STORIES
A UVic Bounce Short Documentary Film
Waving, Not Drowning (2023)
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Chorong Kim, Waving, Not Drowning movingly weaves together the diverse and powerful stories shared through UVic Bounce as it explores the history behind the initiative and its mission to transform campus culture, one story at a time.
Director: Chorong Kim
Cinematographer: Chen Wang
Producer: Rebecca Gagan
"We are story. All of us. What comes to matter then is the creation of the best possible story we can while we’re here; you, me, us, together. When we can do that and we take the time to share those stories with each other, we get bigger inside, we see each other, we recognize our kinship – we change the world, one story at a time…”
Richard Wagamese
Anishinaabe Novelist, Journalist, and Mentor
A UVic Bounce Podcast
Waving, Not Drowning
First launched in January 2021, “Waving, Not Drowning” is UVic Bounce’s powerful podcast in which host Rebecca Gagan engages in diverse and intimate conversations with UVic faculty and alumni about their experiences as students.
Season 2 Episodes and MORE
Special Episodes and MORE
Season 1 Episodes and MORE
"We must do better and do more to make the university a space that is truly hospitable, that is more humane. We must work to make the university a space that cherishes the souls who come to study there, that sees students in their uniqueness, beauty, and their pain, and says: Sit here. Learn here. I see you. I care. I love"
Rebecca Gagan
Waving, Not Drowning
MORE Stories
Funded by UVic’s Faculty of Humanities, these videos share diverse, sometimes painful, and often complicated journeys through post-secondary. These are stories of struggle and resilience, and we hope they help you to feel less alone in your own journey.
Becoming Yourself
Ali Blythe is a UVic alumnus, poet, and author of two critically-acclaimed books exploring trans-poetics: Twoism and Hymnswitch. Ali Holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in poetry from UVic and is a candidate for a masters degree on embodied trans-poetics at Royal Roads University, where he also works in communications. Ali has published in Canada, England Germany, and Slovenia.
Learning Self-Compassion
Chad Dickie is Dene First Nations from Fort Nelson, BC and the first child in his family NOT to attend a Residential School. Currently a part-time mature student in the School of Public Health and Social Policy, he is also on the Board Chair of AVI. Health & Community Serviced, a patient-partner on multiple healthcare committees and working groups, and active in community-based research. He is also the winner of the 2019 BC Patient Safety & Quality Council’s Quality Award for “Leadership in Advancing the Patient Voice.” Chad believes resilience facilitates human “living,” not just human “being.”
Adjusting to University Life
Dr. Alexandra D’Arcy is a Professor in Linguistics and the Director of the Sociolinguistics Research Lab (SLRL) at UVic. She is the recipient of the 2018 Research Excellence Award from the Faculty of Humanities at UVic and the author of <i>Discourse-Pragmatic Variation and Change: Eight-hundred Years of Like</i> (2017) which was featured as an answer in Jeopardy! in spiring 2018. Her experiences have taught her that education is a deeply personal journey, and that no two paths need to be the same.
Depression, Anxiety, and Not Feeling Good Enough
Dr. Audrey Yap is an Associate Professor in the Philosophy Department at UVic. She studied logic and philosophy of mathematics in graduate school, but now works mainly on feminist and anti-oppressive philosophy more generally. When she really wants to lose sleep at night, she thinks about what it means to try and work against oppression when her workplace is situated on unceded Lekwungen territory.
Struggling with an “Invisible” Disability as a Student
Ashli Akins is a UVic alumna, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 2009 with a double major in Latin American studies and Environmental Studies and a minor in Professional writing. She founded the non-profit initiative Mosqoy, which has collaborated with Indigenous Quechua communities of the Peruvian Andes since 2006 to support the post-secondary education of more than 70 students and promote the artisan work of 150 women through fair trade. Akins was honoured as one of UVic’s top 50 alumni in history who have made a difference in the world, and in 2019, she received their Emerging Humanist of the Year award.
Choosing to Be Present
Klaus Jahn completed his undergrad at the University of Ottawa and then moved as a direct entrant to the University of Toronto. He taught there sessionally before moving across the country to the University of Victoria in 2008. From 2014to 2018, Klaus was an Assistant Teaching Professor at UVic until moving to Australia in 2019. He is currently an Associate Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Melbourne and a researcher at the Dianoia Institute of Philosophy at Melbourne’s Australian Catholic University. His primary research focuses on ethics, social, and political philosophy.
Taking Time to Heal
Adrienne Williams Boyarin is a UC Berkley Alumnus where she received her PhD in English and Medieval Studies. In 2006 she joined the UVic faculty as an Associate Teaching Professor and English Graduate Program Advisor. Her teaching and research focus on early Middle English, religion and literature, Christian-Jewish polemics, and writing about women (particularly holy women and Marian texts). She has published multiple books and essays in her field and recently founded a new scholarly journal. She is a fierce advocate for students.
The Importance of Seeking Support
The Honorable Roméo Dallaire is a decorated lieutenant-general and former Canadian senator who served 35 years with the Canadian Armed Forces. He was a commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda, is the best-selling author of three books, and leads the Child Soldiers Initiative. Dallaire, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, has also worked tirelessly as an advocate for veterans returning from combat. In 2019, he received the Public Humanist of the Year awards from The Humanitas Awards at the University of Victoria.
Inspiring Stories Beyond our Campus
Bounce McMaster Podcast
Bounce at McMaster is an initiative funded by the Okanagan Committee that shares diverse, real stories told by McMaster faculty and alumni about their experiences as students, with a vision to build campus-wide resilience. By sharing stories through podcasts and videos, Bounce McMaster hopes to build a stronger sense of connection throughout their campus and to help students, as well as faculty and staff, to recognize that we are fellow human beings, all of whom can struggle and suffer during our lives.