Raine O’Connor is a multidisciplinary artist, performer, and teacher living along the Wolastoq. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Interdisciplinary Fine Arts from St. Thomas University, where he studied theatre, film, music, and visual arts.

Raine recently completed the second phase of structured training with Principal Intimacy Professionals toward work as an Intimacy Director for stage and an Intimacy Coordinator for film.

Their training included education in boundaries, communication, choreography, consent-based creative practice, problem-solving, Mental Health First Aid, and care-informed approaches to performance work.

Their artistic practice explores dis/connection to desire, internal conflict, and what it feels like to say yes and mean it. Outside of his artistic practice, Raine enjoys reading Goosebumps and thinking very hard, very often, about reality TV.

The bursary supported Raine’s approved education-related travel to Vancouver to participate in structured training with Principal Intimacy Professionals.

The Jane LeBlanc Legacy Fund is an incorporated non-profit multidisciplinary arts organization established to advance education and learning in the creative and performing arts through structured educational initiatives, mentorship, and public learning opportunities.

Hong has developed a strong interest in photographing meaningful moments through travel and everyday life, and his passion for black-and-white film photography led him to build a darkroom in his basement to continue developing his technical and creative skills through hands-on practice.

He is currently studying photography at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, where he is continuing to build his knowledge and skills in photography and related visual media. His long-term goal is to become a professional photographer and videographer.

The bursary supports eligible education-related costs for Hong’s course of study and creative learning activities.

The Jane LeBlanc Legacy Fund is an incorporated non-profit multidisciplinary arts organization established to advance education and learning in the creative and performing arts through structured educational initiatives, mentorship, and public learning opportunities.

Brandi Estey-Burtt is a neurodivergent academic who teaches and writes about neurodivergence, disability, and children’s literature in university settings. As an emerging creative writer, she focuses primarily on middle-grade fantasy fiction featuring neurodivergent young people as central characters in their own adventures. She has also been awarded the prestigious Writers' Union of Canada Mentorship for Deaf and Disabled Writers.

Through the JL Dianne Churchill Storytelling Education Bursary, Brandi will participate in the annual conference of the Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers. Her educational activities will include participating in workshops and presentations focused on children’s literature, learning writing craft skills for middle-grade fiction, and engaging with publishing professionals to better understand pathways to publication in Canada.

The bursary supports educational opportunities that help emerging storytellers strengthen their skills, expand their knowledge, and advance their development as writers.

The Jane LeBlanc Legacy Fund is an incorporated non-profit multidisciplinary arts organization established to advance education and learning in the creative and performing arts through structured educational initiatives, mentorship, and public learning opportunities.

Stephany Peterson is a complexity scholar-practitioner whose work explores how knowledge is formed, carried, and shared across contexts. Working across interdisciplinary research, systems thinking, and public engagement, her practice focuses on how people make meaning together in complex situations and carry that learning into action.

An eighth-generation settler to Wabanaki territory, Peterson has worked collaboratively across six continents and more than fifty countries. Her residency project introduces a visual and perceptual dimension into an existing educational practice that explores attention, framing, context, and collective meaning-making.

Guided through mentorship, community relationship-building, and learning exchange with photographer and educator Freeman Patterson and Elder Hubert Francis, the residency engages a form of Two-Eyed Seeing that listens to and sees place through both language and lens. The residency will culminate in a public educational gathering and knowledge-sharing event planned for July.

As a recipient of a Jane LeBlanc Legacy Fund educational bursary, Stephany is continuing her learning and creative study in visual and perceptual art with a focus on skill development, experimentation, and participation in structured educational and creative activities.

Rebecca E. Tremblay is a director, producer, and screenwriter whose work has been broadcast on CBC and screened at film festivals across Canada and the United States. She is also the founder of Elmire Films, a production company focused on supporting women and underrepresented creatives both behind and in front of the camera through inclusive storytelling and collaborative creative development opportunities.

Rebecca’s bursary will support a structured mentorship focused on professional post-production workflows and delivery practices.

As a recipient of a Jane LeBlanc Legacy Fund educational bursary, Rebecca is continuing her learning and creative study in filmmaking and post production practices with a focus on skill development, experimentation, and participation in structured educational and creative activities.

Jia Yi Fan is an Asian-Canadian, 2SLGBTQIA+ mapping and environmental professional and emerging filmmaker based in Kouchibouguac, New Brunswick. An avid storyteller from a young age, Jia Yi received recognition in high school for directing and screenwriting a short science-fiction drama. Fascinated by duality and ambiguity, Jia Yi’s creative process combines capturing spontaneous moments with developing long-form creative ideas. Through filmmaking and artistic exploration, Jia Yi seeks to create empowering stories and preserve moments of emotional resonance and beauty.

Jia Yi’s bursary will support mentorship-based learning in video editing and post-production practices to further develop technical storytelling skills and independent post-production knowledge.

Jia Yi will work with mentor Juliet Bartlett through a structured mentorship focused on post-production learning and creative skill development.

As a recipient of a Jane LeBlanc Legacy Fund educational bursary, Jia Yi is continuing her learning and creative study in filmmaking and post production practices with a focus on skill development, experimentation, and participation in structured educational and creative activities.