Through photography, documentary filmmaking and research, I explore the ways stories shape how we understand ourselves, one another and the world around us. My path to graduate school has been unconventional. Beginning my education as an adult transformed my life and led me to a career in journalism, documentary storytelling and teaching. For the past two and a half years, I taught journalism at SAIT, focusing on journalism ethics, visual journalism and social media. This fall, I’ll begin the thesis phase of my Master of Arts in Professional Communication at Royal Roads University. My master’s research explores how wellness influencers use images and visual storytelling on social media to build trust and shape conversations around health, with a particular focus on vaccine hesitancy. I’m interested in understanding why certain messages resonate so deeply and how visual communication shapes the way people see themselves and make sense of the world. I believe understanding these dynamics is essential not only for public health, but for fostering informed citizenship and a healthy democracy. I’m deeply grateful for the support of the CFUW community. This scholarship allows me to continue pursuing research and documentary work that I hope will contribute to more thoughtful, ethical and informed public conversations. Thank you for investing not only in my education, but in the stories and research I hope will make a meaningful contribution in the years ahead.