Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin is a member of the Directors Guild of Canada and an award-winning filmmaker who completed her PhD with the Institute of Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice at the University of British Columbia. Her research MooNaHaTihKaaSiWew: Unearthing Spirit was focused on Indigenous documentary and positionality (relationship to stories).

Through Jules’ arts practice, she involves the use of film, photography, documentary, creative writing and installation. Her practice is deeply influenced by her Ancestral ties to the MoshKeKo AsKi. InNiNiNeWak teachings in the form of story are an integral way to ensure our Ancestors' voices are remembered and heard for generations to come.

Janice Cheng

CMNS Alumnus

Janice is currently the Head of Community at Pineapple, a gen z tech start-up. Kinda like if IG and LinkedIn had a baby, but better. Previously, she spent 2 years at Blume as the Brand Manager + Copywriter, where she discovered her love for brand marketing and writing (even freelancing here and there!). Janice majored in Communications (and loved it), graduating in 2019. During her studies, she did a co-op with the BC Lions Football Club, and later with SFU FCAT. She was also the CMNSU’s VP of Events in her final year.

JAIDEN DEMBO

PUB ALUMNUS

Jaiden Dembo is the Marketing and Publicity Manager at Arsenal Pulp Press. Jaiden graduated with a BA in World Literature and minor in Print and Digital Publishing in 2018, and in 2018/19 she attended the Masters of Publishing program at SFU, where she began an internship with Arsenal Pulp Press which developed into her current position at the press. During her undergrad, Jaiden was involved with World Literature’s literary magazine, The Lyre, as the editor-in-chief, and as a graduate she TA’d for the undergraduate publishing program from 2020-2021. She is currently completing the final stage of her master’s as she is writing the required project report.

JUSTIN MA

SIAT ALUMNUS

Justin Ma graduated in 2016 from the School of Interactive Arts & Technology program at SFU, moving straight to San Francisco to work at LinkedIn. During his time at SFU, he acted as the student union president for two years. As president, he organized events like portfolio workshops and sat in panels with the professors to provide a student's point of view for school affairs. Now he works as a Staff designer on LinkedIn, as the lead designer for the mobile application that recruiters use to find candidates.

HEATHER LAMOUREUX

SCA ALUMNUS

Heather Lamoureux is a community organizer, artist, and facilitator living on Musqueam, Squamish and Tsliel-Waututh territories. She is the Artistic Director at Vines and has grown with the festival since its beginning over the past seven years. Outside of Vines, she utilizes her Somatic Education training from Tamalpa Institute to facilitate movement and expressive arts classes. Heather graduated from SFU with a BFA in Dance with a minor in Business Administration in 2013. While at SFU, Heather co-produced multiple shows including the Dance Student Show and her grad show I'll Decide. 

Shauna-Kaye Brown

SCA Grad Student Ambassador

Shauna-Kaye Brown is a critically thinking Creative whose passion is collaborating with other Creatives to achieve common goals. Over ten years of professional experience has shown that she truly enjoys watching thoughts, ideas and concepts come to life. As an employee, subcontractor or freelancer, Shauna-Kaye has been an Entertainment Policy Analyst, Entertainment Administrator and Music Business Executive. She started in the MA, Contemporary Arts program in September 2021. Shauna-Kaye is thoroughly enjoying her time at the School for the Contemporary Arts and hopes to further develop her research interests.

Kittie Cooper

SCA Grad Student Ambassador

Kittie Cooper is a sound and intermedia artist, performer and educator based in Vancouver, BC. She makes work that incorporates issues surrounding identity and feminism while exploring the spectrum between silliness and seriousness. She also performs regularly as a guitarist, electronic musician and improviser. Kittie holds a BM from Northwestern University in music education and guitar performance, and an MEd in teaching students with visual impairments from George Mason University. She is currently working toward an MFA in interdisciplinary arts at Simon Fraser University.

Michelle Illing, SIAT Co-op 

VANCOUVER BIENNALE APP DESIGN 

What was a highlight of your UGC experience?

A highlight of my experience was being able to interact with moderators of the experience. It was nice to talk to the faculty about my project, and answer questions. I also enjoyed that I got to see my classmates’ presentations during the conference, and that my co-op advisor got to watch my presentation.

What did you learn about yourself during this process? 

I never really thought I was competent at creating videos, but I had to figure out how to film and edit a cohesive video for this conference. I learned that it’s actually not too hard, and that I shouldn’t think I can’t do something if I haven’t really explored it yet. After the conference, I learned that I enjoy interacting with members of the faculty and that I’d like to participate in more faculty events.

What would you tell other FCAT students thinking of participating in Undergrad research opportunities like the UGC?

I would tell other students that undergraduate research opportunities such as the UGC are a chance to dive deep and share research about topics that you're interested in. These opportunities help provide structure to your research by motivating you to explore your interests so that you are able to share your findings at a conference and discuss your research with other like-minded individuals.

Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn.

Portfolio

KIRTANA MENON, CMNS 

MEMETIC DISCOURSE AND ITS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE INTERJECTION WITHIN DIGITAL WORKPLACE PANOPTICONS

What would you tell other FCAT students thinking of participating in Undergrad research opportunities like the UGC?

I would tell them to absolutely go for it! Your undergraduate degree is what you make of it. Start by really focusing on your classes and giving your final essays your whole heart. In doing so, you will become equip with several high-level theories and concepts that can be very applicable in supporting your further research endeavours and sharpening your analytical skills.

Next, consider signing up for the SFU Research Opportunities mailing list - they will send you postings for Research Assistant positions. Even consider looking at the School of Communication website - they will often feature opportunities pertaining to research. Keep trying till you get something you are passionate about! 

Lastly, there is always the UGC. My TA convinced me to submit my paper for the UGC and I am honestly so glad that I listened to her. The UGC quadrupled my confidence and actually motivated me to consider applying for a TA role myself because of how much I enjoyed explaining the theoretical concepts that led me to form my research paper. Undergraduate research opportunities at SFU are a stepping stone to realizing your true passions. It worked for me, and it will definitely work for you!

Connect with Kirtana on LinkedIn.

Thomas Tran, Linda Liu, Avril Yang & Tianxin Xue, SIAT

LAMPANELLA: A PORTABLE LAMP FOR STUDENTS

What are some of the challenges you faced as a group and how did you overcome them?

One of the challenges we faced as juggling which idea we wanted to pursue to further develop the project during the ideation stage. We resolved this by discussing and noting down the pros and cons of each design based upon how well the design went with our persona and feasibility to build.

What was the highlight of participating in the UGC for your group?

The highlight for us was being able to present in a different setting. Because we are all SIAT majors, we get used to presenting in front of other design students and instructors. Whereas in the UGC, we must take into consideration that we are presenting to a more diverse audience. This presented a new challenge for us to think about what a diverse audience would want to hear from our project.

What would you tell other FCAT students thinking of participating in Undergrad research and opportunities like the UGC?

We would tell other FCAT students who are thinking of participating in events like UGC to be passionate about your project and to have fun with it.

Check out more of their work:

Thomas Tran: 

LinkedIn & Portfolio 

Linda Liu: LinkedIn & Portfolio

Avril Yang: LinkedIn

Tianxin Xue: Portfolio