- About CMNS
- Students
- People
- Research
- Centres & Institutes
- Public Safety Deployable
- PSBNs
- Field Tests
- Partners
- Blog
- Images from ICE2015 Phase 3
- ICE2015 Phase 4 Images Added
- Phase 4 and ICE2015 Field Activities Complete!
- Phase 3 Successful and Phase 4 Happening!
- ICE2015 Phase 2 Successful!
- Phase 1 Checkout Tests Complete!
- Deploying!
- Heading up North for ICE2015 prep!
- ICE2015 Site Checkout Complete!
- New video for DUNE2014!
- Lasers, LTE, and mission-critical comms, oh my!
- DUNE2014: Reporting in real time
- DUNE2014: The Voyage Home!
- Phase 4 Complete!
- Phase 3 Images now up!
- Phase 3 Complete!
- Phase 2 Success!
- Return to the School of Communication
- NewsWatch Canada
- Digital Democracies Institute
- Public Safety Deployable
- Labs & Projects
- Applied Communication and Technology Laboratory
- Members
- Projects
- Publications
- Grants
- Visitors
- Events
- Contact
- Links
- News
- Technē
- Universidade Federal de Uberlândia in Brazil
- Revolutionary Horizons?
- Recurring Questions of Technology: A Brief History of Consciousness and Learning, UBC/SFU Summer Institute
- Andrew Feenberg and Norm Friesen: (Re)inventing the Internet: Critical Case Studies
- Tina Sikka: International Award for Excellence
- Neil Narine: Cinema and Social Networks and Globalization, Humanitarian Crises, and Gender
- Read new research on film sound by Neil Narine
- Assessment of Technology in Context Design Lab
- GeNA Lab
- Sonic Research Studio
- The Transnational Culture and Digital Technology Lab
- Public Safety Deployable
- PSBNs
- Field Tests
- Partners
- Blog
- Images from ICE2015 Phase 3
- ICE2015 Phase 4 Images Added
- Phase 4 and ICE2015 Field Activities Complete!
- Phase 3 Successful and Phase 4 Happening!
- ICE2015 Phase 2 Successful!
- Phase 1 Checkout Tests Complete!
- Deploying!
- Heading up North for ICE2015 prep!
- ICE2015 Site Checkout Complete!
- New video for DUNE2014!
- Lasers, LTE, and mission-critical comms, oh my!
- DUNE2014: Reporting in real time
- DUNE2014: The Voyage Home!
- Phase 4 Complete!
- Phase 3 Images now up!
- Phase 3 Complete!
- Phase 2 Success!
- Return to the School of Communication
- NewsWatch Canada
- The Disinformation Project
- Distributed Networks
- Indigenous Classroom Climate Issues (ICCI)
- Cultural Industries in Acute Crisis
- Applied Communication and Technology Laboratory
- Publications
- Books
- The Power of Platforms: Shaping Media and Society
- Discriminating Data Correlation, Neighborhoods, and the New Politics of Recognition
- Transnational Hallyu The Globalization of Korean Digital and Popular Culture
- The Routledge Handbook of Digital Media and Globalization
- Artificial Intelligence in Cultural Production: Critical Perspectives on Digital Platforms
- Awards & grants
- Journal Articles
- Books
- Faculty Research
- Centres & Institutes
- News and Community
- Student Stories
- School of Communication Graduate Researches how TikTok Influences Climate Change Communication
- Meet the First School of Communication Accelerated Master’s Program Graduate
- School of Communication Graduand Discusses how to Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone
- Macy Moreno & Zarena Zaidi on Teaching Children about the Magic of Filmmaking
- Joaquin Suarez and His Drive for Communication Research
- Three Convocating Students Tell Us About Their CMNS Journey
- Genevieve Cheng and Sharing Isn't Caring
- Sureeta Rai Presents Her Research at the FCAT Undergraduate Conference
- Meet Gideone Kremler, Our New CMNS Indigenous Peer Mentor
- Silke Billings: From Student to Full-Time Employee
- Graduating Student Sharlyn Monillas Tells Us About Her Time in CMNS
- Getting to Know Layla Cameron
- Mina Einifar: MA Student, Digital Marketing Expert, and Influencer Activist
- Breanna Blackwell & Undergraduate Research
- Graduate student a top 25 finalist in pretigeous challenge
- Congratulations to our MA and PhD students
- Climate Strike in Vancouver: SFU CMNS Perspective
- A Creative Communicator is on the Horizon | Aliya Dall’Antonia
- Tara Mahoney on inter-generational civic engagement, climate change, and importance of hope
- The Heyang Rural Research Center
- Luke Galvani challenges common stereotypes surrounding disability
- Bernice Mau: How to grow a successful side-hustle as a student
- 2020 Convocation Medal winners
- 2021 FCAT UGC Student Stories
- CMNS Co-op student graduating this fall recognized for her work fostering equity, diversity and inclusion
- CMNS graduate students publish book reviews in the International Journal of Communication
- Communication honours student studies online conspiracy theories, disinformatio
- Communication student Clayton Wong reflects on his co-op journey
- Congratulations to our 2019/20 Major Award Recipients
- Congratulations to our 2020/2021 Major Award Recipients
- Doctoral candidate Stacey Copeland and PhD student Brett Ashleigh are finalists in this year’s SSHRC Storytellers competition
- Embracing the university experience in all forms - Rachel Wong
- Fall 2021 Convocation: Looking Back
- Meet communication undergraduate student Ashran Bharosha
- Gaining experience as an undergraduate: Communication major and SIAT minor expands diverse skill set at SFU
- FCAT UGC Student Stories
- Meet Samad and Lindsay: Convocation Spring 2021 Student Speakers
- PhD candiate Stacey Copeland: Scholarly podcasters are redefining peer-reviewed work
- Memory of migrant abuse fuels SFU Trudeau Scholar’s lifelong fight for human rights
- PhD candidate Belen Febres-Cordero recognized for community engagement work at annual President’s Gala
- PhD student Laya Behbahani is SFU Social Media Newsmaker of the Year
- Stacey Copeland uncovers the historical voices of Canada’s queer media soundscape
- Tri-Agency Scholarships and Fellowships Recipients
- Undergraduate students launch online platform MyCityMyPark project with the City of Vancouver
- Faculty Stories
- Professor Sarah Ganter Awarded Trans-Atlantic Partnership Grant to Research the Meanings of Independence in Journalism
- Reflecting on Professor Stuart Poyntz’ Time as Director of the School of Communication
- School of Communication Professor Milena Droumeva Named School Director
- Getting to Know Your CMNS Faculty: Erique Zhang
- School of Communication professor Wendy Chun named British Academy Fellow
- Sarah Christina Ganzon Racialized and Indigenous Scholars Network Talk
- School of Communication Professor Explores the Rise of Indigenous Media in Canada
- School of Communication Professor Works to Understand the Role of Communication in the Opioid Crisis
- Getting to Know Your CMNS Faculty: Jas Morgan
- Getting to Know Your CMNS Faculty: Sarah Christina Ganzon
- Getting to Know Your CMNS Faculty: Sarah Ganter
- Getting to Know Your CMNS Faculty: Stephanie Dick
- Getting To Know Your CMNS Faculty: Adel Iskandar
- Professors Siyuan Yin, Svitlana Matviyenko, and Karrmen Crey Awarded Insight Development Grants
- Getting To Know Our Faculty: Siyuan Yin
- Wendy Chun and Amy Harris, Keynote Speakers
- A Soundwalk with Milena Droumeva
- Dal Yong Jin Becomes an ICA Fellow
- Protecting Expert Advice for the Public: Promoting Safety and Improved Communications – A Town Hall
- The Medium is the Metaverse: Studying New Media in Virtual Reality
- Peter Anderson: BC floods reveals need for systemic change in emergency management
- Karrmen Crey: Indigenous Epistemologies
- Join the Clubhouse: communication course goes mobile
- Victoria E. Thomas: Seek a research question that sparks your curiosity and challenges your personal ideologies
- Peter Anderson: Fighting fires with better emergency communication
- Andrew Feenberg retires from the School of Communication
- Remembering R. Murray Schafer
- CMNS faculty members receive tri-council grants to support their research
- Cait McKinney receives the 2021 Gertrude J. Robinson Award
- Ellen Balka and UBC researchers take aim at preventing adverse drug events
- Knowledge Mobilizers: Ahmed Al-Rawi
- Enda Brophy receives Confederation of University Faculty Associations of BC Academic of the Year award
- Ahmed Al-Rawi: How did Russian and Iranian trolls’ disinformation influence Canadian politics?
- Martin Laba: What I'm learning about remote teaching
- The Digital Democracies Institute launch the DDI Blog
- Ahmed Al-Rawi co-authors The COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Handbook
- Listening to the city: Livable Soundscapes soundwalk research workshop
- Dal Yong Jin receives the title Distinguished SFU Professor
- Labour challenges of food delivery service workers in Metro Vancouver
- Sun-ha Hong: Big Data's promise to solve society's problems falls short
- Welcoming our new School Chairs
- Peter Chow-White: Social media during a crisis and how we stay connected
- Transforming Discourses, Information Flows, and Power because: BLACK LIVES MATTER!
- Communication professors developing tools to tackle online abuse
- Communications professor Adel Iskandar embraces storytelling and active dialogue
- COVID-19 Research Information
- Yuezhi Zhao receives Canada's highest academic honour
- Siyuan Yin: On the intersectional approach to researching global migration
- Steven Malcic: Envision policy frameworks and user tactics to foster an internet that works for us
- Aleena Chia: Inspired to uncover the infrastructures behind addiction vs engagement in the gaming industry
- Cait McKinney: The transformative history of LGBTQ communities and their communication needs
- Assistant Professors receive SHRCC Grant
- Ellen Balka - implements software to reduce preventable adverse drug events
- Ellen Balka Receives the Paz Buttedahl Career Achievement Award
- Robert Anderson receives the 2018 Chris Dagg Award for International Impact
- SFU CMNS New Website Launch
- Alumni Stories
- School of Communication Graduate Mozhgan Fazli Transfers Research Skillset to Industry
- From the Honour’s Program to Master’s: Alan Röpke Looks Back at his Time as an Undergraduate Student
- Professor Bruce Carruthers Discusses how SFU Experience Shaped his Academic Career
- How Yzobel Biron became a Successful Entrepreneur after Graduation
- Communication alumnus and renowned acoustic ecologist Hildegard Westerkamp receives honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from SFU
- School of Communication Alumnus Becomes Successful Author while Embracing Working in Industry
- Manisha Singh on Pursuing Her Dream to Becoming a Bestselling Author
- School of Communication Graduand Excels in Academia After Working in Public Relations for 10 Years
- Stefanie Costales on Finding a Job That’s Right For You
- Rumneek Johal: Not Backing Down in the Journalism World
- Prem Gill and Creative BC
- Grace Mavko Takes on the Field of Public Relations
- Naomi Ambrose Introduces the Christmas Snow Woman
- Jennifer Rhyne Takes Her Communication Degree to CBC
- Danielle Leroux and the She Summits Forum
- Anita Huberman, an Alumna Superstar
- Itse Hesse and Black Girl Collective
- Matthew Steinbach: Head Coach, CMNS Alumus, and Venture Prize Winner
- SFU honours three outstanding alumni
- Curiosity and dialogue: Communication alumnus pursues a passionate career of art and education
- Tips from a CMNS Alumnus: Jas Baweja
- Brett Montrose: Communication alumnus to award-winning founder
- CMNS alumnus launches art and essay exhibition
- Jenessa Gladstone: One alumni's journey from SFU to landing roles with Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Arc'teryx
- Shipra Sharma: From International Student Experience to Landing a Marketing Job at Telus
- Manjot Bains - A look at University Writing and Diversity in Media
- Women in Equity Crowdfunding: Elyssia Patterson from Vested.ca
- The Collective Blog
- Barbie: a Surprisingly Feminist Film
- A Quick List of Must-Take Communication Courses
- Social Media as Mirror of Erised
- Handling Anxiety as a Student
- Leading with Quietness: A Note to Working Introverts
- Gaining Experience to Achieve Your Career Goals
- Putting my Passions to Work
- Vanquishing the Social Stigma on Mental Well-Being
- New to SFU? Here Are Three Helpful Tips to Assist You on Your Journey!
- Accessible Online Content Now
- Spill the Tea: Gentrification of Vancouver Chinatown
- Student’s Experience at Careers in Communications
- Finding Balance in Unbalanced Times: Learning and Working Remotely
- Surprising Yourself: How Keeping an Open Mind is One of the Best Things You Can Do as a Young Professional
- Meet Kayli Jamieson: Communication honours student and undergraduate research assistant
- CMNSU: Five Things I’ve Learned at SFU
- CMNSU presents "Evolve Rebooted: The Zoom Series"
- CMNSU: How I Stay Productive While Working and Studying From Home
- Immersing Yourself at SFU
- 5 Tips to get YOU from the classroom desk to an office desk
- You are not an imposter: tips to reframe your thinking
- Becoming familiar with the unfamiliar
- 4 lessons I learned from working at SFU
- FASS 202 & Co-op Experience
- Questions to Ask your Mentors
- Meet Marilyn Brimacombe: CMNS Co-op student shares experience working at FCAT and the Parkinson's Society BC
- Looking to improve your writing skills? Get involved with the CE Online Media Taskforce
- How To Better Manage Your Time While At Work
- Why Joining the CMNSU Was the Best Decision I Made at SFU
- 3 Ways to get Involved at SFU
- 6 Tips You Should Know Before Your Next Virtual Interview
- Paying off your student loans
- 3 Skills I Didn’t Expect to Gain During Co-op:
- Tips and Tricks to Save Money
- Apply Now: Blog Contributors
- Get Involved
- Reflecting on 50 Years of Communication Studies at SFU
- Marking the Passing of Dr. Vincent Mosco
- Guest Lectures
- Student Stories
- Events
- Careers & Opportunities
- Faculty and Staff Login
- Room Booking
Itse Hesse and Black Girl Collective
As an immigrant student from Nigeria, the absense of an identifiable Black community was evident a short while after Itse Hesse's arrival. As a young Black girl living a solitary life in Vancouver, she found it challenging to integrate into the Vancouver community at large. The culture shock, coupled with a heightened sense of isolation, made her feel disconnected from her surroundings.
Overtime Itse realized many other Black women must feel the same, so she decided to found Black Girl Collective (BGC), a registered nonprofit based in Burnaby and serving Black women all over the province. BGC was born out of sheer necessity to provide safe, inclusive, and accessible spaces for Black women to feel a welcoming sense of community in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Canada at large.
BGC advocates for the joy and visibility of Black women with the goal of uniting, empowering, and inspiring each other through specially-curated programs, such as Black Joy Events, Black Futures, and Community Engagement. The team is a powerhouse of women who strive to make the world a better place.
We sat down with Itse and chatted about her SFU experience and how it relates to BGC.
How did your CMNS degree help in the success of BGC?
My degree has helped me better articulate myself when it comes to public speaking and writing. No matter where I go, when I speak or say I studied Communication, everyone always says: "I can definitely see that." I love that I can see my degree helping me in my day-to-day life.
Since leaving SFU, you have been so successful. It was fantastic having you speak at convocation. What did that recognition mean to you?
I was honoured that SFU thought of me. It was very validating to be in front of all the graduates. I felt like a true member of the CMNS and SFU community.
What projects are you currently working on?
I know my vocation in life is helping people and making the world better, and I also know I can do that through BGC. I have three main projects on the go. In the fall, we have a BGC Futures program starting. This program will focus on the personal development of Black women through empowerment and capacity building. We will do this through a personal and professional Mentorship Program, as well as through a Financial Literacy workshop.
I'm also working on the launch of our Businesswoman of the Year award, which I'm hoping to implement in the fall. Black businesswomen work so hard but get little to no recognition and support from the community or government. We want to let the women in our community know that we see them, we appreciate them, and we're rooting for them.
And finally, my new foundation called Tosan Combra Foundation, which is named after my parents. The foundation will be located here in Burnaby, but we will empower women and children in rural Nigeria.
Tell us about this Saturday's event.
This Saturday, July 2, we are having a Sports Day. This is our first community engagement event, and one where anyone Black can attend, including men. We will be taking the Black community down memory lane with track-and-field activities like the 100m sprint, 4x100m relay, tug of war, musical chairs, and more. There will be a DJ, and every ticket comes with unlimited drinks and snacks. Vansuya will also be on site selling more food. Anyone can attend as either a spectator or player. There will be medals, trophies, and prizes. I hope to see you there!
And lastly, what advice do you have for current CMNS students?
Your words matters! Speak up in tutorial! I always loved speaking in tutorials because it helped me build my confidence with public speaking. It honed my skills of getting my ideas and opinions across without making people feel like their own ideas are inferior. Remember, your words matter.
Register for BGC's Sports Day event here. This event is co-sponsored by the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology and the School of Communication.
Donate to BGC here.