The Masthead

Volume 57:

Jenaya, a young woman with very fair skin and light eyes smiles softly in front of leafy plants. She has long wavy reddish-brown hair with platinum-blond front streaks. She wears a white blouse under a black lace-up vest, plaid pants, and a small silver heart pendant necklace.

Jenaya Shaw

—Managing Editor—

Jenaya is in her fifth year as a Psychology and Creative Writing major at VIU. She spent the summer working in temporary housing on Salt Spring Island, where she provided social support for 17 residents. She’s proud to represent The Navigator for a fourth year in a row, and in her second year as Managing Editor. She was Art Director for Portal 2024, where her review of Burning Sage and photography appear. Poem “Little Anna Marie,” memoir piece “In the Rear-View,” and photography are published in Portal 2025. She has also edited for GOOEY Magazine. She served as Program Coordinator for the Nanaimo Arts Council’s ISFR 2024 and 2025 as well as Nanaimo Artwalk 2024 and 2025. So, she mostly works, and is focused on a career in clinical psychology with a background in social psychology. With what little free time she has, Jenaya’s brain rots in Dead by Daylight and strains while writing the occasional short story, though someday she’d like to finish that pesky novel.

Grace Penner

—Associate Editor—

Grace is a third-year Creative Writing and Journalism student. She is now back at The Navigator for her second year, last year as a Nav Reporter and this year as Associate Editor. In Volume 56, Grace worked both through written and video interviews, reporting on sports. She worked last year as a Non-Fiction Editor for Portal 2025. Grace also worked alongside the VIU Mariners Hockey Team as Social Media Manager and with the Nanaimo Clippers as a Rinkside Reporter. She hopes to continue working with the Mariners teams on these upcoming issues while expanding her horizons as a reporter. Grace’s dream is to pursue a career in journalism after graduation.

Bailey, a young woman with light-medium brown skin and dark brown eyes smiles brightly in front of leafy greenery. She has shoulder-length black hair, wears round gold-rimmed glasses, a maroon long-sleeve shirt, and a small round gold pendant necklace.

Bailey Bellosillo

—Arts & Culture Editor—

Bailey is a fifth-year Creative Writing major at VIU. She was a Poetry Editor for the Portal 2025 issue, for which she was the cover artist and a non-fiction contributor. She was both dancer and photographer for the VIU Dance Team in 2025, for which she also designed and produced a physical yearbook. She is co-Art Director, Website Designer, and Gustafson Feature Writer for Portal 2026.

Tebby, a young woman with medium-dark skin and brown eyes stands in front of green leafy plants, smiling slightly with her arms crossed. She wears a plain white T-shirt, light blue jeans, and a red patterned bandana tied over her hair. No visible accessories besides small stud earrings.

Tebby Olatetse

—Nav Reporter—

Tebby is a third-year Accounting student at VIU. She joined The Navigator because, even though her major is all about numbers, she’s always had a soft spot for writing. It’s a creative break from spreadsheets, and a way to tell stories that matter and connect with people beyond the classroom. Tebby is excited to be part of The Nav this year and to share pieces that reflect our campus community. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as she enjoys writing them!

Nadia, a woman with fair skin and blue eyes smiles softly while standing before leafy green plants. She has straight, long platinum-blond hair worn down with a center part. She wears a black scoop-neck top, a black cardigan, and a delicate gold necklace with a small pendant.

Nadia Fontaine

—Nav Reporter—

Nadia is a third-year journalism and sociology student. Previously she has worked with The Sooke News Mirror, and this past summer with the Nanaimo Fringe Festival. Originally from Sooke, she found a passion for writing through interviewing local homeless shelters on the island. This is Nadia’s first year on The Navigator and she is excited to get involved with the student community!

Alyona, a woman with light-medium skin and brown eyes smiles warmly in front of lush green foliage. She has long dark brown hair worn loose, and she wears a white T-shirt with a small colorful patch on the chest and gold hoop earrings.

Alyona Latsinnik

—Metro Editor—

Alyona is in her third year as Xwulmuxw/Indigenous Studies major and Creative Writing minor. It is her first year working at The Nav and she’s thrilled about it! Last year, a casual 100-level journalism assignment led to her breaking a viral election story which was featured in major provincial and federal news outlets. When not working on articles, Alyona can be found volunteering for local Indigenous-led initiatives, writing poetry, practicing her traditional Ukrainian crafts, advocating for justice, hanging out with her two awesome cats, or being lost among the ancient trees. The list goes on and on, but you got the gist—this girl likes to stay busy.

Deanne Whenham

—Features Editor—

Deanne is in her fourth and final year at VIU, majoring in Creative Writing with a minor in Marketing and a certificate in Digital Marketing. Originally hailing from Yellowknife, NT, her short story “Soaring” was shortlisted in the Island Short Fiction Review in 2025 by the Nanaimo Arts Council. Her pieces “Decomposing Child” and “pro-so-pag-no-zee-ah” were both published in the debut issue of Lazy Dog Magazine in 2025, and she was a contributor for Portal Magazine with her photo, “Yellowknife Sunset”. When she’s not wandering outside looking for fairies or hunting down the best Pad Thai dish, you can find Deanne dreaming up the pages of her very own novel.

Elke, a person with fair skin and grayish-blue eyes gives a faint smile while standing before green foliage. Their light brown hair has blond highlights and is styled in two long front braids with shorter layers framing the face. They wear a gray crewneck sweatshirt and have a silver septum ring, nostril stud, and silver earrings.

Elke Sorensen

—Associate Media Editor—

Elke is in her final year of the Bachelor of Arts program at VIU with a major in Creative Writing and a minor in Media Studies. She’s been a volunteer at CHLY 101.7FM for three years as a host for the VIU Meter as well as her very own literary show, Writer’s Block. Elke has also spent the last two summers in the city of Yellowknife, NWT, working as a broadcast intern for Cabin Radio and hosting Evenings with Elke, a show that featured Canadian authors and musicians. Although she previously worked as a staff writer for The Navigator, she has settled into a role as Associate Media Editor and podcaster. Her podcast, Elke’s on the Island, is available to stream on Spotify. After graduation, Elke will continue to work on her canine-themed weird horror short story collection while living in and exploring the spectacular NWT as a broadcast journalist.

Daxton, a man with fair skin and light blue eyes looks at the camera with a neutral expression, standing before leafy plants. He has medium-length straight black hair, wears rectangular glasses, and a black sweater featuring a palm tree growing from a skull graphic.

Daxton Comba

—Videographer—

Daxton is a third-year Creative Writing student, graphic designer, and videographer. He served as Script Editor and Audio-Visual intern for Portal 2025 and is now co-Acquisitions Editor and co-Art Director for Portal 2026. Over the summer he wrote/directed a staged reading of his play, Funeral Cake. Daxton has memoir and short-fiction published in Portal and GOOEY magazines respectively. His work was produced for VIU’s 2025 One Act Festival, and he was a recipient of the Meadowlarks Award for Fiction.

Liam, a man with light skin and brown eyes stands in front of lush green foliage, smiling slightly. He has short dark brown hair styled with a middle part and a trimmed mustache and beard. He wears a short-sleeve dark green corduroy polo shirt with a navy collar and no visible accessories.

Liam Prendergast

—Sports Videographer—

Liam is a fourth-year Digital Media Studies student born and raised in Winnipeg. He has played everything from football and basketball to rugby and handball, earning a spot on Manitoba’s provincial football team before retiring his cleats to pursue university, trading prairie winters for island rain in 2019. He’s produced numerous projects through the Digital Media Studies program and has worked closely with the VIU Dance Team for the past three years, filming their showcases, cabarets, and team portraits. When he’s not behind a camera, Liam can usually be found watching just about any sport, exploring the island with his fiancée Katelyn and their dog Koda, or watching a film at the movie theatre.

Ronin, a young man with light skin and brown eyes looks slightly to the side with a calm, neutral expression. He has short, dark brown hair worn in a soft, slightly wavy style. He is dressed in a navy blue blazer over a black button-up shirt, with a white pocket square in the blazer pocket. He wears a small eyebrow piercing and no other visible accessories.

Ronin Harver

—Graphic Designer—

Ronin is a multidisciplinary designer and storyteller whose work spans graphic design, filmmaking, illustration, and music. He has created award-winning films recognized at BC festivals and built media projects that have reached over 500k views across TikTok and YouTube. With a strong focus on visual narrative and creative experimentation, Ronin brings an adaptable, problem-solving mindset to every project. He thrives in collaborative environments and is driven by a passion for crafting bold, meaningful work that pushes ideas beyond the expected.

Mackenzie, a woman with light-medium skin and brown eyes smiles gently before green plants. She has shoulder-length dark brown hair with soft waves and wears a dark green long-sleeve top with a clear crystal pendant necklace.

Mackenzie Beck

—Art Director—

Mackenzie is a fourth-year Bachelor of Graphic Design student at VIU. She graduated from VIU’s Fisheries and Aquaculture program in 2019 and has now returned to school in pursuit of a more creative career path. She has a passion for beautiful typography, nature photography, and not turning on the “big light” (lamps only!). She spends her free time backpacking and hiking around Vancouver Island. Despite her love for the outdoors, you can usually find this homebody getting cozy inside her plant-filled house.

Maggie, A young woman with fair skin and blue eyes smiles softly against a backdrop of leafy greenery. She has short curly brown hair styled in a loose updo with ringlets framing her face. She wears a chunky cotton candy pink knit cardigan with large wooden buttons, a white collared shirt underneath, pearl earrings, and a pearl necklace.

Maggie McKnight

—Social Media Manager—

Maggie is a fourth-year student majoring in Creative Writing and minoring in Visual Arts with a Proficiency in Language and Culture certificate in Japanese. She loves travelling and learning about culture, language, and creativity. Recently, she has combined her love for writing and art into creating comics and hopes to release her own fantasy series in the future. In her free time, she can be found painting and drawing, exploring nature, taking photos, and playing video games. Maggie looks forward to her first year working at The Navigator as Social Media Manager.

Taryn, a woman with fair skin and brown eyes smiles warmly in front of tall green leaves. She has shoulder-length wavy dark brown hair and wears a white floral puff-sleeve dress with green and blue flower prints, along with a green stone pendant necklace and long green beaded earrings.

Taryn Pinder

—Copy Editor—

Taryn is a fourth-year English student with a double minor in Indigenous/Xwulmuxw Studies and Studies in Women and Gender. She is excited to be working her first year at The Navigator! Taryn is currently the English Student Representative for the second year in a row. Her essay “Dismantling Dominant Narratives Through Storytelling Tricksters” was selected as the Second-Year Category winner for the VIU 2023-24 English Essay Competition. If she doesn’t have her nose in a book, she is probably shopping for collectors’ editions of novels she can’t afford or advancing her skills in Métis beadwork with only a few stabbed fingertips in the process.

Karen Fowlow

—Web Designer—

Karen (They/She) is in their third year of Graphic Design at VIU and has an interest in current events, history, and more! If she’s not working, you’ll often find them playing Minecraft (she swears it’s not an addiction) or designing floorplans!

Tianna Vertigan

—Web Designer—

Tianna is a queer student and a liar for saying the previous year would be her last at VIU. Despite having next to no training in technology, she’s designed at least five websites and dabbled in so many different subjects that few recall her major or minor (Creative Writing and SWAG). Between classes, internships, work-ops, websites, and graveyard shifts, Tianna is highly experienced in burning candles at both ends and admits she may have a Bath & Body Works addiction. She claims ~~she is graduating this spring and~~ that her pants are ~~not~~ on fire.

Paige Vandop

—Business & Marketing Manager—

Paige is a fourth-year BA student majoring in Creative Writing. Her short story “Body Double” was shortlisted in the Island Short Fiction Review in 2024. Two of her short stories, “Blue Prints” and “Shifting Gears” have been published in The Navigator. She was a Non-fiction Editor for Portal 2024 and one of the Managing Editors for the 2025 issue. She also worked for The Nav as Copy Editor in 2024 and is now their Business Manager for the 2025 school year. Paige is a freelance editor under her company, Anomaly Consulting. Her first full-length project, Sacrifice by Avianna Bishop, is a fantasy novel. When not working on her writing and editing, Paige can be found… well… probably still working.