Samantha Wigglesworth in the FINA Gallery, March 2025

Throughout their academic and artistic career, Samantha Wigglesworth has been deeply invested in queer activism.

“In 2016, alongside several high-school classmates, I co-founded the Pride Walk in my hometown, Fort St. John. This event, which continues to grow, has provided a visible platform for LGBTQ+ advocacy in a community where such representation is often scarce,” they explain.

This intersection of activism and art has remained a consistent theme in their work.

After graduating from high school, Wigglesworth attended the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), and due to the pandemic, completed three years of the undergraduate degree online from their hometown before finishing the final year in person.

“After earning my Bachelor of Fine Arts, I felt I had more to learn.”

This desire for continued education led them to pursue a Master of Fine Arts here at UBC Okanagan.

In July 2021, Wigglesworth held their first solo exhibition, “Spectrum,” a portrait series exploring diverse genders and sexualities. The exhibition aimed to normalize queer identities in a community where many had never encountered such representations.

Between their BFA and MFA, Wigglesworth received a grant from the BC Arts Council to create portraits of transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals as a form of visual activism. This work was shown on campus in the FINA Gallery in March 2025.

“By presenting these portraits, I hoped to prompt viewers to confront and ultimately reduce their biases. My artistic practice has consistently centered on queer identity, and this project laid the foundation for my graduate thesis, which continues to explore these themes,” they note.

Encouraged by their professors and supervisors at UBCO, Wigglesworth has started to experiment with new artistic forms.

“While my earlier work focused on realistic portraiture, I have recently embraced an abstract representational style, allowing me to convey deeper emotional experiences then what I think traditional portraiture might capture.”

Wigglesworth says that their creative process has evolved significantly since beginning the MFA program.

“In previous work, I started with a more analytical approach. Conceptualizing an idea, photographing my models – who are always people I know – and ensuring they understood how I intended to portray them. Now, my work is more intuitive and emotionally driven.”

This shift has led to a combination of realism and abstraction in their latest pieces, capturing a broader emotional spectrum and convey the complexities of queer experiences. Ultimately, their work seeks to challenge and expand perceptions of gender and sexuality, particularly in communities where such conversations remain limited.

“Through a combination of realism, abstraction, and emotional expression, I strive to create art that not only represents marginalized identities but also fosters empathy and understanding.”

Wigglesworth says that one of their most significant recent works, ‘Governed Flesh’ reflects their anxieties about the increasing threats to transgender rights both in the United States and Canada.

“During the creation of this series, I often listened to Trump’s speeches or heavy rock music to channel my emotional responses into the artwork,” they explain. “This raw, expressive approach has not only strengthened my thesis but has also allowed me to engage more intentionally and powerfully with themes of pain, resilience, and identity.”

Looking ahead, Wigglesworth aspires to continue practicing as a full-time artist while also pursuing a career as a professor, and says “As I continue my journey, I remain committed to using my art as a powerful tool for visibility, activism, and change.”

Beyond their thesis work, Wigglesworth engages in a variety of creative pursuits to maintain a balanced and sustainable artistic practice. These include lino cuts, collage-making, and clothing alterations—activities that provide both personal fulfillment and potential passive income.

“By diversifying my artistic output, I aim to prevent burnout and ensure a holistic engagement with my craft.”

Left to right: Ana Vallejo (featured in the documentary and 3rd year creative writing student); Neha Iyer (filmmaker and 3rd year BFA student); Kailee Fawcett (filmmaker and 4th year BMS student).

UBC Okanagan students Kailee Fawcett and Neha Iyer were recognized for their hard work and creativity at the 2025 Okanagan Screen Awards, receiving second Place Overall and Best Story in the Short Documentary category for the documentary As Long As I’m Allowed.

While unveiling the financial exploitation done by post-secondary institutions, this film documents the experience of international students at UBCO, therefore urging reflection on systemic change and empathy in Canadian education.

Neha Iyer says that they felt that the documentary was becoming increasingly relevant and deserved a wider audience. “I had a strong feeling we might win, but with so many talented filmmakers, nothing felt certain. Hearing our names called on stage—not once, but twice—was exhilarating. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.”

As Long As I’m Allowed is a short documentary that explores the impact of Canada’s new International Student Cap through the voices of students directly affected by the policy. It aims to humanize both a provincial and federal issue and give space to those whose experiences are often left out of the conversation. The film challenges viewers to consider who gets to belong—and who gets left behind—within Canada’s education system.

“It felt surreal, inspiring, and incredibly exciting to be recognized among working filmmakers—something I never expected. Being acknowledged alongside professionals affirmed that I’m on the right path, and it’s given me even more drive to keep learning, growing, and reaching for more,” says Fawcett.

Kailee Fawcett, a fourth-year student in the Bachelor of Media Studies program says that Filmmaking is what initially inspired her to apply to the program because she has always loved storytelling and the emotional impact of film.

“Throughout the program, I also discovered a passion for animation and interactive media. Now I work across all three—film, animation, and interactivity— because I’m fascinated by how different forms can open up new ways of telling stories,” she adds.

At the Okanagan Screen Awards, Fawcett also received Best Animation for her stop motion/2D piece The Underbelly.

“It’s no surprise to me that Kailee is being recognized for her amazing work. Her work ethic is exceptional and her drive to be innovative is equal,” says visual arts instructor, Myron Campbell. “Specifically, I really appreciate her wish to bring in tactile textures into her animation work. The collage style she is employing really blurs the line between digital and analog. The result is quite exciting to experience.”

Fawcett says she was drawn to UBCO because of how interdisciplinary the BMS program is – combining critical thinking with hands-on creative practice across areas like film, animation, design, and interactive media.

“The small class sizes and strong sense of community here really drew me in—I wanted a place where I could experiment, grow, and collaborate, and this program offered all of that. It felt like a place where I could grow not just as an artist, but as a person.”

After graduation this spring, Fawcett says she is taking a bit of a break to rest and reflect—being a full-time student while working and volunteering has been non-stop. She says she wants to be intentional with my next steps, focusing on creative opportunities that align with her values.

“I plan to keep creating immersive, interactive work that brings together film, animation, performance, and storytelling. I’m especially excited about the idea of integrating performance into my art, while continuing to make documentaries that highlight local stories, and social and environmental issues.”

Fawcett says that she would love to travel, collaborate internationally, and take part in residencies that challenge and inspire her, and apply to master’s programs that allow her to continue growing as an artist and exploring new directions in her practice.

Neha Iyer is a third-year student in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program, also doing a minor in Computer Science. Iyer says she chose the BFA program at UBCO for its vibrant creative community and the chance to pursue what she loves, all while experiencing a new city without being too far from her hometown of Surrey BC.

“Though I followed a full STEM track in high school with plans to become an architect or engineer, my true passion has always been in drawing and film,” Iyer says.

Throughout her degree so far, Iyer says she has had a number of professors that have had a strong impact on her, playing a key role in shaping her artistic direction.

“In an advanced painting class with Shawn Serfas, he encouraged me to incorporate my STEM and math background into my visual work, which completely shifted how I approach painting. Yujie Gao in advanced media arts, pushed me to explore more experimental forms of film, expanding the boundaries of my practice.”

In a Narrative Film class with Denise Kenney, Iyer says she was guided into taking on producer and designer role. “This is something I hadn’t considered before—which opened up a new side of storytelling for me.”

Iyer, explains that she chose to concentrate on filmmaking for its versatility. “It lets me visualize my thoughts in ways I wouldn’t normally consider. I love how it connects to other areas like animation and game design, making it a dynamic and expansive field to explore.”

Dr. Jordan Stouck introducing the ECS Research Exchange

The Department of English and Cultural Studies (ECS) held a public event on April 2, 2025 showcasing recent faculty research. Faculty members were interviewed by colleagues and grad students about their recent projects and publications

The event showcased the department of English and Cultural Studies’ commitment to understanding historical and cross-cultural literacies as well as analyzing power relations in society. Humanities research is diverse and relevant to other disciplines, addressing equity, sustainability, and ethical issues vital to our time. A public research event such as this encourages wider dialogue on our campus as well as celebrating our faculty and graduate students’ accomplishments.

“For the last five years, ECS has had an internal annual research celebration, but this year we wanted to go public and share recent faculty publications and research projects with the wider UBCO community,” says Jordan Stouck, ECS department head.

The format of the event was interview style so that attendees could hear faculty members talk about their work in a very direct way.

“I’ve attended many conferences where the best, most compelling points were made in the question and answer periods, so we wanted to create that context for communicating directly to a diverse audience. It also allowed more scholars to share a taste of their work, with follow up questions and discussion always welcome.”

Included in the exchange were: Anita Girvan and Ali Yazdizadeh on E-race-sures & Reclamations Digital Map; Anita Chaudhuri and Eve Kasprzycka on Linguistic Equity; Maria Alexopoulos and Jessica Beaudin on Queer Theory in Transnational Contexts; Michael Treschow and Robert Eggleston on Paratext and Codicology in Old English; Astrida Neimanis and Julia Jung on Interdisciplinary Collaboration on Ocean Arts & Sciences; Sean Lawrence and Jessica Beaudin on Peace in Shakespeare.

Masters of Arts in English and English Honours students were also invited to share their research after the faculty portion of the event, with the recognition that research mentorship is important, and a great way to build capacity for excellence as scholars begin their careers.

“It was wonderful to hear from 2 M.A. and 4 Honours students on their projects and plans for future research. Many thanks to English Course Union president, Lindsay Baerg, for organizing this component,” says Stouck.

This public forum has not been available for Honours students before, but it is something the department would like to do every year, so faculty and other students can hear about the student projects and so the Honours students have that experience of presenting their work. The students who presented were: Maggie Wileman, Aditri Chatterjee, Lindsay Baerg, Maren Mcintosh, Mckenna King, and Matthew Holdt.

Below are photos from the event showing the researchers and students.

Dr. Anita Girvan and DAHU PhD student Ali Yazdizadeh

Dr. Anita Girvan is an Assistant Professor, and her research interests include: Cultural Studies; Environmental Humanities; Political Ecology and Environmental Justice; Black and Indigenous Feminist Ecological Thought; Stories, Metaphor; Critical Canadian Studies.

Ali Yazdizadeh is a PhD student in the Digital Arts and Humanities theme in the IGS program, he explores the shifting dynamics of control, resistance, and recuperation within the context of the algorithmic media. It is an exploration of the possibility of users’ agency within the coded enclosures of algorithmic sovereignty.

Anita Chaudhuri and PhD student Eve Kasprzycka

Anita Chaudhuri is an Associate Professor of Teaching at the Department of English and Cultural Studies. Anita is interested in identity construction of student writers and their communication styles. She is involved in projects and committee work on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), educative approaches to academic integrity, and open education  at UBC.

Eve Kasprzycka is a doctoral candidate in IGS and a sessional instructor in FCCS. Her research bridges theoretical and intersectional perspectives on violence, governance and animals which can be found in Animal Studies Journal, Building Abolition: Decarceration and Social Justice and Philosophia.

Maria Alexopoulos and MA English student Jessica Beaudin

Maria Alexopoulos is a Lecturer in English and Cultural Studies. Alongside her work presented during the event, her main research focus is the relationship between ‘mass hysteria’ and feminine adolescence.

Jessica Beaudin (pronouns she/her) is a graduate student in the MA English program working in the field of Critical Animal Studies; her thesis explores the ethical disjuncture at work in the practices of euthanasia, specifically in terms of differential logics accorded to the putting-to-death of both human and non-human animals.

Dr. Michael Treschow and Dr. Robert Eggleston

Michael Treschow is an Associate Professor, whose research focusses mostly on Old English Literature. He has a PhD from the University of Toronto and the Centre for Medieval Studies and a Medieval Studies Licentiate from the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies. His most recent publication is a chapter in an edited volume called The Age of Alfred titled “Easing Unease in the Old English Soliloquies and Boethius.”

Robert Eggleston is the English Program Coordinator in the Department of English and Cultural Studies.  His research focuses on late 17th-and 18th-century drama, and he teaches courses on the history of English literature and late 17th- and 18th-century English literature.

Dr. Astrida Neimanis and PhD student Julia Jung

Astrida Neimanis is Associate Professor in Cultural Studies, with a cross appointment in Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies, and Canada Research Chair in Feminist Environmental Humanities. She is also the Environmental Humanities Concentration Lead for UBCO’s Bachelor of Sustainability degree.

Julia Jung (dey/dem/deirs) is a PhD student in Sustainability as part of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Degree Program. Deir research explores the potential of polyamorous thinking to support transdisciplinary collaborations in ocean science and marine conservation.

Sean Lawrence and MA English student Jessica Beaudin

Sean Lawrence completed his PhD at the Vancouver campus, started at Okanagan University College, and was reclaimed by the mothership when it descended in Kelowna. He is the author of Forgiving the Gift: The Philosophy of Generosity in Shakespeare and Marlowe and co-editor of a special issue of Levinas Studies.

Jessica Beaudin (pronouns she/her) is a graduate student in the MA English program at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, gratefully working on Syilx territory. Drawing significantly on the field of Critical Animal Studies, her thesis research is interested in the ethical disjuncture at work in the practices of euthanasia, as well as the differential logics of obligation accorded to the putting-to-death of both human and non-human animals.

Students in the CORH Capstone course presenting their final project, April 2025

Experiential learning is an important part of the educational experience here at UBC Okanagan. It involves direct real-world experience and focused reflection and has been shown to increase student engagement in their learning, applying theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios.

But how do we know it is working and that students are benefiting from their experiential learning projects? With funding from the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) program at UBC, professors Sherry Breshears and Jordan Stouck are conducting a study to answer that question. The study investigates student perspectives about their learning in community-engaged experiential learning projects in two Communications and Rhetoric (CORH) courses.

SOTL provides faculty with funding to investigate their own teaching practices in ways that extend beyond simple course evaluations. This initiative fosters research that contributes to broader pedagogical discussions and improvements.

“As part of this program, Dr. Stouck and I have been exploring experiential learning, a pedagogical approach that integrates real-world experiences into academic curricula, encouraging students to actively reflect on their learning process,” says Breshears.

In CORH 304, Persuasive Rhetoric, Public Speaking, and Advocacy, students engage in advocacy projects aimed at implementing concrete policy changes within the UBC Okanagan community. These projects require students to navigate institutional structures, identify key decision-makers, and mobilize support through petitions, letters, and public engagement. Similarly, in CORH 499, the capstone course for the Communications and Rhetoric certificate, students collaborate with community organizations or academic professionals to develop communication strategies and programs, reinforcing the connection between coursework and real-world application.

A significant component of experiential learning is reflection, which enables students to evaluate the effectiveness of their actions and develop problem-solving skills. Through structured group discussions, class dialogues, and written reflections, students assess their progress, identify challenges, and strategize solutions.

“By surveying students at the end of the course and conducting focus groups, we want to see how experiential learning fosters confidence in students’ ability to drive meaningful change in their communities.”

As part of our SOTL-funded research, Stouck and Breshears are working with JungAh Lee, a PhD student in education who assists in refining their methodologies, troubleshooting challenges, and connecting back to a larger group of researchers working on similar projects.

“There’s some overlap between what other people are researching and our project, so we can be inspired and learn from each other, and refine our pedagogical approaches,” notes Breshears.

Beyond this specific study, Breshears says that this research contributes to discussions about the role of humanities education in developing critical, creative, and socially engaged thinkers. “I think one of the ways that we can build relevance into our programs is by highlighting these kinds of learning activities.”

This is a unique way to find out to find out how students feel about this kind of learning and to see if it is particularly valuable to them.

“We want to find out what our students get out of these projects and make sure the ways we are teaching really does help them develop the confidence, knowledge and leadership skills .”

By integrating experiential learning into communication studies, Breshears says they hope to highlight its potential for enriching curricula, enhancing student agency, and reinforcing the humanities’ essential role in addressing societal challenges.

Left to right: Umar Turaki, contest organizer; Steven Lattey, 2nd place; Wendell Zylstra, 3rd place; J.J. Hills, 1st place; Nancy Holmes, contest judge

The finalists of the 27th annual Okanagan Short Story Contest were announced at a public event by creative writing emeritus professor, Nancy Holmes, who also initiated the contest in 1997. The event was held on March 19th at the Alternator for Contemporary Art with each of the writers reading a part of their story.

After reading all of the shortlisted stories, Holmes notes that this was such a difficult process in choosing the winners.

“Both the high school and adult categories contained absolute gems of short fiction,” she says. “I felt myself in a nearly impossible position—in the adult category, the top five stories in my opinion were all so good I could hardly bring myself to rank them.”

J.J. Hills took the first prize with his story, Clinical Care, about an elderly woman taking her step-granddaughter to a clinic was simply dazzling in characterization and dialogue.

“From the first page I fully believed in the reality of these two people and a few pages later in the staff person at the clinic. These three women struggle to do their very best in a situation sabotaged by a horrible past and troubling human failings.  The story concerns just an hour or two in the lives of these characters but exposes in painful detail how nearly every decision they (and by sympathetic relatability – we) make. The story also skillfully unrolls the mystery of the visit to the clinic and keeps the story heavy with conflict and tension.”

Steven Lattey placed second with the story He Died Laughing.

“This story is a depiction of the banality of human evil, to quote Hannah Arendt.  The story verges on allegory and gestures towards the politically infused magic realist school of writing while it unpeels the layers of horror of how ordinary people become perpetrators of crimes against humanity.”

Third place went to Wendell Zylstra for Garbage, a story that takes place in a possible near future that points towards a crumbling society and a frightening future of machine-human fusion.

“This story is told from the point of view of a nearly feral boy who lives on or near a giant garbage dump, a setting that takes on superb and unrelenting symbolic presence in the story.  Just as the young protagonist, a violent, angry, and vulnerable young man, lives on the edge of a dumping ground, the reader gets a dark feeling that the culture itself—our culture—is on the edge of apocalypse and impending post-humanism. This story is chilling and mysterious.”

Holmes also acknowledged two other stories in the adulty category that she says she could barely let go of.

“Their themes matched the winning stories for resonance and significance, and their writing was superb,” she adds. Honorable mentions went to Philip Seagram (Nelson) for The Way You Say It, and Miracle Adebayo (Kelowna) for Treasures from Daycare

The young writers in the high school category tackled themes perennial to young people— such as journeys into frighteningly unknown futures- but tinged, I suspect by the complicated times in which we live, explains Holmes.

“So many of these stories dealt with fear of the loss of friends and loved ones, awareness of a life saturated with loneliness and a kind of hopeless or destructive longing, as well as conveying a very dark view of the state of the natural world,” she adds. “The winner of this category was a stand-out however. From the moment I read it, I knew it was a winner.”

Briar Fagan from Selkirk Secondary School took the top prize for their story, Angels Don’t Smoke Earwigs.

Holmes says that many things make this story outstanding- the writing first of all.  Imagery that never lets up on delivering a sense of decay, disintegration- each phrase contributes to the feeling of despair and hopelessness.

“This was an astonishing story, sophisticated, beautifully written about a young man being sent off to some mysterious war— the story presents a feeling of a not-too distant future or some other country in the current geopolitical now. The story takes place over a few short hours as the young man and his lover take their leave from each other.”

The annual contest, organized by the Creative Writing program in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies (FCCS), is a writing competition open to fiction writers in British Columbia’s Southern Interior. Writers submit their stories, which are then read, anonymously, by faculty, and the shortlisted stories are sent to a guest judge to choose the winners in the adult and high school categories.

The first-place writer received $1,000; second-place winner received $400 and third-place received $200. The top high school student received a $200 prize. Co-sponsors of the contest are FCCS and the Central Okanagan Foundation.

View the full shortlist for this year’s contest.

The annual UBC Giving Day is Thursday, April 3 – a special 24-hour celebration of giving that brings students, alumni, faculty, staff and donors together to make our voices heard. Last year, thousands of donors helped open doors, boost potential and create new opportunities for our community.

In FCCS, we are supporting the Indigenous Art Intensive (IAI). The IAI is like a brush dipped in both tradition and new vision, painting a shared canvas where contemporary Indigenous creativity can flourish. This month-long residency gathers students, artists, curators, writers and scholars to engage in contemporary ideas and discourse—a place for new ideas rooted in Indigenous art-making.

Your support this UBC Giving Day would mean the world to us, it goes beyond funding a program—it directly supports the Indigenous artists who bring this vision to life. Supporting the Indigenous Art Intensive ensures these artists can continue creating, sharing, and teaching in meaningful ways.

This program directly supports artists, with funds going directly towards supporting our Indigenous artists in residence. Art requires engagement and connection; and supporting artists directly is the best way support creativity in our places.

Please join us on April 3 to keep this creative circle strong, where Indigenous voices paint brighter horizons and our shared community grows even stronger.

GIVE TO THE INDIGENOUS ART INTENSIVE

Denise Kenney leading the students in exercises

To address the need to focus on developing communication skills for interacting with clients, Melanie Willson, Associate Director of the School of Nursing at UBC Okanagan, reached out to theatre professors Denise Kenney and Tracy Ross to work with first year nursing students in a class with lecturer, Maggie Weninger.

“This was originally inspired by a third-year student who took Tracy’s improv class as an elective,” says Willson. “I was excited by the links that she was making between the skills from improv and her communication with clients in clinical practice.”

Performance practice shines a light on human interaction and we are trained in the art of relational aesthetics, in all of its manifestations, explains Denise Kenney.

“This is what makes this collaboration such a good fit. It was also interesting that when faced with a class with ‘theatre people’ the students felt the same kind of nervousness that their patients might have entering an unfamiliar health care context,” she says.

Sometimes positioning something as ‘make believe’, such as drama or theatre, frees students up to take more risks and play/practice with less inhibitions.

Weninger says they actually use a lot of art and performance in nursing. “We call this ‘the art of nursing’ as they know it to be their relational practice.”

For the performance pieces in nursing, they use a lot of simulation, anywhere from low fidelity simulators (ie. simulated body parts) to high fidelity simulators, such as mannequins that can blink, breathe, have body sounds, etc., to actors who come in to play different roles, like actors who play patients with mental health illnesses.

“This is incredibly important for our students to practice in a safe space and try out different skills without being concerned that they will hurt someone or say the wrong thing,” Weninger adds.

Kenney and Ross applied performer training activities and improvisations to address interpersonal dynamics as they pertain to Non-Violent Communication and de-escalation techniques in a hands-on way that is safe, prior to them practicing it in ‘real life’ situations.

The Non-Violent Communication process involves four steps: observation; identify the feelings surrounding the situation; identify the needs that underly the feelings; and make or offer a request for the need.

“We collaborated with Nursing Professors Maggie Weninger and Melanie Willson to design a series of activities that helped students explore and practice, in an embodied, dialogical and interactive way, the dynamics of nurse/patient encounters,” Kenney notes.

These activities are grounded in performance training designed to explore mindfulness, observation, emotional and sensory literacy, subtext, improvisation, and consent.

Weninger notes that it was nice for students to get up and use their bodies vs sitting in the classroom. “Tracy, Denise, and I all noticed that they had the nervous giggles at first, but then really settled into it quickly. Most were very engaged and took it seriously, and a few of them asked me at the end of class if we were going to be doing this again!”

Kenney adds, “I think all involved learned something new from the collaboration.”

Nursing students Sara McCreght & Cheyanna Wolff exploring how to act out (and detect) subtext for a script.

Jenny Kwan, Devon Jennings & Davina Wilson with Tracy Ross and Denise Kenney (centre) talking about how body language can have an effect on our interactions

Visual Arts Lecturer, David James Doody invited author, curator and public art consultant Joyce Pomeroy Schwartz to speak in his An Introduction to Art course in the fall of 2024. Having the opportunity to have a conversation directly with the author is unique for students. It adds credibility to the ideas expressed on the page, explains Doody.

“Meeting the author first hand not only allows students to uncover a deeper context directly from the authors personal experiences it also help humanize heroic achievements and make the seemingly impossible more tangible more reachable and more relatable,” he adds.

Doody met Joyce Pomeroy Schwartz in Manhattan in February of 2020. “Joyce was a foundational player in the wide spread growth of public art in cities across the united states. Joyce was writing a new book “Private Eye in Public Art”.  We discussed the invaluable impact of art in public spaces and  I shared exciting success of ground breaking new public art programming at UBCO with our summer mural course. Since that initial conversation Joyce and I kept up our correspondence,” he says.

In fall of 2024 Joyce sent Doody an advanced copy final draft of her book to read and incorporate into the public art courses  he was teaching This  beautiful book offers unique insight to the development of public art in America since the 1950’s the key players and the landmark achievements, and offers great guidance and words of encouragement for developing art in all communities.

In this candid conversation, Schwartz & Doody discuss the history and impact of public art in America. As champion for creating a national identity through public, Schwartz shares her unique insight and her foundational role in public art in America. In this light hearted conversation Schwartz & Doody discuss Her new book The Private Eye in Public Art  and some of Schwartz’s most impactful projects such as the Irish Hunger Memorial by Brian Tolle, in Battery Park NYC and Elypitic by Maya Lin, in  Grand Rapids Michigan.

This video was recorded and presented to students as part of VISA 137 An Introduction to Art, UBC Okanagan 2024.

McKenna King

McKenna King started her bachelor of arts degree in 2020, and quickly decided to do a double major in French and English. “Since I graduated high school with a Double Dogwood diploma from French immersion, I wanted to keep up both languages at the same level,” she says.

In doing a double major, King says that she found it interesting to see how her French and English studies connected. “I love literary theory, especially feminist and gender theory, and I was able to apply those ideas to my French courses.”

She notes that it was really interesting to see how historical and cultural ideas influenced literature in both languages, and being able to analyze texts from multiple perspectives made her writing and critical thinking so much stronger.

“Sometimes I would even switch between languages without realizing it while writing!” she jokes.

Majoring in French meant jumping straight into third-year classes because of her proficiency. “While I still had to take some grammar courses, my favorite part was definitely the literature classes.”

King says that one of her favourite French courses was a 17th-century fairy tale course with Dr. Marianne Legault, where students read both familiar and lesser-known fairy tales in their original form.

“It was amazing to see how these stories evolved over time and to dive into discussions about how fairy tales, often dismissed because they were considered a ‘female space,’ actually hold huge literary value,” she adds.

In the second year of her studies, she was encouraged to apply for the English Honors program. King took an English class on critical theory with Dr. Melissa Jacques, and says she fell completely in love with critical theory.

“That class changed everything for me, and I asked Dr. Jacques to be my thesis supervisor, which ended up being a mix of memoir and critical analysis, which was a bit different from the usual English Honors format,” she explains.

For the thesis, she wrote about her great-grandfather’s World War II journal and her dad’s sketchbook, analyzing how they act as physical representations of relationships in her family, mapping how they connected different family members over time. The thesis included excerpts from the journal, photocopies of the original documents, and even letters from the war.

King says that one of the best things about UBCO is its small, tight-knit community. “For me, this meant I got to form great relationships with both my professors and classmates. Having that kind of support made a huge difference in my academic experience.”

Originally, King wanted to be a high school teacher like her mom, but her time at UBCO changed her mind. Now, she wants to go to grad school and eventually teach at the post-secondary level.

“I hope to get into an interdisciplinary English MA program that lets me think and write in the creative, analytical way I enjoy. I also want to continue researching literature and theory while keeping French as part of my academic work.”

When asked if she could give her first-year self any advice, she says it would be to trust herself more. “I was super shy coming out of high school and didn’t speak up in class much, even when I had something to say.”

She says that it wasn’t until her second year that she started putting her hand up in class and realizing that her ideas were actually worth sharing. Discussion is a huge part of learning, and even if you don’t have the perfect answer, what you say can spark new ideas and keep the conversation going.

“Nobody is expecting you to be an expert—everyone is here to learn. I wish I had been more comfortable with not knowing everything right away because that’s where real learning happens.”

University is about challenging yourself, growing, and stepping out of your comfort zone.

“Looking back, I’m really grateful for the experiences and relationships I built at UBCO, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Asha Young

Asha Young, originally from the lower mainland moved to the Okanagan in 2010 to start her Bachelor of Arts degree at UBCO. After taking a second year Cultural Studies focused on film, she met with the program coordinator and decided to major in Cultural Studies.

“At the time, I wasn’t sure what Cultural Studies even was—I assumed it was related to Indigenous Studies, but I soon discovered it offered something entirely different,” Young admits. “It combined history, media, and power dynamics, which resonated deeply with me. I loved it.”

Young noted that coming out of high school, she didn’t have a strong understanding of global perspectives or power structures, but the four years of education during her undergraduate degree opened her eyes. After graduating from UBCO, Young went on to pursue law school at UBC Vancouver.

Young always had her sights set on going to law school and says it was reassuring to realize that any Bachelor of Arts major could lead to law school.

“So why not choose something I genuinely enjoyed? I can say now that being in Cultural Studies helped shape the way I view the world and taught me to be a critical thinker—skills that have stayed with me through law school and into my career.”

For students considering law school, Young says that it’s worth knowing that a degree in Cultural Studies—or any humanities or social sciences program—can be just as valuable as more traditional paths. These programs teach critical thinking, creativity, and perspective—skills that transcend any single career.

Because of her undergraduate experience, she says that she is able to bring a perspective that many of her colleagues, who often come from business backgrounds, may not have. Her critical thinking skills and media literacy help her navigate corporate law while staying engaged with broader social issues.

She remembers that in one law school course on jurisprudence—the study of what law is—she wrote a paper analyzing the movie Black Panther. “I explored how the film perpetuates hegemonic ideas of Western law, even in fictional universes. It was a unique and rewarding experience, where I used my skills in media analysis with legal theory.”

Young also participates in pro bono initiatives, fundraising, and community campaigns, such as chairing a “Law Needs Feminism” photo campaign. “In this project, I photographed students and faculty, overlaying their handwritten thoughts on why law needs feminism onto their portraits. It was a meaningful blend of art, advocacy, and law.”

Young says that throughout her undergraduate degree, the program allowed her to explore her artistic interests while engaging in critical theories.

“I had always been interested in art, but I never imagined it as a career path. The program gave me opportunities to study television, movies, and video games while also tackling projects that blended creativity with academic inquiry.”

For one class, she created a zine about feminism in mainstream media, reimagining Disney movies by flipping traditional narratives on their heads. For example, she turned Belle into the Beast and swapped Ariel’s role with Prince Eric’s. The project involved photography, film development, and hand-designed layouts.

“It was a fun project that let me create something tangible while deeply engaging with class concepts, and I was very proud of the work,” she notes. “For me, projects like my Disney zine was not just an assignment—I created a tangible, lasting work that encapsulated who I was as a student and remains a highlight for me.”

Looking back, Young says her undergraduate experience in Cultural Studies helped to shape her worldview. “Whether it’s critically analyzing media, engaging with legal systems, or collaborating with diverse communities, the program taught me to think deeply and creatively.”