developing countries cannot learn to innovate, they can act only as “manufacturing work- shops.” She believes the ability and speed of learning is crucial to reducing the world income gap. Jie was drawn to UBC based on the strong international reputa- tion of her current faculty group, but more personal motivations attracted her to St. John’s College: “The College’s interna- tional environment and social life are a good complement to my academic life, and | feel better when | can contribute to the community [which SJCc allows me to dol.” Eventually she hopes to be in a position to give policy sugges- tions to developing countries. In the meantime, she will continue to enjoy the friendship that comes with living at SJC. George Shen Fellowship Navjot Singh Navjot Singh is enthusiastic about life, his studies and all things “St. John’s”. This software engineering specialist in the Department of Computer Science came to UBC from India. He chose his field of study out of fas- cination for all that software can do for us today — as well as for the “less pleasing” reality that it has become complicated and difficult to maintain. “Building tools to help program- mers keep up with this increasing complexity of computer software is an interesting challenge that motivates my research,” he explained. High on Navjot’s list of reasons for choosing to study at UBC was Vancouver’s reputation as a beautiful city — though he claims he wasn’t told it would rain! He loves all aspects of life at SJC, including the food (which he commented on fre- quently), the great mix of people, the variety of lectures and con- certs, and the formal dinners. “Seriously, | knew these would be my last years in school and | wanted to be able to look back and say, ‘Il had a good time!’” When this chapter of his life is over, Navjot’s future goals involve money, travel and “software without bugs,” as well as learning to skate and play the guitar. Itoko Muraoka Fellowship Jean Kim Jean Kim is a student of Language and Literacy Education, specializing in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). She calls Korea home, but she’s always had a passion for teach- ing, and English has been an integral part of her life after many years of living overseas. “It was a natural choice for me to combine these two interests and pursue an academic career in language education,” she explained. “I am also interested in the relationship between lan- guage and identity, based on my personal experiences as a Korean-English bilingual.” Jean selected UBC because the University’s TESL Program is recognized as one of the best in the world. It also gave her the opportunity to return to Vancouver, where she attended high school 10 years ago. As for life at the College, she is grateful for the great friend- ships she has formed with fel- low SJC residents: “I’ve enjoyed meeting students from differ- ent academic backgrounds, which has helped me broaden my views in many ways.” Among her future goals and aspirations are teaching at a university in Korea or North America and continuing to conduct language education research. Reginald and Annie Van Fellowship Sandra Kliem Mathematics and the research of probability are what capti- vate Sandra Kliem, a SJC resi- dent from Berlin, Germany. “Even as a child, | liked playing with numbers and solving puzzles, but studying maths seemed a bit too theoretical for me,” reflected Sandra. “Now | really enjoy it, especially when calculations almost ‘magically’ work out and give you a new understanding of a model.” Sandra was drawn to UBC by her probability group and the chance to meet new people and live in a foreign country. She knew nothing about the great beaches — or the rain! She loves the friendly atmosphere of the College and believes the best part about living here is the inter- esting conversations she has with fellow residents at breakfast and dinnertime. Sandra hopes to finish her PhD, continue working in acade- mia, and along the way, “solve the ‘magic formula’ of how to best combine research and |” leisure life Colin Pridy Colin Pridy is a Canadian pursuing his PhD in Music Composition. He’s enjoyed a life-long fascination with music, and in particular the sound of orchestral film scores. The latter sparked his interest in learning the piano, playing by ear, impro- vising, and eventually, studying music composition. UBC’s quality of instruction, combined with a great city and great weather (he’s serious!), confirmed his choice in universi- ties. The ability to “contribute to and learn from a community of friends and colleagues” is what keeps him at SJC. Colin hopes to make a living doing what he loves and in the process, contribute something valuable and beneficial to his field: “My goal is to promote the creation of music that is relevant to disciplines and areas of inter- est beyond those traditionally addressed by new music.”