Student Achievements

Wendel Schwab:

Wendel Schwab studies Canadian political and media narratives through the lens of postcolonial and feminist theories. His thesis examines the niqab and murdered and missing Indigenous women inquiry debates that took place during the federal election of 2015, and how patriarchy and colonialism influenced these debates. Wendel graduated with a BA in English in 2016 from UNBC and is in his first year of graduate studies in the English department. Wendel presented a paper, titled "Canada Unveiled: Colonial and Patriarchal Enforcement of Traditional Gender Expectations During the Niqab Debate" at the 14th Annual Université de Montréal English Graduate Conference, the theme of the conference was “(Im)mobility and Violence.” Wendel has provided student leadership on the Board of Governors and on Senate as an Undergraduate student and continues to offer his leadership skills as Vice-President of the Northern British Columbia Graduate Student Society (NBCGSS).

 

Trina Johnson:

Trina Johnson's research focuses on New Woman Fiction and the perspectives of women writers during the Fin de Siècle in Britain. Her creative thesis examines the work of authors Charlotte Mew, Mona Caird, and Sarah Grand. Trina presented a paper, titled “Creative Responses to Gendered Violence: Charlotte Mew’s ‘A White Night’ as a Counter Narrative Against Patriarchy” at the 12th Annual UNBC Graduate Conference, the theme of the conference was "Creativity in Academia.” Trina is in her 3rd year of Graduate Studies and provides leadership to the Northern British Columbia Graduate Student Society (NBCGSS) as President of the society. Trina also offers her time to the Department of English as the Graduate Representative for the department. In 2014, she was awarded the Khasdzoon Ysk’uk/Cranbrook Hill Emerging Poet Award (2nd Place) and the Scotia Bank/Tim Hortons Double Down Scholarship in 2015. Trina was nominated for the 3M National Student Fellowship.

Adebayo Coker:

Adebayo Coker’s research focuses on intersectionality in Gender Studies and Creative Writing. His thesis is titled  “Intersectio-Feminism: ‘What Suzzie Wants’, Stories of Others.”

Adebayo received his Bachelor of Arts in English from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. He also has a Masters in Public and International Affairs from University of Lagos, Nigeria. Adebayo runs Beeni Publishing which has also published three of his books: Societal Fragments; A Man Like Me: Noteography of a Father to His Son; and Wobbled Words. Most recently, he participated in the 12th Annual UNBC Graduate Conference’s 1st Annual Poetry Event by presenting his short story, “SIN for SIM .”

Alexandra Wagstaffe:

Alexandra Wagstaffe is in their first year of Graduate Studies in English and is researching the Gothic in Romantic Literature. Alex presented a paper, titled “The Mundane Gothic in ‘Northanger Abbey’” at the 12th Annual UNBC Graduate Conference, the theme of the conference was "Creativity in Academia.” Alex also serves the Northern British Columbia Graduate Student Society (NBCGSS) as the Indigenous People’s Representative for the society.

Taylor Ingram:

Taylor Ingram believes the patient is an enormous and integral part of the medical system; her research and thesis stem from her personal experience as an acute-care cancer patient.

Taylor believes the Patient-Family Voice is elemental to the reformation of health care practices and protocols not only in our province, but in our country. Rather than being simply a list of conditions or symptoms or treatments or prescriptions, each patient IS their unique experience, which is a valid and potent advisor to Hospital Administrators right through to medical specialists and other health care staff. Medical care can improve dramatically when patients are able and allowed to guide and counsel towards more personalized, efficient, and wholesome care.

Taylor’s thesis captures the Patient-Family Voice and encapsulates a treatment journey within 80+ pages of poetry. This manuscript is comprised of raw Spoken Word poems, form and free-verse poems, and page poems. It is a linear chronology of acute, life threatening illness from the perspective of the patient, and highlights how illness, treatment, and personal changes (physical, mental and emotional) can affect patients as well as family and care-givers.

Her MS is meant to be performed for and read by medical care professionals, patients, patient-family members (et al), to both enlighten and inform them OUT of the mindset that patients are just ‘lists’. Patients are meaningful people, no matter where or for how long they appear on the medical care continuum, and this thesis is meant to validate those persons who cannot articulate their own experience through empathy, respect, and honesty.