This year, LINK honours Eda Aktas and Emily Vance with the 2017/18 Silver Pen Award. Both of these BCIT students showed tremendous dedication, growth, and community influence in the work that they contributed to LINK magazine this past year. Individually, they produced pieces on a variety of important issues, but perhaps their most important work came as a collaboration together alongside BICT’s Indigenous Services, for an article on Truth and Reconciliation in our November issue.
About the Silver Pen Award:
Every year, LINK magazine and the BCIT Student Association award a $500 bursary to the student contributor(s) whose work has made the most impact in the BCIT community. Through thoughtful expression of opinion, well-researched essays, and/or high-impact imagery, these contributors build meaningful connections with our readers, and help to shape the way we view and understand the world around us. This is our little way of saying: thank you for your important work.
About Emily:
“I recently settled back at home in Vancouver after almost a decade away. When I’m not madly working away at my deadlines for BCIT News, you can catch me traipsing about in nature or trying to score the window seat at my favourite coffee shop. Social justice, minority rights, and environmental issues fuel my journalistic fervour. I’m happy to have LINK magazine as an output for my musings, and looks forward to penning more articles in my final year at BCIT. You can keep up to date with me on Twitter @Emily__Vance. “
Select Writing Credits:
Truth and Reconciliation
Site C
Trade Up
Outside the Box
Review: La Papessa by Lido Pimienta
About Eda:
“I was born in Istanbul. Throughout my life, I’ve always been fascinated by picture books. Naturally, I ended up studying fine arts at Turkey’s reputable Mimar Sinan University in Istanbul. After receiving my degree, I worked in various companies as a designer.
I always imagined living in the stories I read as a child, however when I realized that is not possible to be a part of the stories I loved, I decided to visualize my own stories and design them. My passion towards children books accelerated when I met with a pedagogue and illustrated her educational children’s cards. In 2015, I visited Canada and realized that Vancouver is the best place where I can express my creativity freely. Since that realization, I’ve been living and studying in Vancouver as a Communication Essentials student at BCIT & Emily Carr University to improve myself in editorial illustration and graphic design.”
Select Artwork Credits:
Vigilantes!
Truth and Reconciliation
#MeToo
Selenna loves creating change through written media platforms, and is thoroughly enjoying her experience with Link Magazine. She has also worked for the publishing organizations PRISM Magazine, Surrey Women’s Centre, Her Campus, Sojourners, and McCreary. Selenna has been published for her creative, academic, and journalistic writing. Selenna can be found travelling, doing ballet or yoga, and watching “Daria.”
