Student Accomplishments

Cindy Nguyen (Journalism), recently completed an internship with the Globe and Mail, where she made the front page on March 24th (PEI urges service sector to step up and help young workers get a COVID-19 vaccine), and the front page of the Report on Business section on April 13th (PEI hopes for revival of crucial summer tourism season). “It’s a wonderful accomplishment for her and for our program” reports Journalism program coordinator Dr. David Hickey.

For the fourth year in a row, Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) students at UPEI joined their counterparts from the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) recently to have a joint class over Zoom. Dr. Laurie Brinklow from the MAIS program and Dr. Andrew Jennings from the MLitt in Island Studies at UHI in Shetland are always amazed by the conversation and shared insights that come from students who are separated by the Atlantic – with topics ranging from “Is islandness real?” and Scotland’s “Islands Act” to renewable energy and historic connections between the Scottish Islands and Prince Edward Island.  Notes Dr. Brinklow: “If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that even though we’re an island and may seem separate and apart, we’re connected by technology. With so much of our learning online these days, it doesn’t matter where our students are located – and bringing them together like this is a wonderful learning opportunity for us.”

The MAIS program also congratulates the recipients of the Future Prosperity Scholarships for 2020, Greg Ellison, Eliza MacLauchlan, and Alyssa GillespieFuture Prosperity Scholarships awarded to UPEI Island Studies students.

On March 7, 2021, Olivia MacPhail (Music) won the Queens County Music Festival Association’s Senior Rose Bowl competition. This prestigious award includes a Rose Bowl trophy and a scholarship donated by The Joan and Regis Duffy Foundation. Olivia has just completed her junior year in the Bachelor of Music Education program, and is a tuba major in the studio of Dr. Dale Sorensen. This is the first time in its 27-year history that the Rose Bowl has been won by a tuba player.