Meet the Team

Sarah Brown

Research Assistant, Grants 

Sarah is an English Honours Major in her last semester at the University of the Fraser Valley. In 2022, she won the Chilliwack Foundation Annual Scholarship, Henrick and Alice Sorila Memorial Endowment, and the University Women’s Club of Chilliwack Memorial Endowment for her academic work at UFV (and gave birth to her first child!).  She also has 10 years of experience in business communication and a marketing management diploma from the BCIT (2017). She loves creative writing, literary studies, local food, and the outdoors. Read her written submission on the Chilliwack River Flood in the Flood Stories Expressive Arts contest. 

Grace

Upcycling Designer

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Ariel Dennison-Hardy

Research Assistant, Data collection & interpretation 

Ariel is a fourth-year psychology student at the University of the Fraser Valley and has an interest in developmental psychology and research. When she was first given the opportunity to be a part of this project she was so excited to learn more about sustainability and food security in the Dig for your Rights program. Now, she is still excited to be a part of this team and to learn new things every day. 

Kalie Holford 

Research Assistant

Kalie Holford is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of the Fraser Valley with extended minors in Creative Writing and Media & Communications. Outside of her studies, she is a YA fiction author and runs a graphic design business making promotional materials for books. She's passionate about stories and believes writing has the potential to create positive change.

Camryn Wolfe

Research Assistant, Crime Prevention Through Social Development

Camryn Wolfe is Social Media Coordinator and Graphic Designer for the 20 Harvest Challenge. She first got involved in the project because of her interest in restorative justice; specifically crime prevention through social development. She is combining her interest in criminology with research regarding children’s rights to contribute to the Dig for Your Rights! program. Her creative eye is behind many of the design and promotional contents for the 20 Harvest Challenge. 

Camryn is passionate about environmentalism, human rights, and animal rights. She enjoys reading, hiking, and rock climbing in her spare time. 

Sydney Marchand

Lead Research Assistant, Flood Stories

Sydney Marchand is Project Manager and Event Coordinator for the 20 Harvest Challenge, which is home to three community research projects: A Flood of Stories, Dig for Your Rights! and Dress for Your Rights!

Sydney’s passions for food security, climate activism, and sustainable living are at the heart of her research and influences much of her written work. Be it through journalism or creative writing, Sydney is passionate about the value and power that comes from expressing oneself through words and creative formats.

Fun Fact: She started a sustainability column for UFV's student newspaper that focused on small, actionable changes. She also loves to bake vegan treats in her spare time.  

Linda McRae

Research Assistant, Theatre Projects

Linda McRae has been teaching children and youth theatre programs for over 25 years as well as being involved with many theatre projects with various community theatre groups in Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Langley and Surrey, including the UFV’s theatre department. She is excited to combine theatre style
story telling with the powerful message that The 20 Harvest Challenge project has to say.

Amanda Minchau

Research Assistant, Field Trips

Amanda Minchau is a student research assistant for the 20HarvestChallenge. She is finishing her Fine Arts Degree at UFV. Over the past 13 years, she has homeschooled her two children and  worked with Michele Superle on developing field trips and networking with our communities. She hopes to be painting and writing her own children's books one day. She would also love to be a distance learning teacher for other families. It's her passion to help nurture and protect our earth together.

Rya Owen

Research Assistant

Rya is a fourth-year English student at the University of the Fraser Valley. She has a passion for creative writing, photography, and of course, sustainability. She hopes to graduate and put those passions to work writing editorial and non-fiction pieces. 

She has worked with children and youth since the age of thirteen and is delighted to be a part of a team working towards protecting children's rights. She is an advocate for youth in the government care community and works for The Federation of BC Youth in Care Networks: an organization dedicated to uplifting and advocating for youth in and from government care. 

Madison Pesowski

Research Collaborator

Dr. Madison Pesowski is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of the Fraser Valley and is interested in the development of social cognition. Her research investigates how children reason about people’s actions, emotions, and mental states, such as preferences and ideas, and how children (and adults) reason about concepts like ownership. 

She received her PhD from the University of Waterloo and was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of California, San Diego. Recently, Dr. Pesowski collaborated with Dr. Superle on a project exploring children’s beliefs about education, including what they want and what they think should be focused on in school.

Crystal Rinke

Youth Liaison

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Jinnie Saran

Research Assistant, Communications; Accessibility & Diversity Coordinator

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Aidan van Delft

Research Assistant, Curator

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Sophia Woitowitsch

Research Assistant, Pedagogical Narration

Sophia Woitowitsch is a research assistant for pedagogical narration in the Abbotsford School District while also working on the Dig for your Rights! program. She is a fourth-year English and Visual arts student who is completing a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of the Fraser Valley. She is going on to pursue a teaching degree for elementary and middle school education. Sophia is passionate about helping to foster the next generation through inquiry-based learning and making the world a more sustainable place, starting in her own community with food sovereignty and systems.