Our Team

Carolyn Veldstra, PhD

Manager, Graduate Work-Integrated Learning Programs, Arts

Carolyn works with students, faculty, and alumni across graduate programs in the Faculty of Arts to facilitate work-integrated learning opportunities. She started with the Arts Amplifier as the Grants Editor in 2020 and has been instrumental in shaping its programming and direction.

Carolyn received her PhD in English and Cultural Studies from McMaster University, where she also worked to develop a successful proposal for an innovative PhD program that combines community-based learning and new approaches to the dissertation. She is an experienced editor, with expertise in research- and art-focused grant proposals, and worked as a fundraising consultant in a previous life. Her writing has been published in a number of creative and academic journals.

You can contact Carolyn at: carolyn.veldstra@ubc.ca

Heidi Rennert, MA

Grants Editor, Arts Amplifier

Heidi supports graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the Arts seeking grants support and funding opportunities for self-directed projects and work-integrated learning experiences. She is a participant of Amplify Your Product or Service’s 2022 cohort and joined the team as Grants Editor in 2023.

Heidi is a PhD candidate in English and the Science and Technology Studies program at UBC. She is also a PhD Co-op student and completed work terms at the Knowledge Exchange and Public Humanities Hub, where she supported public-facing Arts programming, grants applications, and graduate student professional development. She is an advocate for exploring career skills and opportunities during graduate school.

You can contact Heidi at: heidi.rennert@ubc.ca

an asian woman with glasses smiles into the camera

Ying Han

Curriculum Development and Communications Assistant, Arts Amplifier

Ying writes the Arts Amplifier monthly newsletter blog posts and has been helping to reimagine the website and Amplifier Canvas course offerings. She has participated in the Arts Amplifier’s Collaborative Cohort Projects in the past.

Ying is a master’s student in Asian Studies, working on contemporary Japanese and Asian Diasporic women’s literatures. She loves getting involved in and attending various events on campus – find her at the next lecture, movie screening, or workshop on campus!

You can contact Ying at: ying.han@ubc.ca