BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Faculty of Arts//NONSGML Events//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.arts.ubc.ca/events/event/
X-WR-CALDESC:Faculty of Arts - Events
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:20251008T2231Z-1759962682.2114-EO-70058-24@10.19.146.24
STATUS:CONFIRMED
DTSTAMP:20261006T005432Z
CREATED:20260921T164654Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260929T203109Z
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261102T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20261102T203000
SUMMARY: Plot Twists: Arts Alumni Career Stories
DESCRIPTION: Every career has a plot twist. Join us on November 2 at The xw
 θəθiqətəm (Place of Many Trees) for Plot Twists: Arts Alumni Career Stories
 \, featuring extraordinary Faculty of Arts alumni sharing the unexpected op
 portunities\, setbacks\, risks\, and moments that changed the course of the
 ir lives and careers. From award-winning filmmakers and creative leaders to
  […]
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html: <p>[image_spread img_url="https://artf.cms.ar
 ts.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/09/plot-twists-2.png" caption=""
  width="content"]</p><p>Every career has a plot twist.</p><p>Join us on Nov
 ember 2 at The xwθəθiqətəm (Place of Many Trees) for Plot Twists: Arts Alum
 ni Career Stories\, featuring extraordinary Faculty of Arts alumni sharing 
 the unexpected opportunities\, setbacks\, risks\, and moments that changed 
 the course of their lives and careers.</p><p>From award-winning filmmakers 
 and creative leaders to innovators\, writers\, and changemakers\, hear the 
 real stories behind the résumés and the twists they never saw coming.</p><h
 2>Speakers</h2><p><strong>Bill Nikolai</strong>\, BA'80\, MLIS'08 <em>(he/h
 im)</em></p><p><strong>Caleb Lee</strong>\, BA'06 <em>(he/him)</em></p><p><
 strong>Heidi Eaves</strong>\, BA'94 <em>(she/her)</em></p><p><strong>Kat Ja
 yme</strong>\, BFA'11 <em>(she/her)</em></p><p><strong>Kevin Spenst</strong
 >\, MFA'11 <em>(he/him)</em></p><p><strong>Mandy Bhullar</strong>\, BA'16 <
 em>(she/her)</em></p><p><strong>Oliver Mann</strong>\, BA'13 <em>(he/him)</
 em></p><p><strong>Stevie Wilson</strong>\, BA'12 <em>(she/her)</em></p><p>[
 cards][card title="Schedule" text="6:30pm – Doors open & registration<br />
 6:45pm – Stories begin<br />8:00pm – Mix & mingle (incl. light refreshments
 )</p><p>" link_text="REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT" link_url="https://ubc.ca1.qua
 ltrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bDyGI3tvwjMSbBk"][/cards]</p><h2>Speaker bios</h2><p
 >[accordions collapsible=true active=false][accordion title="Bill Nikolai"]
 </p><p>[image_aligned img_url="https://artf.cms.arts.ubc.ca/wp-content/uplo
 ads/sites/24/2026/09/Bill_cropped.png" caption="" align="center"]</p><h3><s
 trong>Bill Nikolai</strong> <strong>(BA’80 – International Relations\, MEd’
 86\, MLIS’08)</strong></h3><p><strong>Retired academic librarian\, former E
 SL instructor\, still evolving writer and actor</strong></p><p><em>"You’re 
 a real MacGyver." Well\, maybe not </em>the <em>real MacGyver\, but his sta
 nd-in and photo double.</em></p><p>If you mapped Bill Nikolai's career on p
 aper\, it might look more like a travel itinerary than a career plan. Since
  graduating from UBC\, his journey has included being a law school dropout\
 , blacksmithing\, teaching in Japan\, travel writing\, photography\, televi
 sion\, graduate studies\, modeling and working as a librarian. Bill's story
  explores how pursuing your interests first\, seizing opportunities\, and k
 nowing when to move on leads you to places you never imagined.</p><p>[/acco
 rdion]</p><p>[accordion title="Caleb Lee"]</p><p>[image_aligned img_url="ht
 tps://artf.cms.arts.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/09/Caleb_square
 .png" caption="" align="center"]</p><h3><strong>Caleb Lee (BA'06 – Speech S
 ciences)</strong></h3><p><strong>Advisor (AI Learning) at SRK Consulting</s
 trong></p><p><em>The 19-Ended Plot Twist</em></p><p>Nineteen roles. Pastori
 ng. Hairdressing. 1.33 master's degrees. And now a role helping employees t
 ransform their work with AI. Caleb Lee's career is a never-ending <em>Choos
 e Your Own Adventure</em> book. His story shows how refusing to regret\, cr
 ossing your t's and dotting your i's\, and going with the flow with a rudde
 r can lead to pleasantly surprising horizons.</p><p>[/accordion]</p><p>[acc
 ordion title="Heidi Eaves"]</p><p>[image_aligned img_url="https://artf.cms.
 arts.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/09/Heidi_square.png" caption="
 " align="center"]</p><h3><strong>Heidi Eaves (BA'94 – English & Theatre)</s
 trong></h3><p><strong>Head of People and Culture at Next Level Games</stron
 g></p><p><em>The Curiosity Plot Twist</em></p><p>Few people who start out i
 ntending to teach English expect a career that spans video game development
 \, human resources\, navigating a company through a global pandemic\, and f
 inding their purpose. Heidi Eaves didn't either. Her story explores reinven
 tion\, curiosity\, and the surprising opportunities that appear when we're 
 striving to leave each room better than we found it.</p><p>[/accordion]</p>
 <p>[accordion title="Kat Jayme"]</p><p>[image_aligned img_url="https://artf
 .cms.arts.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/09/Kat_square.png" captio
 n="" align="center"]</p><h3><strong>Kat Jayme (BFA’11 – Film Production)</s
 trong></h3><p><strong>Canadian documentary filmmaker</strong></p><p><em>The
  Filmmaker Plot Twist</em></p><p>What do a Vancouver basketball team\, a te
 nnis superstar\, and a UBC Film Production student have in common? More tha
 n Kat Jayme ever expected. Long before directing documentaries for ESPN\, N
 ike\, CBC\, and Naomi Osaka\, she was simply trying to find her place in th
 e film industry. Kat's story explores the risks\, setbacks\, and unexpected
  opportunities that transformed an ambitious student into one of Canada's m
 ost acclaimed documentary filmmakers.</p><p>[/accordion]</p><p>[accordion t
 itle="Kevin Spenst"]</p><p>[image_aligned img_url="https://artf.cms.arts.ub
 c.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/09/Kevin_square.png" caption="" align
 ="center"]</p><h3><strong>Kevin Spenst (</strong><strong>MFA’11 – Creative 
 Writing)</strong></h3><p><strong>Teacher\, author\, poet and performer</str
 ong></p><p>When Kevin Spenst entered UBC to do an MFA in fiction\, his long
 -lost love for poetry was reignited. What followed was a conflagration of c
 hange\, much of which he documented through his devotion to the many forms 
 poetry takes on the page and on the stage. Through creative writing\, he fo
 und a healing journey into a book that honoured his father whose life had b
 een stunted by schizophrenia. Kevin's story explores creativity\, persevera
 nce\, and learning to recognize success when it arrives in unexpected corne
 rs.</p><p>[/accordion]</p><p>[accordion title="Mandy Bhullar"]</p><p>[image
 _aligned img_url="https://artf.cms.arts.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/
 2026/09/Mandy_square.png" caption="" align="center"]</p><h3><strong>Mandy B
 hullar (BA'16 – Psychology)</strong></h3><p><strong>Director\, Global Exter
 nal Advisory\, Policy & Impact at lululemon</strong></p><p>Bio pending</p><
 p>[/accordion]</p><p>[accordion title="Oliver Mann"]</p><p>[image_aligned i
 mg_url="https://artf.cms.arts.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/09/Ol
 iver_square.png" caption="" align="center"]</p><h3><strong>Oliver Mann (</s
 trong><strong>BA'13 – Asian Studies & Economics)</strong></h3><p><strong>Se
 nior Manager\, Marketing & Events at Innovation UBC</strong></p><p>If you'd
  asked Oliver in his fourth year what he'd do after graduation\, he probabl
 y would have told you something in Canada-Asia relations. He was on exchang
 e in Seoul and interning at BC's Trade Office. Instead\, he graduated and b
 ecame a professional musician. He signed with a record label\, toured inter
 nationally\, and had a day job doing communications for UBC's Department of
  Asian Studies. When he stopped playing music\, he started doing photograph
 y—shooting models\, musicians\, and actors—and he taught rock climbing in t
 he mornings. His career path wasn't what he expected (and is nowhere near f
 inished). He hopes he can inspire others to follow their curiosity wherever
  it leads.</p><p>[/accordion]</p><p>[accordion title="Stevie Wilson"]</p><p
 >[image_aligned img_url="https://artf.cms.arts.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/si
 tes/24/2026/09/Stevie_square.png" caption="" align="center"]</p><h3><strong
 >Stevie Wilson (BA'12 – History)</strong></h3><p><strong>Executive Brand & 
 Narrative Strategist</strong></p><p><em>I planned one career. I've had thre
 e. The history degree explains all of them.</em></p><p>Before helping shape
  some of North America's most recognizable brands\, Stevie Wilson studied h
 ow societies choose what to remember. She thought her Arts degree had set h
 er path. Instead came a string of plot twists: a documentary\, a job she ap
 plied for without knowing what it was\, and a dream role she walked away fr
 om. Her story is about why the detours are often the point\, and why most c
 areers only make sense in hindsight.</p><p>[/accordion][/accordions]</p><hr
  /><p><em>This event is presented by the Faculty of Arts.</em></p><p><stron
 g>Questions? </strong>Please contact <a href="mailto:chan.laura@ubc.ca">Lau
 ra Chan</a>\, Event Manager\, Faculty of Arts.</p><p>[buttons][button link_
 text="RSVP" link_url="https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bDyGI3tvwjM
 SbBk"][/buttons]</p>
LOCATION:Liu Institute for Global Issues
GEO:49.276604;-123.220152
URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.arts.ubc.ca/events/event/plot-twists/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://artf.cms.arts.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/09/plot-twists-2.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Vancouver
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0700
TZOFFSETTO:-0700
DTSTART:20261101T090000
TZNAME:MST
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
END:VCALENDAR