Alum of the month: Trevor Ballantyne
March 24, 2023
When Trevor Ballyntine was growing up, graduating from high school seemed like a stretch – never mind university. Now Trevor, who graduated from VIU’s Liberal Studies program last spring, is on his way to becoming a lawyer. He recently had the opportunity to meet Justice Russell Brown of the Supreme Court of Canada. We caught up Trevor recently to learn more about what brought him to this stage... Read more
Alum of the Month: Drew Milne
March 15, 2023
Growing up on Vancouver Island, Drew Milne explored the great outdoors whenever he got the chance, so it’s not surprising he gravitated towards a career as a BC Conservation Officer. Last fall, the provincial government recognized him for his excellent service in this role with the Conservation Officer of the Year designation. This is given to conservation officers who go above and beyond the... Read more
Creating the next generation of treatments for substance abuse disorders
January 23, 2023
VIU Psychology alum Dr. Travis Baker receives $2.5-million grant for research Little did Dr. Travis Baker know when he first came to Vancouver Island University more than 20 years ago that it would be the start of a successful career in researching new treatments for addiction. Now an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University-Newark’s Centre for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, he recently... Read more
Alum of the month: Douglas Groenendijk
January 13, 2023
Since graduating in 2019, Douglas Groenendijk has appeared on the reality TV series, Farming for Love, and started developing business plans to start his own farm, Legend Dairy Farms. Groenendijk graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration, Major in Finance. He was a right-side hitter for the Mariner men’s volleyball team. And during his time on the team he received the 2019 PACWEST... Read more
Alum of the month: Margot Fedoruk
December 15, 2022
VIU’s Creative Writing program helped Margot Fedoruk achieve her lifelong dream of publishing a book. Fedoruk, who graduated in 2021, says much of the material in her memoir, Cooking Tips for Desperate Fishwives: An Island Memoir, was workshopped in various VIU classes. The book follows her adventures of raising a family on Gabriola Island with her husband, who is an urchin diver. Aside from her... Read more
Alum of the Month: Délani Valin
November 16, 2022
Délani Valin’s passion for words started at just 10 years old when she would find interesting words in the thesaurus and write poems about them or insert them into poems. Now, the VIU Creative Writing grad has released her first book of poetry, Shapeshifters. This latest development should come as no surprise to anyone who knows Valin, who won The Malahat Review's Long Poem prize while still a... Read more
Alum of the Month: Dr. Serene Kerpan
September 24, 2022
When Dr. Serene Kerpan returned to Vancouver Island University this fall to teach and conduct research in the Kinesiology program, she was joining professors who had mentored her when she was a student at VIU years ago. Kerpan graduated from VIU in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, double majoring in History and Sport, Health and Physical Education (SHAPE, now the Kinesiology program). Since... Read more
Alum of the Month: Bianca van der Stoel
July 8, 2022
After graduating from VIU’s Horticulture Technician program in 2019, Bianca van der Stoel has been busy growing her own Horticultural Therapy business, witnessing powerful moments of rehabilitation and joy as she helps people reconnect with nature. We caught up with Bianca to learn more about how her program helped her do what she’s doing now, and what’s next for her. Why did you choose VIU? I... Read more
Alum of the Month: Kholoud Madi
May 21, 2022
A desire to contribute to the community in a meaningful way and make a difference in the lives of local children motivated Kholoud Madi, a VIU Early Childhood Education and Care program graduate, to open her own preschool in Nanaimo. Elm Preschool is a full-day preschool program for children aged two and a half to five. We caught up with Madi to learn more about her new venture, and how VIU... Read more
Alum of the Month: Keanu Ienco
April 30, 2022
Ever since he picked up a guitar at age eight, music has been a passion for Keanu Ienco, who graduated from VIU in 2019 with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies. Earlier this year, Ienco, who is Métis and part Havasupai Native American, released his debut album, Celestial Desire, which he describes as an instrumental rock record. He shares more about his inspiration for the album and how VIU... Read more