Student Stories

For VIU students looking to expand their global horizons and study internationally while pursuing their undergraduate degree, there is a lot of funding available to help make this dream come true. VIU’s Education Abroad office is giving out more than $200,000 in scholarships and grants this year.

Grace Poirier has always thought a career in pastry arts is “the coolest job ever.”

Now, the second-year VIU Baking and Pastry Arts student has taken another step towards that goal.

Safe, supported and valued are three words Rayan Zeineddine uses to describe how he feels in his current job as Housing Admissions Coordinator with VIU Residences.

Rayan grew up in Lebanon. After high school, he pursued a degree in medical laboratory technology. He was good at chemistry and biology, so his first thought was to go into medicine.

As a student in VIU’s Child and Youth care program, Daniela Herrera says it’s important to learn about every area that may impact a child’s development. It’s why she believes the program’s second-year course, Trauma and Resiliency Across the Lifespan, is so crucial.

Madeline Kozubal was working at a mill in the BC Interior when she first heard about VIU’s Dual Credit program.

“I hadn’t finished high school at that point,” she recalls. “I was shadowing some of the welders and the millwrights though, and thought those jobs looked interesting.” 

For Ezat Haidary, a brand-new program at Vancouver Island University is already having a life-changing impact.

Called Trades Pathways for Newcomers, the program launched in September and supports newcomers looking for a career in the trades by ensuring they have the skills, knowledge and supports to successfully transition into the educational programs that will get them there.

A new collection of academic essays published by VIU’s Liberal Studies program examines issues of morality, love and death. 

The Compass Rose: Explorations in Thought is an online collection of essays written by undergrad students at VIU and at other institutions. 

It’s a joint project between the Liberal Studies Department and the Alexandro Malaspina Research Centre. The goal is to help students gain real-world work experience that relates to what they learn in class.

As the war in Ukraine continues, efforts are now being made to understand and analyze the extent of the damage to infrastructure.

Anna Shynkarenko is designing a method to capture the extent of the destruction using geographic information system (GIS) technology. The goal is a mapping method that helps aid in reconstruction.

Forever chemicals are in our waterways and oceans. Recent research by VIU alum Misha Zvekic shows they are also turning up in marine life.

Forever chemicals, also known as Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances or PFAS, are persistent, human-made substances. They’re called forever chemicals because they hardly break down in the environment and could last for decades. These chemicals are commonly found in stain-resistant and water-repellant consumer products as well as some firefighting foams.

Members of the Vancouver Island University community may remember Kayla Passmore for her role as team captain of the Mariner’s women’s volleyball team, helping to lead her team to four national championship victories. But she was an active member of the VIU community in many other ways, organizing major events, leading tours and helping new students in residences.