Political Science student a Young Storyteller Award finalist

November 09, 2022

Visiting UVic Ph.D. candidate, Julia Jänisch, turned the experience of a solo 7-day backpacking trip on the West Coast Trail into a short story with a dream of it being published.

Her book, “Eine Frau auf dem West Coast Trail” (“A woman on the West Coast Trail”), was a top 10 finalist in the Young Storyteller Award 2022 competition. Jänisch only found out about the writing competition during a hospital stay over the summer in Victoria when she was diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes.

“In a night-and-fog action” (as they say in German), I took the draft out of the drawer and finished the short book in one week,” says Jänisch.

Within a few weeks, Jänisch discovered her book was a top 10 finalist (out of 1156 applicants). As a finalist, she presented her book at a reading in Vienna.

“I always had the dream of writing my own book,” says Jänisch. “It was a very spontaneous action,” she adds.

During her time at UVic, Jänisch worked on her Ph.D. with a focus on sustainability, environment and energy transition. Her supervisors, political science professor Amy Verdun and Valerie D'Erman, worked with her on an interdisciplinary research project.

"I came to UVic because of its good reputation and the exceptional location on Vancouver Island," says Jänisch. "I worked remotely on my Ph.D. from Germany during the pandemic, but in 2022, I really wanted to see the campus and meet my advisors in person,” adds Jänisch.

Jänisch is also a journalist and has produced short radio podcasts based on her experience on the west coast. She is currently in Germany and planning to be back in Canada in the new year (2023).

“My experience shows: everything is possible, even when unforeseen obstacles arise. All you have to do is take the first step.,” says Jänisch.

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