JUSTIN PERRY MITIGATES BC WILDFIRES USING DRONE TECHNOLOGY
FIRST-EVER BCIT ALUMNI WELCOME VIDEO
What started out as a passion for aviation and forestry ended up leading BCIT alumnus Justin Perry to his dream job. As Chief Drone Pilot with Stinson Aerial Services Inc., he detected wildfires using infrared sensing technology during last summer’s intense fire season in BC. Justin’s role as a drone pilot was the perfect opportunity to combine the skills he learned in the BCIT Forest and Natural Areas Management Diploma program and his interest in drone technology.
This year, we launched our first-ever BCIT Alumni Association Welcome Video. Debuting at our 2021 Virtual AGM, the 50-second video welcomes alumni to the Alumni Association and our many exclusive benefits and opportunities. The upbeat video is featured on our website, the BCIT Youtube channel, and our social media channels. Watch the video: bcit.ca/alumni
Outside of mitigating wildfires and pushing his own limits to grow, Justin finds value in giving back to youth in the Indigenous community through drone training as a way to empower them. Drone technology can be used to collect high-resolution remote sensing data of lands and waters, which Indigenous youth can utilize for land management purposes in their communities.
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HOW A BCIT ALUM’S TRAGEDY INSPIRED 35 YEARS OF GENEROSITY SUPPORTING BCIT BROADCAST STUDENTS In 1975 when he was 15 years old, Ken Garrett got his first big break in radio on CJAT-AM, calling himself “Super Kid”. His on-air personality would not only jump-start this BCIT Broadcast alum’s passion for broadcasting but also foreshadow his real-life heroism in a tragedy that cost him his life nearly 15 years later. Fast forward to May 1987, when Ken, now a successful radio station manager, and his girlfriend had just got engaged. To celebrate, the couple set out on a local lake when overpowering winds suddenly flipped their canoe. Ken repeatedly pushed Shelley onto the overturned canoe, ultimately saving her life. Ken, who had been in the frigid water too long, did not survive.
Opposite: Red Seal Machinist Chelsea Barron Top: Chief Drone Pilot Justin Perry Bottom: Ken (l) and George Garrett
The devastating loss shattered the Garrett family but also inspired Ken’s father George to contribute to a BCIT endowment funding awards for BCIT Broadcast students. Now 87 years old, George has contributed faithfully to the Ken Garrett Memorial Award endowment in his son’s memory for the past 35 years. By 2021, the endowment had disbursed more than $13,000 in awards to 26 BCIT Broadcast students.
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