Student Stories

Vancouver Island University’s ‘su’luqw’a’ Community Cousins Aboriginal student mentorship program is celebrating its 10^th anniversary in September 2021. In honour of this important milestone, we are sharing stories of people closely connected with the program every month leading up to the anniversary. Stay tuned for a celebration of this important milestone in February 2022 – when we hope to be able to gather in-person.

Chris Shanks wanted to pursue a truly interdisciplinary education during his time at VIU, which is why he enrolled in both a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies and a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Psychology and Biology. 

Kashmir Lesnick-Petrovicz hopes her art makes people feel confident, accepted and valued.

The VIU BA student, completing a double major in Visual Arts and Global Studies, is one of three artists displaying their work during RockVIU's interactive art exhibit. RockVIU is the University's series of new student orientation events, taking place August 23 to September 3, 2021. The art exhibit runs September 3 from 11 am to 5:30 pm at VIU's Malaspina Theatre, Building 310. It features visual art displays and dance performances that reflect on what it means to "Matter Here" at VIU.

Michaela Medina has always loved art.

However, it wasn’t until last year that she found her medium – ceramics. She was introduced to the “ancient simplicity” of the art form during a course with VIU Visual Art Professor Scott Leaf.

“Ceramics has, to a certain extent, allowed me to let go of my fear of failure and rigid perfectionism so I could truly explore and discover my artistic style,” she says.

For third-year Visual Art student Enigye Amarkah, expressing oneself isn’t about being limited to one particular medium.

“I don’t like to specify my style because sometimes when you want to express yourself, it’s going to work better as a sculpture, or it’s going to be a good photograph, or it will be a painting, so I don’t like to focus on just one aspect,” says Enigye, whose name translates to "Happy," a moniker he more commonly goes by.

Denman Moody was working in Victoria in an industry she didn’t love, and was considering returning to university when a chance encounter with a family friend during a summer camping trip changed the direction of her life.

Her family friend had graduated from Vancouver Island University’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology Diploma program and told her how much he loved the industry and how many opportunities the training opened up for him.

A decision made “on a whim” has turned into a new career path for Julia Blair.

“I had been struggling for a few years through my 20s to find something that felt like a good fit,” 30-year-old Julia says. 

A decision to switch from pursuing a Certified Professional Accountant (CPA) designation to the recreation and tourism field paid dividends for Monir Shahzeidi.

Monir recently finished a Master of Arts in Sustainable Leisure Management at VIU. Beyond just graduating, however, she is also recipient of this year's Governor General’s Academic Gold Medal award.

Reprinted with permission from The Discourse

Vancouver Island University (VIU) attracts international students from around the world and from various different climates. For Lurana McClure Rodriguez, who grew up in Puerto Rico, Vancouver Island’s environment felt like the closest home away from home. Wanting to study something design and arts-related, interior design gave her a wide range of opportunities to learn and specialize in. Now, at the end of her degree, Rodriguez finds that her final grades aren’t the greatest achievement.

After a seven-year stint as a heavy equipment operator in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Adam Klassen decided it was time for a change. 

“I was exhausted with commuting weekly [and] I wanted to seek work closer to home,” he says. Through a co-worker of his girlfriend, Adam found out about VIU's Fundamentals of Forestry Harvesting Practices (FFHP) certificate program.