Faculty of Art
Rhea Mann holds her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Political Science. During her time at UBC, Rhea constantly explored various adventures for creative and political expression. She joined the ACAM student staff team in 2024, where she co-hosted and co-produced the ACAM Dialogues Podcast for two years. Being a part of the ACAM team, Rhea was able to make lasting connections and friendships with faculty and students alike. She was able to research topics and create episodes on all her interests, which span from the politics of cultural appropriation to sharing her predictions for the Oscars. Moving forward, Rhea is grateful for the skills she gained and strengthened with ACAM and is looking forward to what the future holds.
What is a favourite memory or story you have from ACAM?
During the summer of 2025, I moderated a panel at the Museum of Vancouver. This panel was a discussion and celebration of the Community Garden Project, which was a partnership between the museum and ACAM. After the panel discussion, one of the museum staff told me they had recognized my voice from the podcast and that they enjoyed the episodes we had put out the previous year. In this moment, I felt the impact of the work I had done at ACAM. Creating the podcast can feel isolating, and I was never sure who the episodes were reaching. In this moment, I was able to talk with someone who appreciated the content and the messaging behind the podcast.
What connections and ideas were you able to foster through ACAM?
The ACAM Dialogues Podcast gave me the platform and creative freedom to explore ideas and issues that are personal to not only myself but the larger Asian diaspora on campus. From my episode on the growing Punjabi music industry in Canada, to my interview with Christopher Cheung discussing the White Gaze in Canadian media. Every episode I was lucky enough to work on, I tried to include my own positonality whilst being respoectful of others.
What is one piece of advice you would give your first-year self?
Don’t let the fear of failure prevent you from taking new opportunities! There were so many times throughout my undergrad that I stopped myself from going to an event or joining a club, simply due to the fear of not succeeding or the fear of being disliked. If I could go back, I would try to tell myself to say yes and see what happens next.
