Shayan de Luna-Bueno

Kablaaw! Shayan ti naganko. Hello! My name is Shayan.

I am Isneg Igorota, an Indigenous group of the Philippines, from the island of Luzon. I am currently a third-year Political Science student with a minor in Indigenous Studies at the University of Victoria on the lands of the Coast Salish peoples of Victoria, British Columbia on Vancouver Island.

As a person who has been situated in many worlds between Canada, the United States and the Philippines, international solidarity, environmental rights and Indigenous rights have been at the forefront of what I am passionate about and what I do. Even with paying attention to the international, I think it’s very important to also focus on the community; as it is an extension of what we see on the global scale. Everything is connected and our own issues are connected as well.

I’m honoured and excited to be a Corbett Exchange recipient this year and although I have knowledge on international relations, I would like to establish a better connection and understanding of the community around us, where I reside locally. It’s just as important to understand where you are, who your neighbours are, who the original caretakers of the land are and I would like to use this opportunity to learn more about the Pacific Northwest to strengthen our relations among us.

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The Corbett British Columbia-Washington International Exchange Program Fund provides an opportunity for undergraduate students at the University of Washington to spend two semesters at the University of British Columbia or University of Victoria; and for students from the University of British Columbia and University of Victoria to spend three quarters at the University of Washington.