Several times each semester, President Lahey brings a King’s alum to have lunch in the lodge with current students. Together, they enjoy a delicious meal and casual conversation. This month Pres. Lahey has invited environmental journalist and Alumni Association President Jennifer Thornhill Verma to join the gathering.
Jenn Thornhill Verma, BJ(Hons)’02, MFA’19, is an award-winning environmental journalist and 2024-2025 Pulitzer Ocean Reporting Fellow, Globe & Mail. She is also the President of the University of King’s College Alumni Association. Jenn is originally from Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) and now living in Ottawa with her family. She has Master’s degrees of Fine Arts (Creative Nonfiction, University of King’s College) and Science (Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland), is a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, an alumna of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network, and executive lead of the Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges. In 2019, Jenn published her first book, Cod Collapse: The Rise and Fall of Newfoundland’s Saltwater Cowboys, which features her cover art and was shortlisted for a historical writing award at the 2021 Atlantic Book Awards. Jenn’s book inspired her first short-film, Last Fish, First Boat, recounting the story of a fifth-generation fisherman who pivots to boat-building after the cod fishery closes. Jenn has bylines in Canadian Geographic, CBC, the Globe and Mail, Maisonneuve, The Narwhal, Reader’s Digest and more.
To reserve your spot at the table with Jenn on October 3, please email Interim Alumni Relations Manager Candice MacDonald at candice.macdonald@ukings.ca. The first ten students to RSVP will be able to join Jenn and President Lahey for this special lunch. Please also indicate if you have any dietary restrictions or allergies in your email.
