The Power of Persistence: A Story of Success and Resilience
January 13, 2020
Janelle Minoza has overcome a number of obstacles standing in the way of her post-secondary education since becoming a student at Vancouver Island University last year.Janelle Minoza is living proof that hard work and determination can help you achieve your dreams.The third-year Bachelor of Social Work student at Vancouver Island University (VIU), from the Deh Gah Gotie Dene First Nations in Fort... Read more
Trades Discovery Centre Builds Foundation for Future Workforce
August 1, 2019
Students and employees are enjoying the new learning space, which opened in fall 2018. When Jason Winchester came back to Vancouver Island University (VIU) in February for his carpentry apprenticeship training, he was excited to work in the new space. The Carpentry program is now located in the new Trades Discovery Centre, which opened in fall 2018 thanks to generous support from the... Read more
Rewriting The Story You Are Born Into
July 10, 2019
We don’t get to choose the life we begin with. Some of us are born into privilege while others are not. One opportunity or disadvantage can vastly change our entire life story. “At the orchard I work at, my boss’s son has dyslexia and his mother fought tirelessly for him to ensure he got the proper supports in school,” says Eric Evans. “I wonder sometimes how my life would be different if I had... Read more
Changing Lives Through Education
July 9, 2019
Vancouver Island University’s Adult Basic Education program is supporting students to pursue their dreams. “Everyone who is here has struggled at some point and this is our second chance to build a better life,” says Julianne McCullough, Adult Basic Education (ABE) student at Vancouver Island University (VIU). [[{"fid":"2900","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default... Read more
VIU Biology Graduate Sets her Sights on Protecting the Environment
May 27, 2019
Inspired by the environmental research she was able to participate in at VIU Kimberley Barrett is excited to enter into the world of research following graduation. Biology graduate Kimberley Barrett isn’t going to medical school like she originally planned five years ago when she first started her degree at Vancouver Island University (VIU). Partway into her journey she discovered helping... Read more
Indigenous Doctor Shortage Issue Brought to the Forefront by VIU Student
April 11, 2019
Sometimes all it takes to influence positive change is to put an idea in front of the right people. Vancouver Island University (VIU) Masters of Business Administration student Alvin Meledath wanted to raise awareness about the challenges Indigenous communities face in accessing health care and present real solutions to the issue. His paper – “Reconciling the Indigenous Doctor Shortage Gap... Read more
VIU Student Makes an Impression at UBC Undergraduate Research Conference
April 8, 2019
VIU undergrad Melynda Bergen took home an award from the University of BC (UBC) Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference on March 16, 2019. NANAIMO, BC: Vancouver Island University (VIU) biology student Melynda Bergen made history at the University of BC’s Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference last month. She is the first non-UBC student to win an award at... Read more
VIU CREATE 2019 and Research Week
April 3, 2019
Hundreds of students and faculty will be participating in Vancouver Island University’s largest showcase event, CREATE 2019 and Research Week. WHEN: April 8 – 13, 2019 WHERE: Various locations across the Nanaimo Campus NANAIMO, BC: Vancouver Island University (VIU) faculty and students are gearing up to show off their scholastic, research and creative projects during the... Read more
Program that Brings Inmates and University Students Together Expanding
March 21, 2019
Thanks to a generous grant from the Vancouver Foundation, VIU’s Inside-Out program will not only continue, but triple in size. There’s nothing anybody else could say about Joe Cramer that would be worse than the things he’s said about himself over the years. A former child actor who got caught up in a cycle of addiction, rehab and jail in his 30s, Cramer ended up serving a nearly two-year... Read more
Indigenous Health Care Assistant Program Changing Lives
February 22, 2019
The Kw’am Kw’um Shhwuli (Strong Health, Well-being) Health Care Assistant program at VIU Cowichan combines technical training with wraparound supports and Hul’qumi’num language lessons to help move students into high-demand careers. A unique new program at Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Cowichan Campus that combines Health Care Assistant training and Indigenous language and culture... Read more