I graduated from UFV in 2014 with an Honours degree in English literature and am now the managing editor of PokerNews Canada, the country’s largest poker news website.
Strong writing has been the key to my professional success. One of my very first articles landed me on a Toronto radio show to defend my tongue-in-cheek argument that poker might be a better game than hockey. I quickly proved that I could write strong articles and knew the industry fairly well, so I was offered the role of site manager only about three weeks after I started writing for PokerNews Canada.
My job as editor involves a lot of writing, editing, and researching, but also publishing and managing promotions, social media use, developing relationships with industry leaders and casino managers, interviews, bookkeeping, and constantly having a finger on the pulse of the industry.
The English department at UFV takes the credit for developing my writing and editing skills. The Writer in Residence is a great program, and I really appreciated the relationship I was able to make with Rex Weyler when he was on campus.
The faculty in the English department were incredible. They always took a personal interest in the areas I wanted to research or discuss and treated me like an equal. I believe this went a long way in giving me the confidence to get to where I am today, not just professionally, but personally.
Extra special mentions have to go out to Gloria Borrows, my English 105 instructor; Karen Selesky, who gave me my initiation to the Victorian literature that I now love; and Heather McAlpine for being a patient, encouraging, enthusiastic, and all-around awesome supervisor throughout my Honours project.
