Reflections from 2025 Denis Racine Bursary recipient Jenna Gill

Each year, CPRS-VI offers a bursary to a CPRS-VI member that provides $1000 towards a communications student's studies. Jenna Gill of VIU was the recipient of the award for 2025. CPRS-VI is honoured to oversee this bursary to support the future of our industry.

The Denis Racine bursary is funded by the CPRS Vancouver Island Legacy Fund, created from the proceeds of the 2001 CPRS National Conference co-hosted by CPRS-VI and CPRS Vancouver. Additionally, funds are donated annually from the Racine family in Denis' name.

2025 Denis Racine Bursary Recipient Reflection

By Jenna Gill, CPRS-VI 2025 Denis Racine Award Recipient

I am beyond honoured to share that I have been named the recipient of the Denis Racine bursary this academic year! I wish to extend my most heartfelt thanks to the Racine family for this award; this gift has strengthened my connection to the CPRS-VI community and will help me further my education into public relations in the coming years. I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity. 

My journey into public relations started with a study abroad opportunity through Vancouver Island University’s International Mobility department. I had the chance to take part in a one-year exchange to the University of Hertfordshire in England, where I focused my studies in Mass Communications. What started as a goal of accumulating transfer credits towards my degree at home turned into a transformative educational experience; I found a love for public relations and brand identity through the courses I chose, and by extension a drive to pursue these topics professionally. I finally saw many of my passions — video editing, social media, brand identity/development, project management and graphic design to name a few — come together into one career path; something which I had been searching for for many years. 

While I have recently completed my BA in Digital Media (major) and Languages & Culture (minor) at VIU, my journey in PR is only just beginning. As a new member of CPRS-VI, I look forward to pursuing volunteer opportunities with this chapter in the coming months as I take a few gap years from my academics. From there, I plan to pursue a master's program back at the University of Hertfordshire, focusing my studies on public relations and digital communications. The practical, hands-on approach that this program emphasizes will give me a strong edge when I bring my skills back to the Canadian workforce, and I cannot wait to put what I have learned to the test professionally in our region. Until then, I will be working with VIU at the Office of Future Students, putting my skills to good use as a recruitment officer! 

Thank you once again for this bursary, and I look forward to working with CPRS-VI in the coming year. 

-Jenna 

Find out more about the Denis Racine Bursary here!