he plans to follow up

with a doctoral degree – he’ll continue the work he began as a VIU undergrad in Scladina Cave in Belgium.

The site of the discovery of some of the world’s oldest Neanderthal DNA on record – approximately 100,000 years old – Scladina Cave opened a world of opportunity for McMillan in advancing his studies in geology and archaeology.

This year he was designated an honourary research associate at the Centre archéologique de la grotte Scladina (ASBL Andennaise), the

organization that oversees research at Scladina Cave. He is involved in editing and translation, as well as writing for the Scladina Monograph, an academic publication chronicling the discovery of an eight-year-old Neanderthal child at the site.

“Scladina is a time capsule, a beautiful little well protected site,” he says. “It has contents that have been dated to about 130,000 years – with undated materials likely much older – and was completely filled up within the last 10,000 years. This means everything inside has been protected since before modern times – nobody was able to access it until scientific excavation began in 1978. And we haven’t excavated to the end of the cave

“IT WAS SOMETHING I KNEW I WANTED TO DO – TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN.”

Kyle Hall (front), a VIU student on a summer 2014 Study Abroad trip to Scladina Cave in Belgium, inspects a sample with Rhy McMillan.

Rhy McMillan makes his short “commute” to Scladina Cave from his temporary home in the work camp on site.

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yet – we don’t know exactly where it goes. For me, that’s the most beautiful part.”

In his second undergrad internship at Scladina Cave, McMillan began to focus his work on taphonomy – the study of the processes affecting an organism between the time of its death and the time we find it in the archaeological/geological record.

His particular interest is the differential fossilization of bone, and the development of a new standard used when chemically analyzing bone material.

“Because I have training in both archaeology and earth science, one of my main objectives is to help archaeologists better understand, describe and explain the relationships between groups of valuable objects by using geoscience,” McMillan says. “This means understanding, through methods I’m helping to develop, the objects’ various states of preservation and alteration, and using this data to help us better understand how they are related.”

Working with the new method he’s developing for analyzing tiny samples of fossilized bone at the UBC Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research, McMillan says he’s trying to help solve a problem that occurs when objects are re-deposited and mixed into overlying sediments by erosion, causing a mélange of objects

representing different time periods.Objects found together in one

layer of sediment might have been deposited during different events. This problem goes both ways – objects that are found in separate contexts might have been originally deposited by the same event, and therefore represent the same age, even though they are not excavated from the same layer.

One particular find at Scladina that has involved McMillan is the discovery of a brittle, graphite substance that may well be evidence of a colorant – or a very early pencil – used by Neandertals.

“Not only is the use of graphite as a colorant by Neandertals new and exciting, these could be the first pencils ever used,” McMillan says.

The initial encouragement to undertake the VIU Study Abroad trip to Scladina came from Professor Cheryl Roy, who has been an unfailing mentor and colleague for McMillan. And with Roy now poised to retire from her position leading student research at Scladina, her former student is now preparing to take over that role.

Roy is happy to see one of her most promising students continuing his research and sharing his skills with future VIU students working at Scladina Cave.

“Rhy is one of the most enthusiastic

Follow Rhy on Twitter @GeoArchaeo or read his blog: geoarchaeo.com

“SCLADINA IS A TIME CAPSULE; CONTENTS HAVE BEEN DATED TO 130,000 YEARS.”

students I have ever encountered,” Roy says. “He is excited about learning and he has used every opportunity offered to him to create his own future.”

McMillan says Roy, along with retired Professor Gay Frederick, encouraged the interdisciplinary approach he has taken in his studies, combining archeology and geological science. “Cheryl’s been nothing but supportive – she was one of the first people to treat me like a colleague.”

Working with UBC’s Multidisciplinary Applied Geochemistry Network, McMillan is excited to continue his research examining the fossilization of bone and how this may impact future work on sites like the Scladina Cave.

“The bottom line is, most of the chronology information we use as archaeologists comes from studying objects that have undergone at least some degree of taphonomic alteration – the processes that occur after an organism dies and before we find it,” he says. “I don’t think we understand and use the taphonomic information that is available to the degree that we should when analyzing archaeological bone.”

McMillan believes there is much to be learned from advancing the relationship between archaeology and geology, and he plans to be part of doing just that.

2014 FALL/WINTER 13

PhD candidate Serene Kerpan is working with young students on the Dakota Whitecap First Nation to study how physical activity impacts learning outcomes.

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2014 FALL/WINTER 15

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Navigating the stresses and pressures of first year university at VIU –

and the first lengthy time away from her Fruitvale, BC home, Kerpan tried out for VIU’s basketball team and began a five-year adventure in stretching her limits in both academics and athletics.

Flash ahead a decade, and Kerpan is deep into PhD studies in Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan – and far beyond her wildest dreams as a new VIU undergraduate.

“I don’t know if I would have gone on in life to graduate school or to have some of the success that I’ve seen so far without that basketball experience,” says Kerpan, who attended Convocation ceremonies in June to receive VIU’s Distinguished

Alumni Award for Early Achievement. It was part-way through her first

year at VIU, juggling studies, part-time work, early morning practices and weekend games, that Kerpan surprised herself with some stellar grades.

“All of a sudden my grades went up, I was in my first semester sitting in the 90s and I thought whoa, I’m a lot smarter than I thought I was, and I’m a lot smarter than people told me I am!” she says with a chuckle.

Several of her professors were quick to let her know where her intense curiosity and intellect could take her, first encouraging her participation in undergraduate research, and later to pursue post-grad studies.

ACTIVE BODY, ACTIVE MINDLITTLE DID SHE KNOW WHEN SHE ARRIVED AT VIU IN THE FALL OF 2003, BUT SERENE KERPAN (BA MAJOR IN PHYS. ED. AND HISTORY ’08) WOULD SOON BECOME HER VERY OWN TEST SUBJECT INSPIRING A CAREER AS AN ACADEMIC AND RESEARCHER STUDYING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND ITS EFFECTS ON LEARNING.

2014 FALL/WINTER 15

By Shari Bishop Bowes

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Taking five years to complete her BA degree, Kerpan spent her last year at VIU focused on academics while undertaking research supervised by Dr. Guy Le Masurier involving fitness levels in Aboriginal athletes from the Cowichan First Nation. Her first experience working with First Nations youth offered more foreshadowing for her future academic career, which has been marked by award-winning research in Aboriginal communities.

A romance with husband-to-be Tyrel wasn’t the only attraction for Kerpan in the Prairies – she was excited to study at a university with one of the strongest graduate research programs in the country. The University of Saskatchewan returned the love, offering her the

$15,000 Dean’s Entrance Scholarship upon admittance to the Master's in Kinesiology program. Within the first year of her Master's program Kerpan received a $18,000 Canadian Institutes for Health Research Banting and Best Masters Research Scholarship.

Before long, Kerpan had connected with Saskatoon’s Oskayak High School, and its high population of urban Aboriginal students, to begin the work behind her Master’s research.

“One of the most important things in Aboriginal research is it’s participatory in nature, meaning that you’re not just doing research that’s important to you or to the research community, but it’s research that’s also important to the community,” she says.

Volunteering at the school for a year helped Kerpan get to know teachers and students, and develop a research project with input from conversations and observations.

What Kerpan heard were concerns over body weight amongst the urban Aboriginal youth – sewing a seed for her award-winning Master’s thesis: “Listen, learn and understand: An examination of the cultural context of body weight, physical activity, and diet in Aboriginal youth.”

“We looked at the research questions through a positive lens, not a negative lens,” she says. “There was a lot out there saying what makes Aboriginal people and youth unhealthy, but not a whole lot about what makes them healthy.”

“I DON’T KNOW IF I WOULD HAVE GONE ON IN LIFE TO GRADUATE SCHOOL OR TO HAVE SOME OF THE SUCCESS THAT I’VE SEEN SO FAR WITHOUT THAT BASKETBALL EXPERIENCE.”

Serene Kerpan co-coaches a team of Aboriginal students at Oskayak High School in Saskatoon.

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Kerpan’s work at the Master’s level earned her Canada’s second largest doctoral research award, the $108,000 Canadian Institutes of Health Research Scholarship, to begin her work on her doctorate.

Following her Master’s, Kerpan continued her work with Aboriginal communities in a one-year contract with the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine. As Aboriginal Health Curriculum Coordinator, she worked to design a program of study for medical students that ensured they

would gain skills to work in a “culturally safe” manner with Aboriginal patients.

“Think of cultural safety as a step past cultural sensitivity,” she explains.

Working in the College of Medicine, and after presenting her curriculum work at a prestigious conference on Indigenous medical education in New Zealand, Kerpan says her fascination with health research in Aboriginal communities – and her interest in pursuing a PhD – continued to grow.

Now close to completing her PhD research in partnership with a school on the Dakota Whitecap First Nation a half hour from Saskatoon, Kerpan has focused her investigation on the effects of physical activity on learning outcomes in Aboriginal elementary school children. Along with a research assistant, she’s been spending time in a Kindergarten/Grade 1 and a Grade 4/5 class undertaking research “interventions”.

“We designed a program where we did two interventions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with five to 10 minutes of physical activity in the classroom,” she says. “We did games that integrated curricular content. It might be a fun physical activity game, but

they’d be calling out how to spell the five spelling test words for that week.”

In the midst of inputting “thousands of data points” into her computer, Kerpan is excited to see the results.

Already, she’s seen evidence – from classroom observation and interviews with the students and teachers – to suggest the experience was very positive and potentially helpful to keep the children on task, concentrating on their work, and settling into learning more readily.

Experience in the classroom goes beyond research for Kerpan, who has taught 10 university courses since 2009. Her natural talent for teaching was recognized in 2010 with the University of Saskatchewan Provost’s Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Teacher.

Volunteering as a basketball coach at Oskayak High School also keeps Kerpan busy and engaged with students and teachers.

“It’s not just about research for me, it’s about teaching, it’s about being engaged with young people and in the community, it’s about volunteerism; it’s really a trifecta and it keeps me balanced,” she says.

Kerpan’s many accomplishments and ability to juggle so many activities while keeping her focus are a few reasons her friend and fellow VIU alumna Angela Losch (BA ’08, BEd ’10 ) joined several of Kerpan’s professors in nominating her for the VIU Alumni Award.

“She’s one of those amazing people who just keeps working – she finds something she believes in and is passionate about and then she doesn’t stop working towards it,” Losch says.

Back in Saskatoon, as Kerpan hits the gymnasium with the group of exuberant teens she co-coaches with Jacqueline Lavallee – a nationally recognized Aboriginal athlete and coach – she sometimes finds herself in fond reflection on her days as team captain for the VIU Mariners.

“Little did I know it, but all that physical activity I was doing back then – practice in the evening, weightlifting in the morning, games on weekends – I was probably doing myself a favour academically by being that active, and ironically, five years later, now that’s my area of research.”

“THERE WAS A LOT OUT THERE SAYING WHAT MAKES ABORIGINAL PEOPLE AND YOUTH UNHEALTHY, BUT NOT A WHOLE LOT ABOUT WHAT MAKES THEM HEALTHY.”

Serene Kerpan has taught 10 university courses, and was recognized in 2010 with the University of Saskatchewan's Provost's Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Teacher.

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Malerie Meeker received VIU’s 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award for Outstanding Service.

2014 FALL/WINTER 19

feature

In the early 1960s Meeker needed an elective for her undergrad degree

at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and signed up for a psychology course on people with developmental disabilities.

Arriving at the class, she discovered a large empty hall and a stack of envelopes on a desk. The envelope contained a self-directed assignment explaining she was to go to what at the time was called a ‘mental institution’ where she would be assigned a person to work with.

During the 60s many people with developmental disabilities in North America were taken from their homes and put in institutions under the assumption they couldn’t be looked after by their families.

Meeker made her way to the assigned institution located on the outskirts of a small town in southern California.

“I remember the building being very beautiful from the outside,” says Meeker. “As I walked towards it though, I began to hear what I can only describe as a wall of sound – laughter, crying, shouting.” As she got closer, Meeker noticed bars on the windows.

When she walked in the front door and looked down the hall, Meeker struggled to take in what she was seeing. “There were kids tied to handrails, grown men with diapers on wearing football helmets to protect their heads.” A staff member took her assignment papers and told her she’d be working with one of the children – a girl named Missy.

EVERYONE INCLUDED: A LIFE’S CALLING

“Missy was a cherub – this beautiful little girl with what we now know as autism spectrum disorder. But here she was in this horrendous place.” The experience triggered a spark in Meeker as she began to understand the people in the institution had been locked up only because of their disability.

More than 40 years after that event Meeker met a young couple – Ira and Judy – and they shared their story of having a daughter with disabilities.

“Ira and Judy were awaiting the arrival of their first child with great anticipation,” says Meeker. “They were not prepared for the outcome – of having a daughter with a disability.” Meeker says Ira and Judy’s first question was ‘Why us?’

AN UNUSUAL CLASS ASSIGNMENT – FOLLOWED BY AN UNSETTLING EXPERIENCE – SET MALERIE MEEKER (EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION DIPLOMA ’86) ON A CAREER PATH FUELED BY A PASSION FOR SUPPORTING SOME OF THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN SOCIETY. by Janina Stajic

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feature

“The magical part of their story – which I’ve seen time and again – is that they went through a transformation where they got to a place of – ‘Yay! Us!’’’

Meeker’s encounter at the ‘institution’ and her conversation with Ira and Judy are both examples of the profound shift that took place in North American society on how we understand and view people with developmental disabilities.

Meeker played a large role in bringing about that shift in perspective, particularly in her community of Powell River and in British Columbia.

After completing her program at UCLA, Meeker headed north and fell in love with the Powell River community where she decided to settle.

“At this time, a growing number of people were making the decision to not send their children to institutions,” explains Meeker. “Slowly discussions started to happen around creating a school for children with developmental disabilities.”

Meeker worked with a number of other trail-blazing women and, under the auspices of an organization called Inclusion Powell River (IPR), they opened the Cranberry Children’s Centre. It was one of the first inclusive pre-schools in BC with 50 to 60 children attending regularly – some with disabilities, others without – and inspired the local school district to begin to support the inclusion of children with developmental disabilities.

In April 1983, Meeker was recruited to take on the role of Executive

“ONE OF MALERIE’S GIFTS IS SHE IS ABLE TO SEE THE POTENTIAL IN EVERY PERSON AND HOW THEY ARE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE.”

Director of IPR and took on a much broader mandate, as BC had become the first province to start the de-institutionalization process.

“I was very involved in a social justice movement to shut down the institutions,” says Meeker. “As part of that there was the huge question of how to reintroduce people who had been in these institutions back into their families and communities. The IPR took on the task of answering this question.”

It was the work Meeker was born to do, according to Alison Taplay, VIU’s Disability Studies Coordinator and instructor in the School and Community Support Worker program. Taplay was one of those who nominated Meeker for the Distinguished Alumni Award for Outstanding Service, presented at June convocation.

“Malerie has many gifts,” explains Taplay. “One of those gifts is she is able to see the potential in every person and how they are able to contribute.”

During the de-institutionalization process, Meeker worked with diverse communities and oversaw the expansion of IPR from a staff of 17 people to a staff of 200.

It was one of the most impactful times in Meeker’s career as she watched families build new relationships with each other.

During this time Meeker realized more training was needed for those working with people with disabilities. Ever the innovator, she

began working on various provincial and regional committees to help develop training programs.

That work led to the next stage of her career – as a beloved instructor and mentor at VIU.

“When I left IPR, I was hired to work in VIU’s Community Support Worker (CSW) program which at the time was a one-year program.”

Meeker soon realized there was a hunger for more training in this field and helped create the Disability Studies Diploma, to expand the CSW program to two years and provide training in leadership, advocacy, social policy and community development.

Meeker’s impact as an instructor has also been profound as former student and IPR employee Lori Hansen recalls.

“Malerie left an amazing legacy; my co-workers at IPR still speak about how she helped to shape them into the people they are today,” says Hansen. “Her teaching prompts people to discover their gifts and how to present them to the world. I would be less effective in my work and even my life if it weren’t for Malerie.”

Meeker has just retired and Taplay says they’ll feel a bit adrift for awhile without her leadership.

“I think what makes someone a good mentor is if they’re good models. They set a vision for you on how you can be a better leader so you think ‘I can and want to be more like that’. Malerie is the epitome of this – she models and inspires.”

Malerie Meeker (centre) enjoys a moment on VIU's Nanaimo former campus with friends and colleagues Alison Taplay (left) and Sandy McCartie, who joined Powell River campus principal Arlette Raaen in nominating Meeker for the Distinguished Alumni Award.

2014 FALL/WINTER 21

alumniin view GRADUATES ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE HERE,

THERE AND EVERYWHERE.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES EXCITING FOR MBA ALUMNA

There are few things that can shift Norma Nakamura Aburto’s focus from her duties as Financial Officer for GIA Corporation, a development and construction company based in Mexico City.

On the day we reach her, however, an earthquake in the region registering 6.7 on the Richter scale has her away from her desk and on the sidewalk in front of GIA’s corporate headquarters. “How about I call you back in 30 minutes?” she asks from her mobile.

The tremor behind her, Nakamura (MBA ’03) is back on our call and recounting her journey from VIU’s MBA program to her role as an executive in Mexico’s major construction and infra-structure sector.

Supported in completing her MBA at VIU by her employer at the time,

ICA, Mexico’s largest construction and development firm, Nakamura enjoyed the experience of living in Canada and learn-ing alongside MBA students from around the world.

“In the program we learned about negotiating with people from other coun-tries, like India, China, Japan, Mexico and Canada – and since my classmates were from these countries, we learned from each other.”

Back in Mexico, Nakamura continued to work in treasury and public finance. Thanks to her industry connections, she became the first female and non-engineer to take on the role of general manager of the Colegio de Ingenieros Civiles de Mexico (CICM). Nakamura managed 30 staff and gained broad experience work-ing for the association’s 2,000 engineer members on a wide variety of projects.

With engineering expertise in fields ranging from heavy construction and hy-drology to highways and energy, the Col-lege of Civil Engineers of Mexico plays a major role in planning for Mexico’s future.

“We made formal recommendations for the country’s infrastructure require-ments over the next 20 years,” said Naka-mura. “We provided this information to

the president and governors, and to many institutions in the government, so they can use the research in planning.”

After heading up the CICM, Nakamura transitioned to her finance role with GIA, where for the past two years she has been involved in major infrastructure projects. She has overseen the financial aspects of two major and very different federal projects: a highly specialized hospital on the outskirts of Mexico City and a prison. One of her first major accomplishments with GIA was the successful public issue of bonds to finance the hospital, a $154 million security which earned her com-pany an award for Best Social Infrastruc-ture Financing in Latin America by the LatinFinance organization.

While her work with GIA keeps her busy, Nakamura has also found time to develop her own private company, TerraVerde, which has its focus in products and services for sustainable building. Solar heating and panels, roof gardens, green walls and building materi-als made from recycled materials are products she has offered through the company since 2009.

A native of Mexico City, Nakamura loves the excitement, culture and diver-sity of the city. Her next adventure in life will take her to Chile with her company as Financial and Administrative Officer/Manager. She will be working on GIA’s largest international project to date, the development of a federal hospital.

While her home is a city of 20 million people, Nakamura appreciates the oppor-tunities she has had to live in Nanaimo, Toronto and Puerto Rico.

“I think when you are going to another country or city, in a way you have to be reborn, so that you can learn everything you can about a new place. I really love my city, but at the same time I really love knowing different, new places.”

Norma Nakamura Aburto is working on large international development projects with GIA Corporation of Mexico City.

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POSITIVITY AND BALANCE IN WHISTLERCommuting to work on his bike past Whistler’s mountain lakes, occasional wildlife and visitors out enjoying some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet doesn’t get Ro Davies down.

He’ll stop to talk to locals he knows, spend a few minutes watching a beaver swim away, or just breathe in the mountain air of summer. As sales manager at the Whistler Golf Club, Davies (Bachelor of Tourism Management ’00) knows he’s in the right place, doing the thing he loves.

“I think it’s true you should go after something you love, since you’re going to be spending a minimum of 40 hours of your week doing it,” he says. “You might as well make sure that it’s fun.”

Davies began work in the golf industry at Fairwinds Golf Club on Vancouver Island before he was out of high school. Following graduation at VIU, he spent a further two years working through

increasingly responsible roles before his boss and mentor at Fairwinds, Ward Stouffer, pointed out the opportunity at the Whistler Golf Club.

“When I took the job, the Winter Olympics were a big part of the motivation,” says Davies, who grew up in Manitoba and spent his high school years in Vancouver Island’s Nanoose Bay community. “Now I like the amazing energy people have in Whistler, and their positive outlook. I can’t imagine being anywhere else at the moment.”

Davies puts a great deal of his own positive energy into a role that has him promoting the Arnold Palmer-designed golf course and its products to groups and golf destination guests, working to ensure clients come back year upon year, and keeping up to speed on Whistler’s increasingly sophisticated offerings.

As the Whistler Golf Club is owned and operated by Tourism Whistler, he says, there’s a strong network in place to not only attract golfers, but all types of visitors keen to experience recreation, mountain culture, and visitor facilities backed by lots of star ratings.

In his 12 years in the community, and fueled by the 2010 Winter Olympics, Davies says, Whistler’s amenities

for visitors have expanded and gone through significant refurbishment.

“The infrastructure here is enormous, starting with the highway,” he says. “It’s a very beautiful and safe drive, which is a massive change.”

Playing an active role in promoting the resort’s diverse offerings, Davies is a board member on the Whistler Chamber of Commerce, and represents his company on the Vancouver Board of Trade, both opportunities to connect to potential clients for the resort.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that Davies takes every opportunity to enjoy Whistler’s wealth of world class recreation himself – he skis downhill and backcountry, fishes, camps, hikes, bikes, plays soccer in a fun co-ed league, and enjoys water sports on the area’s lakes.

While in his role Davies’ opportunity to get out golfing “almost goes without saying,” he says it’s the healthy lifestyle that keeps him happy in both work and play.

“You need to create a lifestyle that’s sustainable,” he says. “It’s balancing being productive at work with engaging yourself in the outdoors.”

alumniin view

Ro Davies takes a break from his job as sales manager at the Whistler Golf Club on a golf vacation in Ireland.

2014 FALL/WINTER 23

campusnews

EDUCATING MINDS AND HEARTSAt a tiny First Nations elementary school on Penelakut Island near Chemainus, BC, Tina Walker (BEd ’08) is teaching her young charges to dream big, pursue a post-secondary education and bring their skills and professional experience back to grow their community.

It’s a difficult task as the students face huge challenges growing up in this tight-knit but isolated community. Many of Walker’s students are the grandchildren of people who went to the residential school on the island – known as one of the most notorious in BC – and community members still struggle with the effects of the abuse to this day. Students must also leave Penelakut to attend high school in Chemainus and as a result of this barrier, many do not graduate.

Walker wouldn’t want to be anywhere else though, as she knows it’s a privilege to work for the Nation. She is passionate about education and believes it is one

of the ways marginalized people can make a better life for themselves.

“I always knew when I was studying that I wanted to teach at a First Nations school where I could promote education and be a bridge between cultures.”

For Walker, the journey to becoming a teacher began as an outdoor instructor leading sea kayaking trips on the BC Coast, Alaska and Mexico.

“It was exciting, adventurous work. I loved being able to travel and teach people how to survive in the wilderness.”

She decided to take her skills as an educator in an outdoor environment and transfer them to working as a teacher in an indoor classroom. She was inspired, in part, by her mother who also returned to school as a mature student and taught at a First Nations school in Port Edward near Prince Rupert.

Today Walker, along with her fellow teachers, is working hard to support the success of her students. Their goal is to build “an unshakeable foundation of traditional teachings and cultural pride” in each student, and encourage as many as possible to attend high school.

Recently, Walker initiated a successful three-day cultural exchange to establish

a connection between Penelakut kids and students from a more affluent Vancouver elementary school.

“They were studying Coast Salish culture, were curious about Penelakut Island and one of their students suggested they should visit and see the island first-hand,” she says.

Walker and her fellow teachers recruited First Nations community members and VIU alumni to host a variety of sessions including: First Nations protocols, drum making, cedar mat weaving and archery. The exchange ended with the students travelling together to Victoria to tour the legislature and visit the Royal Museum of BC.

“I think the Penelakut kids got as much out of this experience as the big city kids,” says Walker. “Some of them rarely go off the Island. It was a wonderful experience to watch them awaken to take pride in their own culture and heritage.”

The experience also confirmed something Walker already knew – her job as a teacher is not just about educating the mind. It’s also about building bridges between communities and educating the heart.

alumniin view

Tina Walker’s journey to becoming a teacher began as an outdoor instructor. Here, she enjoys hiking in the Canadian Rockies.

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classnotes

KEEP IN TOUCH

Let us know about your new job, promotion, wedding, family addition, travels or further academic achievements at alumni@viu.ca.

1990s

Adam Ball (Applied Arts ’98) has been marketing manager at Vancouver Island Brewery since 2012 and Principal Director of Factor Creative, a leading boutique design agency based in the Cowichan Valley, since 2010. Adam has more than 12 years of design and brand strategy development experience working for a wide variety of clientele. He’s passionate about building better brands through design and communication.

2000s

Julie MacTire (BA ’00) has a strong passion for animals. She works as a sales and marketing manager for Buddies Natural Pet Food Ltd. in Nanaimo, BC and is a Dogs in Parks Ambassador for the City of Nanaimo. Her passion for dogs led her to start NanaimoDogs.ca, which provides information on dog parks in Nanaimo. She is also the newsletter editor for Shiba Inu Canada, and is the owner and primary contributor for Misanthropic Shiba, a blog and website. She has also worked in website marketing and social media for the last few years.

Boris Aikler (Business Administration Dipl. ’09; Bachelor of Business Administration ’10) received his CMA designation in 2013 and currently works for the Hazelwood Group as the operations accountant.

Laurel Sliskovic (Bachelor of Tourism Management ’02; Master of Arts in Sustainable Leisure Management ’13) was one of the first two graduates of VIU’s Master of Arts in Sustainable Leisure Management program in January 2013. Building upon the innovative, community-based research she was a part of through the graduate program, Laurel co-founded The Sociable Scientists Inc. – a research and facilitation company for sustainable communities. With a diverse background in tourism, recreation and leisure, Laurel is applying her research and facilitation skills into working with not-for-profits, private businesses, municipalities, and regional districts to enhance quality of life for residents and tourists of Vancouver Island. Laurel lives in Campbell River with her partner Nate and fills her leisure time with fishing, biking, gardening, exploring, playing, being sociable and volunteering with a number of community organizations.

ALUMNI UPDATES ON CAREER, FAMILY, EDUCATION AND MORE

Laurel Sliskovic co-founded The Sociable Scientists, a research and facilitation company for sustainable communities.

2014 FALL/WINTER 25

classnotes

Kirsten Soder (Bachelor of Tourism Management ’04) lives, works and raises her family in Tofino on Vancouver Island. She has been the general manager of Tourism Tofino for the past three years and is responsible for the strategic destination marketing, brand standards management and organizational leadership. Kirsten and her husband Bryan are expecting child number two in the fall of 2014.

Ryan Reed (Culinary Arts ’04) is the executive sous chef at Oak Bay Beach Hotel. In 2012 he won the title of Vancouver Island’s Best Chef and was featured on the Food Network’s television show Chopped Canada in early 2014. It was a tough competition but Ryan stayed off the chopping block and won! Ryan’s cooking style is west coast contemporary cuisine. Look for Ryan’s new restaurant named Nomad, opening fall 2014 in Vancouver.

Dr. Michael Lynch (University Transfer ’04) started his post-secondary education at VIU, where he took numerous science courses before continuing on at UBC to complete his Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Chemistry. He was then accepted as a doctoral student at the University of Washington, where he completed a PhD. He is now teaching chemistry at UBC Okanagan in Kelowna. Michael returned to VIU in early 2014 to give a free public lecture titled “Life is short; let’s watch the world one-millionth-of-one-billionth-of-a-second at a time”. Dr. Michael Lynch

Ryan Reed celebrates winning Chopped Canada on the Food Network.

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classnotes

Gina Bethell (Applied Business Technology ’08; Tourism Studies ’10; Bachelor of Tourism Management ’14; and Event Management ’14) has a strong passion for travel, culture and recreation. This is reflected in her work as an Office and Program Coordinator for Tourism Industry Association Yukon (TIA Yukon) where she assists with conferences, events and festivals. Gina also coordinates and administers a number of programs that provide funding to individuals wanting to study or complete tourism related courses and programs. Gina has travelled to 30 different countries and worked/volunteered in eight of them.

2010s

Sixty per cent of the employees at Array Web + Creative in Nanaimo are VIU graduates or students. They have recently hired two VIU interns, Daelen Berg (BA student) and Carrie Brisson (BA student), who are currently completing their final year of Digital Media Studies. Other alumni on the Array Web + Creative team include senior designer Jordan Wende (BA in Graphic Design ’13), senior developer Suttasinee Chansirinthorn (Bachelor of Science in Computer Science ’10), and technical director Sarah Bromley (Internet Production ’09). www.arraystudios.com.

Shannon Bence (Master of Sustainable Leisure Management ’14; Bachelor of Tourism Management ’12) is a returning student to VIU having completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the University. During her graduate studies she completed two fieldwork internships, the first as a research assistant analyzing and coding data – tools she then used for her own thesis research. Her second internship was as a supervisor for a Nanaimo-based community development initiative that works to lower the crime rate, eliminate violence and address poverty. As Nanaimo has one of the highest child poverty rates in all of Canada, the initiative provided numerous benefits to the children, youth and families in the Harewood neighbourhood district of Nanaimo.

Shannon Bence

2014 FALL/WINTER 27

classnotesclassnotes

After six years of study, Deborah de Carvalho (BA Creative Writing ’14) graduated with her daughter, Melanie de Carvalho (BA Graphic Art ’14). She feels blessed to have walked part of the journey at VIU with her daughter. She is thankful to all the professors who helped her through the years of study and will carry their lessons through her life, such as patience, organization and not taking critique personally.

Katie Durvin (BA Global Studies ’13) is a Master of Arts candidate at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) at Carleton University. Katie has interned with the Canadian Labour Congress researching HIV/AIDS policies and is the Co-President of the NPSIA Students’ Association. She recently won a 2014 SSHRC Research Scholarship and has started her graduate thesis on reproductive health care for refugees in Kenya. During her time at VIU, Katie interned at a refugee camp in Malawi and was the Co-Chair of the WUSC Local Committee that resettled refugee students to Canada.

VIU Mariners Volleyball fans will recognize Lee Hamilton (Bachelor of Business Administration ’13) as the two-time all-Canadian middle in the last two seasons he was on the team before graduating. After graduation, Lee continued with his volleyball career and attended Volleyball Canada’s full-time Training Centre in Gatineau, Quebec for six months and is now currently looking to continue playing professionally in Europe.

Shane Keller (BA Marketing ’14) graduated in June and currently lives in Calgary, Alberta where he works for the City of Calgary as a digital communications team supervisor. He has also spent more than 15 years building his business, Keller Strategic. One of Shane’s most important roles at Keller Strategic is coaching business leaders and politicians to be more confident and successful leaders, and showing them how to purposefully connect with their staff, partners and the public. www.kellerstrategic.com.

Matthew Macdonald (Business Administration ’11; Bachelor of Business Administration ’12) recently moved from Comox, where he was a Portfolio Analyst for a private wealth management firm, to Portland, Oregon where he is now an Analyst in an investment consulting firm. In his role he supports the firm’s analytics department conducting investment research. He is currently pursuing the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Deborah (left) and Melanie de Carvalho

Katie Durvin

Lee Hamilton on the court with the VIU Mariners

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Sharif Kishawi (Master of Business Administration ’13) works full-time as a business management consultant and is the vice-president of the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society. He emigrated from Palestine with his wife and three children and they have since had a fourth child. Sharif is enjoying Island life and has recently joined the Nanaimo Mountain Bike Club.

Kesa Van Osch (Environmental Monitoring for Construction Projects ’12; Horticultural Technical ’11) started 2014 by winning her first women’s provincial title in the 2014 Scotties BC Curling Championship. Kesa comes from a family of curlers. Her two younger sisters also took the junior women’s title in December 2013. Kesa returned to VIU this year and is in the Carpentry Foundation program.

Dave Ross (BA English ’11) moved to Toronto and completed a Master of Arts in Communication at York University. He now works as the Communications Coordinator for the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto. He is also a freelance writer, and serves as the Associate Editor for a national online theatre magazine.

Kelly Sayers (Bachelor of Business Administration ’12) followed his passion for coffee and chocolate after graduation and is now the Director of Food and Farm at Belcampo Belize. He is in charge of the coffee program at the lodge, training staff in specialty coffee, coffee roasting, cocoa roasting and production of chocolate. Kelly also facilitates the agri-tourism aspect of their three newly constructed agricultural tourism buildings, in which he conducts tours highlighting coffee and chocolate production from their organic farm.

Katie Schneider (Bachelor of Tourism Management ’13) was awarded a one-year internship with Campi ya Kanzi and the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust after graduation. While attending VIU, Katie took two trips to Ghana. The first journey was as a student in the Study Abroad program and the second as Dr. Aggie Weighill’s research assistant. You can follow Katie’s experiences in Kenya on her blog Footsteps through many soils at katieschneid.tumblr.com.

Sharif Kishawi

classnotes

Kesa Van Osch eyes up her rock in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts Canadian women’s curling championships in Montreal in February 2014. Her team represented BC after winning the provincial title.

Katie Schneider

2014 FALL/WINTER 29

Aditya Sharma (Bachelor of Business Administration ’12) was recently hired as Account Manager for Prestige Vision, Inc. in Nanaimo, BC. He specializes in marketing, branding, sales and project management through systematic, thorough and diligent work. In his spare time, Aditya volunteers for and sits on the board of the Young Professionals of Nanaimo as Secretary.

Since completing her Bachelor of Arts degree with a Digital Media major and Theatre minor, Tabatha Orange (BA ’14) began managing a local company, AC Taxi, in Nanaimo. She is also the Owner/Operator of Pixielated Media Inc., which deals with all phases of production of short films, audition reels, instructional videos, and music videos.

Laura Timmermans (Bachelor of Arts ’13) is currently working as a freelance graphic designer and was commissioned by the City of Nanaimo to create an original piece of work to be installed as public art outside the Port Theatre in Nanaimo, BC. Laura grew up in Ucluelet and says she was strongly influenced by the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation’s world view of ‘Heshook-ish Tsawalk’, which means all things are connected and interdependent – the inspiration for her sculpture. More info on Laura and her work is available at www.lauratimmermans.ca.

Laura Timmermans celebrates the installation of her art work outside the Port Theatre in Nanaimo.

classnotes

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Voices of VIUby Shawn A-in-chut Atleo

In 2009, Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo was installed as VIU’s Chancellor — the first Aboriginal Chancellor of a post-secondary institution in BC. His second — and final — term is now coming to an end. Here he reflects on his journey with VIU during the past six years.

I’ve always been excited by education, or, more specifically, the power education has to change lives, communities, even the world. When I began my term as VIU’s Chancellor I was interviewed for an article for Journey. In that article I talked about the impact education can have on individual lives but also on our communities and even our society. The example I gave was that the civil rights movement in the United States was spearheaded by the actions of university students in the South. That movement was what made it possible, 50 years later, to watch the inauguration of America’s first African-American president.

This is one reason I am so passionate about education and why I was honoured to take on the role of VIU’s Chancellor. During that time I’ve been given the opportunity to participate in a number of inspiring events and support the University as it made the sometimes difficult transition from university-college to university.

Always the greatest joy for me has been interacting with VIU’s students. My hope is that during my six years with VIU I’ve managed to inspire current and potential students, and in particular,

First Nations students by demonstrating that choosing to pursue a post-secondary education is one of the best choices they can and should make in their lives.

Today, as we look around us it’s easy to feel despair, to wonder if indeed it’s possible to make a difference in our world, to somehow make a positive change.

And I agree – sometimes it seems overwhelming. We have much work to do – in this country and around the world. But again I say that the best way to support that work – that change – is through education. The Civil Rights movement was spearheaded by students. Here in this country the Idle No More movement also has students at the forefront. It is this that gives me hope for our future.

I am feeling bittersweet that my time as Chancellor has come to an end. It’s been a wonderful experience, filled, as mentioned, with so many positive events and interactions. But I also know that it is time to move on – both so another

person can come in as Chancellor and leave their own mark – but also for me as I move on to the next stage.

I have many ideas on what shape this might take but you can be sure that whatever path I choose it will continue to focus on creating access to education, particularly for First Nations people. I strongly believe that despite the many challenges facing our communities, our country and indeed the world, education will release the potential within us to meet those challenges and create a bright future for ourselves, our children and our children’s children.

Hay ch qa’

CHANGE FOR OUR WORLD STARTS WITH ACCESS TO EDUCATION

Outgoing VIU Chancellor, Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, made many enduring connections with VIU students, faculty, staff and communities during his six-year term.

The Campus Commuter: Six Friday evenings and six Saturdays per semester and one July residency.

The Scenic Route: Study online and enjoy two brief summer residencies via the Centre for Innovative Educational Leadership at VIU.

The Bike Path: Study full-time at VIU for one year.

Contact us to help you start your journey today.

Dr. Harry Janzen, Dean, Faculty of Educationharry.janzen@viu.ca

Donna Nelson, donna.nelson@viu.ca

Love where you learn.

Which road will you take to your Master’s in Educational Leadership at VIU?

viu.ca/education

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