Announcing the Winners of the 2024 DesCan Vancouver Jim Rimmer Scholarship Awards
The Jim Rimmer Scholarships have been awarded since 2009 to student projects (or one currently in progress) for a community program, a non-profit organization, or an environmental or social cause. Students who are currently enrolled, or have graduated within the last year from a design program in BC are eligible. Scholarships are awarded on the strength of the solution, how effectively it communicates a message, benefits a community, affects action and promotes change. The two $1,000 scholarships are funded by Hemlock Printers, longtime supporters of DesCan Vancouver and the BC design community.
This year’s recipients were announced November 21, 2024 at LaSalle College Vancouver.
The guest speaker for the evening was renowned sports branding guru Scott Clum from Portland, Oregon.
The judges this year were:
Yuka Sasagawa CDP
Sharon Belanger CDP
Rod Roodenburg CDP
Andrew Samuel, CDP
Greg Durrell CDP, F.DesCan
and Jessica Chan, Hemlock Printers.
Here are the Winners and Honourable Mentions for 2024:
Winner
Hannah Lord, University of the Fraser Valley
Project Title: Torn
Instructor: Eric Lee
About the project:
Torn is a series of books that aims to empower Maasai communities through a discursive design approach. By exploring the vibrant culture of the Maasai people through their history, traditions, indigenous knowledge, and social challenges, the project aims to start a conversation about ending the practices that violate, objectify, and neglect women and girls, including limited access to education, female genital mutilation (FGM), and child marriage.
The books examine each of these practices with a focus on preserving their culture whilst removing harmful traditions. It discusses actions, like federal laws, that have been taken to ban these practices in Kenya, and the adverse effects they have had on the community. By raising awareness, Torn aims to foster a discussion on the cultural roots of these practices and the importance of community-led change and education to remove them without causing more harm. Though this conversation is complex and sensitive, it is essential to prevent more Maasai girls from facing systemic poverty, abuse, and genital mutilation, which ultimately hinders their ability to participate in and benefit from their cultural heritage.
Winner
Rowena Huang, Wilson School of Design
Project Title: Innovate to Educate
Instructor: Michael Cober, CDP
About the project:
In December of 2011, the UN declared that October 11th would be the International Day of the Girl Child (IDG). With a different theme each year, this day is dedicated to addressing the unique challenges girls face, encouraging empowerment, and emphasizing their unmet human rights. During this time, a variety of events and initiatives take place around the world, as different organizations join in on making the world a more equal place for girls everywhere.
This year, the proposed theme for IDG is “Innovate to Educate.” As of 2023, 129 million girls are denied the human right to education. Following the disruptions of COVID-19, 11 million girls may never return to school again. Beyond the pandemic, a myriad of external factors continue to keep girls out of school: gender bias, poverty, violence, and child marriage.In response to the disheartening statistics on girls’ education worldwide, the UN proposed the initiative to create a website specifically for IDG 2024. In accordance with the theme, the website serves as an educational source for girls’ education globally, includes information on IDG’s purpose and goals, and is a central ground for events and initiatives. Alongside the website is a book, meant to be distributed to schools across the globe to educate teachers and students alike on the privilege of education and the importance of equality. The book includes statistics and stories of girls around the world, and the challenges they face to receive education, a basic human right. Following the launch of the website will also be a marketing campaign, directing audiences to the website to create more traffic and attention to the important cause.
Honourable Mention
Charis Catotocan, Capilano University (IDEA School of Design)
Project Title: Alveus Sanctuary Annual Report
Instructor: Vida Jurcic, CDP
About the project:
Alveus is a nonprofit organization founded by Maya Higa that functions as a wildlife sanctuary and as a virtual education center facility to provide permanent homes to non-releasable animal ambassadors. These animals function as ambassadors, so viewers can watch their journeys, get to know the animals, and gain an appreciation for their species.
Honourable Mention
Veronika Kansaka, Wilson School of Design
Project Title: A Strange Land We Call Home
Instructor: John Belisle
About the project:
As a 4th generation Korean-Russian, I often surprise people when I mention my Russian origins. However, there is a significant community of Koryo-saram (ethnic Koreans) in Russia, with a unique and often overlooked history.
The story of Sakhalin’s Koryo people began in the late 1930s and early 1940s when Japan controlled southern Sakhalin (then called Karafuto) and brought thousands of Koreans to the island as forced laborers. These individuals, mainly from Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces, were conscripted to fill labor shortages during World War II. They endured grueling work in coal mines, logging camps, and construction sites under horrific conditions.
After Japan’s defeat in 1945, about 45,000 Koreans remained stranded on Sakhalin. Unlike Japanese civilians who were repatriated, many Koreans became stateless and unable to return home. They formed a distinct community, preserving elements of Korean culture while adapting to Soviet life.
Today, descendants of these laborers continue to live on Sakhalin. Their story serves as a poignant reminder of the human cost of colonialism, war, and displacement. The Koryo-saram community represents a resilient chapter in the Korean diaspora’s history.
Honourable Mention
Georgia Stone, Wilson School of Design
Project Title: SeaSafe
Instructor: Michael Cober, CDP
About the project:
SeaSafe (fictional) is a non-profit sister organization of the Surfrider Foundation dedicated specifically to the relief and mitigation of oil spills. Through the creation of a website and the re-design of an existing GIS mobile app, SeaSafe has been developed to provide a more streamlined, cohesive, and engaging collection of educational resources and response tools to spark increased public participation (crowdsourcing) and ultimately expedite the cleanup process of oil that has washed up on beaches.
Honourable Mention
Bella Sanchez, Wilson School of Design
Project Title: Patronas
Instructor: John Belisle
About the project:
In the rural town of Guadalupe, Mexico, there is a group of women known as Las Patronas. These women risk their safety day in and day out to provide food, essentials, and support to migrants crossing on La Bestia (The Beast), a deadly freight train. Despite claiming nearly half a million lives each year, La Bestia is, for many, is a symbol of hope—a route toward a brighter future away from the harsh realities of life across Central and South America. Las Patronas’ voluntary work has become a lifeline and a testament to compassion, reflecting the resilience and empathy of their community.
The origin of Las Patronas is as remarkable as their mission. In an interview with BBC Mundo, Norma Romero, one of the founders, recalled the moment that sparked their journey: “As [La Bestia] came past, a group of people on one of the wagons shouted at us: ‘Madre (Mother), we’re hungry.’ Then another group passed by and shouted the same thing. So we threw them our bread, and then our cartons of milk.” This simple, instinctive act of kindness led to the creation of Las Patronas, a charitable organization that has supported tens of thousands of migrants over the past two decades and was recently awarded Mexico’s highest human rights prize.
Watch for the call for entries for the 2025 Jim Rimmer scholarships this fall.