Masthead
Sean is a sixth-year(??) English and Creative Writing student and is by all accounts a great guy. He spends his time watching painfully slow movies via illegal streaming, plinking away on his keyboard, or watching American football (also illegally streamed). In his second year as Managing Editor, he's seeing the growth of his staff, himself, and of The Nav's potential.
Megan is a third-year Creative Writing and Business student. It’s her first year at The Nav and she’s looking to bring in some sugar and spice—okay, mostly spice—to her feature articles. When she’s not brainstorming with Sean, find her reading three books at once, snuggling with her kitty, and teaching a few yoga classes.
Sophia is a fourth-year Creative Writing and Journalism student. She was the News Editor for The Navigator last year. Outside of The Nav, Sophia volunteers with VIU Cultural Connections as a Peer Helper. Three things she wants to do in the future are: travel to Japan and Korea, attend a Stray Kids concert, and adopt one or two black cats.
Bella is a second-year Creative Writing and English student at VIU. When she was six years old, her mom helped her write her first book, “The Shed Princess.” The Grand Forks Library even kept it on its shelves for a few weeks. These days, Bella is on a mission to have her books on every library’s shelves.
Tianna is a queer student majoring in Creative Writing and minoring in Studies in Women and Gender. She enjoys playing Sims, spontaneously undertaking random home projects, and arguing that her date of birth (01/01/01) is “objectively the coolest.” In her fourth year at VIU, she hopes to leave her hermit shell at home and take advantage of more opportunities that will force her to engage with the community around her.
Mike is a web designer, writer, and videographer who has lived and experienced stories from all over Western Canada. He is on his third journey through VIU pursuing his degree in Digital Media Studies. In his non-VIU life, Mike spends his time hanging out with his wife and kids, exploring Vancouver Island, and learning how to be a better global citizen. This is Mike's first year at The Nav, and he is looking forward to telling the stories that matter to Nanaimo, and especially the VIU community.
Ben is a third-year Digital Media Studies student. A theatre kid at heart, he has worked extensively on and off stage with several local drama groups. He enjoys hiking, recording music, and reading nature books. As an avid birder, he is liable to run off at the drop of a hat in search of rare birds.
Jack is a third-year Creative Writing and English student at VIU working at The Nav as Audio Editor. On island time, he’s filling his portfolio with digital art, literary sci-fi, genre fantasy, podcasts, and sesquipedalian poetry about space, including “After Abaddon” and “Black Hole,” which were published in the 2022 issue of Portal. He's also one of the Managing Editors of Portal 2023, and president of the VIU Creative Writing Club.
Claire is a fourth-year Marketing and Media Studies student. When she isn’t doing homework or doing awesome marketing for The Nav, she enjoys nature walks, film photography, baking, and watching an ungodly amount of Criminal Minds and TikTok (as sad as that is to admit). Claire is super excited to work with The Nav team this year!
Jenna is a fourth-year Digital Media student. She is passionate about documentary-style film photography and videography. If she ever graduates from VIU, she wants to attend Vancouver Film School.
Kaelan is a first-year Information Technology and Sysadmin student from Nanaimo. You will find him in the ITAS basement at VIU or finding some sick new climbing and camping spots around the island.
Celia is a second-year student in the Graphic Design Program at VIU. Her interest in design and illustration has led her to run a small business of her own, Celia Brand Design, doing freelance illustration and design. Her illustrations can be found in some local shops in Nanaimo, or by visiting her Instagram: celiabrand.art.
