Eager to see more of the world, emily paige (BA 2005) set out to study and work abroad after graduation. In the final year of her undergraduate degree, she travelled to France on an exchange. When she moved back to Canada she took a job in Ottawa and stayed there for almost two years. Subsequently, she moved west to Banff, Alberta and then to Burkina Faso, Africa.
Currently, emily is living, studying, and working in Montreal. She is a practicing artist and is pursuing her MA in Art Education at Concordia University. Her research focuses on the impacts of globalization and digital technologies on visual culture. She also helps to run an independent film and animation company with her partner and is the educational programmer for Concordia's Faculty of Fine Art gallery. For the film company, her role is to come up with concepts and ideas. She also provides creative feedback, writes grants and manages the projects. For the gallery, she focuses on outreach, making connections and encouraging interdisciplinary conversation. Thus far in her career, emily has had the opportunity to experience some amazing jobs – from coordinator of the New Media Institute at the Banff Centre for the Arts to interning at Yam Pukri, an association that focuses on new communication technologies for development in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
emily chose to follow in her mother's footsteps by attending the University of Waterloo. She began her studies in another program but later switched into English. As an avid reader, English was a subject she had always loved to study. It combines her passion for art, philosophy, history, theory, culture and people. Climbing under the covers with a big juicy book and a notebook to fill with the authour's quotations is still her favourite thing to do.
Her most memorable classes were taught by Professor Stan Fogel. She found his courses unique because he let his students direct themselves. She feels that his theories and approaches were refreshing – they challenged the way his students thought about systems they existed within. He rarely wrote on the chalkboard during class; however, when he did the way he wrote his 'A' was especially unforgettable. It was painstakingly drawn and the pointed gesture disrupted his natural flow.
At UW, emily learned about the importance of a healthy perspective, maintaining a good sense of humour and sharing ideas.