Family and friends celebrated alongside faculty and staff on May 20 as 26 members of the class of 2026 received their Master of Journalism degrees from the University of British Columbia.
The School of Journalism, Writing, and Media marked the milestone by recognizing the graduates’ achievements, from rigorous coursework to ambitious reporting and storytelling.
The ceremony honoured students whose work and contributions stood out during their time at UBC. The list of awards and recipients is below.
Brayden Mack
Kamal Al-Solaylee
Alisa Prinyarux
Zain Alragheb and Kristen De Jager
Riley Brady
Beverley Straight
Graduating class of '26
Mary Lynn Young
Beta Chan
Isabelle Dina
Hal Straight Gold Medal and Prize in Journalism
A gold medal and prize for the most outstanding graduate student in Journalism has been endowed by Beverley J. Straight and Robert H. Straight in honour of their father, Hal Straight, who was an editor, managing editor, and publisher for over 50 years.
Recipient: Ashley Kim
Susan M. Boyce Graduate Scholarship
The award is given every year to students for demonstrating dedication to preserving the value and integrity of the written word. The Susan M. Boyce Award has been endowed by Roy Barnett in honour of his sister, Susan M. Boyce. Susan is a longtime Vancouver-based journalist and a firm believer in the need to support and mentor aspiring writers in this exciting career.
Recipients: Victoria Brzezinski-Szadzianis, Anjini Snape
Kristen De Jager, Ashley Kim, Elif Zaimler and Mary Lynn Young
Henna Mann and Brayden Mack
Beverley Straight and Ashley Kim
Kathryn Gretsinger
Kathryn Gretsinger and Xiao Qing Wan
Alisa Prinyarux and Andrea Crossan
Isabelle Dina and Alfred Hermida
Beta Chan and Ori Tenenboim
Riley Brady and Alfred Hermida
Anjini Snape, Victoria Brzezinski-Szadzianis and Kamal Al-Solaylee
Master of Journalism Award
The School of Journalism, Writing, and Media offers this award to recognize journalism graduates whose work contributes to cultural inclusion and equity.
Recipients: Kristen De Jager, Ashley Kim, Iris Wang, Helen Wu, Elif Zaimler
The Rafe Mair Prize in Journalism
For producing the best published work of public-service journalism while attending the master’s program at the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media. The Rafe Mair Award was endowed by The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group in honour of Rafe Mair.
Recipient: Henna Mann
The Helen Badenoch Scholarship
The Helen Badenoch Scholarship is offered to a student who has produced proficient works of local journalism in the fields of community health and journalism
Recipient: Beta Chan
George Sakellaridis Memorial Scholarship in Journalism
This scholarship has been made available annually through a gift from the estate of Mary Sakellaridis (1936-2020) in memory of her husband, George Sakellaridis (1915-2004) for outstanding graduate students in the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media with a focus on arts and cultural writing.
Recipient: Alisa Prinyarux
Brian Truscott Memorial Award in Business Journalism
Established by Gabriella Stern, a close friend and colleague of the late business journalist Brian Truscott, this annually funded award is offered to an outstanding student enrolled in the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media with an interest in business journalism.
Recipient: Xiao Qing Wan
Vancouver Sun David Baines Scholarship in Journalism
The scholarship has been endowed by Vancouver Sun reporter, David Baines for a student in the Master of Journalism program specializing in business journalism. The award is made on the recommendation of the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Recipient: Riley Brady
Dona Logan Scholarship
The scholarship has been endowed by friends and family in honour of Professor Donna Logan, Founding Director of the School of Journalism as it was known at the time. The award is offered to a student in their final year of the Master’s of Journalism program who holds the highest overall average in their previous year of study and who has indicated an interest in pursuing a career in investigative journalism.
Recipient: Isabelle Dina
Photos by Alfred Hermida, except “Brady Riley” by Camelia Lalani
