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
VIU Peace Ambassadors Return from Bangkok to Share their Knowledge
January 31, 2019
VIU students travelled to the Peace Summit of Emerging Leaders’ in Bangkok to strengthen peace efforts with 500 Peace Ambassadors. Before we can achieve world peace, we must understand what this concept means when put into practice. This is what Vancouver Island University (VIU) students, Stephanie Pastro and Justin North sought to find out during the Peace Summit of Emerging Leaders... Read more
First-Generation Students Find Their Fit at Vancouver Island University
December 14, 2018
University gives new students the tools to succeed When Mya Wilson, an English and Psychology student at Vancouver Island University (VIU) first decided to go to university, she was a bit lost. She didn’t know what a credit was, or what a major or minor was. Wilson also had no idea there were so many options to choose from in every program. Her parents had never gone to university – making... Read more