2022-23
ESA Executives for 2022-23
Atticus Yus – President
Hi everyone! My name is Atticus and I am a fifth year dual degree student majoring in English literature (BA) and geographical sciences (BSc). I am looking forward to being this year’s president and hope to provide you all with some excellent new resources, exciting community events, and help you each make the most of your time here at UBC English. My favourite class I have taken in the department would ENGL 337 where we studied text and image in Victorian fairytales and included a fun assignment at Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC). My most important piece of advice would be to engage in lectures and never be afraid to share your thoughts- most of the time, other students were thinking the same thing. More casually, my go-to cafe order is an iced americano, I just picked up Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, and I have four manga tattoos!
Please feel free to reach out to me at president@ubcenglish.com. I am always happy to talk and acknowledge that my position puts be in a place of privilege with connections others may not have. If you have any criticism, thoughts, ideas, or more that you want heard, then I am ready to lend an ear and see what I can do to make things happen.
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Brandon Bach – VP Social Programming
Hello, I’m Brandon! Here is a bit about myself. According to the SSC, I’m in my fourth year of my BA degree specializing in philosophy and English literature. However, I like to think of myself more generally as a student of les belles-lettres, and even a student of life. I believe that student community is indispensable for the flourishing of any humanities department which is why I create and strengthen bonds among the English students this year as VP Social through off-campus and weekly events. On my free time, I like going outdoors, talking with my friends, looking at beautiful paintings, playing music and reading good books. The book I am currently reading is in fact a good one, a discount selection of Whitman’s poetry which goes well with lemon ginger tea and fresh air. I am also obsessed with languages and translation. I am familiar with five languages but have practical competency in only two. Had I been aware of this obsession at an earlier age, I would have dedicated much more time to language learning in earlier years. (I’m on the right in photo above; on the left is my good friend Jean-François)
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Chloe Fike – VP Academic Programming
My name is Chloe and I am entering my fourth year as an Honours English Language and Literature Major, with a minor in History. I am the VP of academic programming for the ESA! I am currently reading A World of Women by J.D. Beresford. It is really hard to pick a most interesting course, but two of my favourites have been ENGL 326: The Language of the Media with Dr. Dancygier or ENGL 362: Victorian Fiction on Stage and Screen with Dr. Dalziel. My cafe order changes quite frequently, but a tried and true I will never get tired of is a dirty chia with oat milk. I would advise my first year self to get out more, and speak her ideas in class more. Lastly, a fun fact about myself is that I work at a book store!
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Kira Dinim – VP Operations
Hello everyone, my name is Kira, and I’m the VP Operations for the ESA. I’m also in charge of the ESA blog, so if anyone has budding desires to be a blogger for us or feels as though they have something to say that needs an ESA platform, please reach out to me at blog@ubcenglish.com.
I’m a 4th year English Lang and Lit student, but I transferred from Capilano University last year, so I still feel like a brand new student at UBC sometimes! Of all the courses I’ve taken here at UBC, my favourite so far was English 378: Contemporary British Literature with Prof. Mota. His reading material choices and layout of assignments were really enjoyable, and we always had interesting class discussions. If there’s any advice I can give to my first year self, its that I’m at university to learn, first and foremost. Friend groups come and go, but the money for tuition only goes, so prioritize your grades over going out. Aside from school, I’m an avid reader and am currently reading This is How You Lose the Time War. My go-to coffee order is an iced matcha latte with oat milk, and one fun fact about me is that I wrote a novel in high school. It is very bad, and I haven’t touched it since I finished it, but I did write the whole thing.
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Colby Payne – VP Finance
I’m Colby and I’m a fifth-year Honours English Literature student with a minor in Russian. I’m excited to be involved with the ESA this year as VP Finance. I’m always in the middle of a bunch of books, but right now I’m mainly reading This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. My favourite classes at UBC have been the rhetoric of science and medicine (ENGL 309), Canadian literature with Dr. Tara Lee, and my honours seminar on folk horror – I love the variety of classes and topics and all the amazing professors in the English Department! My go-to cafe order is a London fog or a chai latte. If I could give advice to my first-year self, I would tell myself to put myself out there and not be too scared or intimidated to get involved! There are lots of opportunities to meet and connect with people if you just take the first step. A fun fact about me is that I tap-danced for over 10 years!
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Alice Deng – Honours Representative
My name is Alice and I am entering my final year as an (hons.) English Literature major! I am currently reading Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. I don’t think I could choose just one favourite or most interesting course, so some of my favourites have been ENGL 491: Folk Horror with Dr. Tomc, ENGL 337: Lovecraft Country with Dr. Guerin, and ENGL 371 with Dr. Lee! My go-to cafe order is an iced matcha latte with white chocolate mocha syrup at Starbucks, or any variation of the sort elsewhere. My advice to my first-year self would be to focus on balancing a social life with school, and a fun fact about myself is that I’ve been skydiving.
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Grace Payne – AUS Representative
I’m Grace and I’m a third-year Honours English Literature major. I look forward to being the AUS Representative for the ESA this year! I’m never sure what to read unless I’m working from a reading list, but I’m currently enjoying Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. It’s hard to pick a favourite course, but I especially loved rhetoric of science and medicine (ENGL 309) with Professor Sara Press, as well as my first-year Arts Studies seminar with Dr. Katie Fitzpatrick. I also had a lot of fun with television studies (ENGL 247). I haven’t had a course I didn’t enjoy with the UBC English Department! My go-to cafe order is an iced latte with oat milk. If I could offer advice to my first-year self, I would tell myself to slow down a bit – to really enjoy the process of learning. Each year goes by so quickly, it’s very worth it to enjoy your courses and take every opportunity that comes your way. A fun fact about me is that I’m an aviation nerd! I’m currently training in a two-seat Cessna 152, with a goal of obtaining my Private Pilot’s License.
