Fiona Green. A profile by Rongrong Ma

Who are you and what do you do?​

I’m Fiona Green, and I major in art performance cinema studies. This is my fourth year in SFU.

What job have you done other than being an artist?

I worked at Starbucks for two years, and I also worked at a nightclub for four months. Now I work as a project intern at an oil spill response company. We are currently working on the Trans Mountain Pipeline, and the oil spill response capacity. I have done my research on both side regarding the pipeline, so I believe the project will benefit our economy.

Should art be funded?

Yes, I think art should be funded. Art is an important thing to human, but most often time it’s undervalued. When I was in high school, sports often received most of the budget, because of the positivity that sports will bring to students. However, not everyone in my school participated, and most of these sports were male dominant sports. Drama, choir, or art department were also there, but remain under valued. Even when these remained less popular, they were still outlets for students. I guess it’s the matter of how great of value or positivity certain art brings toward people.

What makes you angry?

People who are no punctual, and often cancel last minutes. What makes me angry at the moment are gender and LGBT inequality, and as well as racism. I am a very passionate person, it’s so frustrating to see the way people think are moving backward and not fact checking what they are believing. I feel like people in general should be more loving, understanding, and calm just toward every situation.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

The best piece of advice that I remember was given to me from my mom. My mom is a very successful business woman, and she taught me how to be a good listener. I used to interrupt people when I get very passionate about many things. She told me people won’t take you seriously when you present yourself as a bad listener. You need to absorb other people’s opinion and then give a level statement back. It would make you look more credible and your opinion will be taken seriously.