Alum of the Month: Dom Dawson
August 12, 2021
Improving his English, getting a dual master’s degree and gaining valuable work experiences in North America attracted Dom Dawson, originally from Germany, to Vancouver Island University’s Master of Business Administration program. Right after graduation in 2013, Dawson, who played water polo professionally for several years before seeking more education, landed a job with Nike Canada, combining... Read more
Alum of the Month: Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun
July 15, 2021
Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun, graduated with a degree in Liberal Studies and Philosophy from VIU in 2018 with dreams of following his father and other family members into a career in Indigenous law. Right after graduation, he started a full-time job as Project Coordinator with Petroglyph Development Group, the economic development arm of Snuneymuxw First Nation, and soon started pursuing a... Read more
Starting Over and Making a Difference in Canada
July 3, 2021
Alumnus Charlton Mapayi's story Coming to Canada in his mid-40s from Harare, Zimbabwe, where he worked in sales and marketing, Charlton Mapayi found himself looking for a new career after failing to find work in this field. Applying for position after position to no avail, he decided to take temporary work as a janitor, in retail sales and as a package handler. Mapayi found out about Vancouver... Read more
Alum of the Month: Shawn O’Keefe
June 4, 2021
Most Islanders are familiar with artist Shawn O’Keefe’s work on the labels of the popular Phillips Brewery products. O’Keefe, who received his Visual Arts diploma from VIU (then Malaspina College) in 1993, has been working as a graphic artist ever since, building a career he’s passionate about with the right clients and the right friends, the latter of which he started a unique, collaborative art... Read more
Alum of the Month: Amy Pye
April 20, 2021
VIU Graphic Design alum Amy Pye is channelling her creativity into a new medium these days –children’s books. While she is still doing marketing design work during the day – both with her own company, Pye Design, and as Art Director with Real Estate Webmasters – earlier this year, she published two children’s books. G is for Grizzly Bear takes a very Canadian spin on learning the alphabet, and... Read more
Alum of the Month: Chyanne Trenholm
April 9, 2021
When the mountains call, Chyanne Trenholm answers. The outdoor adventure enthusiast likes to go on long hikes and rock climbing adventures in her spare time. Luckily the VIU Bachelor of Tourism Management alum’s job as marketing and social media coordinator for Homalco Wildlife & Cultural Tours in Campbell River allows her to share her passion for the natural beauty around her Nation with... Read more
Alum of the Month: Cam Wipper
March 24, 2021
Cam Wipper has always been interested in the stars, but it wasn’t until he stepped into an astronomy class with Dr. Greg Arkos at Vancouver Island University that he was hooked. Today he works at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on the Big Island of Hawai'i, conducting night-time scientific observations for astronomers across Canada and around the world. Here’s a bit about his journey from... Read more
VIU Alum Makes an Impact Through Endowment Awards
March 8, 2021
Thanks to generous support from community, three annual awards will be given out to VIU students in the name of Micah Messent, who passed away in a plane crash in March 2019. Every year, three Indigenous students will have their financial burdens eased a little in the name of Micah Messent, a Vancouver Island University (VIU) graduate who lost his life in a tragic crash two years ago. Messent,... Read more
Alum of the Month: Tyson Whitney
February 23, 2021
Graduating in the midst of a recession, Tyson Whitney (Bachelor of Arts, Major in Creative Writing and Journalism ’08) worked a variety of jobs that didn’t focus on writing at first, including as a law clerk and warehouse manager. In 2015, he went to work for the North Island Gazette in Port Hardy, where he became editor a year later and has never looked back. The paper has since been nominated... Read more
VIU Alum Starts Award for Single Mothers
February 9, 2021
Receiving financial help changed Kyla Hanington’s life and the lives of her children when she was at university; now she wants to give back to families in similar situations. There were many times when Kyla Hanington was close to giving up on her university education. Every time this happened, the single mother of two received a timely scholarship, bursary or award that served as encouragement,... Read more