Born in Montreal, raised in Ottawa, Ilana Belfer ventured back to her birthplace after high school only to find that McGill University wasn’t in her cards.
After one semester there, one grueling semester as a restaurant “busgirl,” and too many years spent correcting her friends' grammar, she transferred to Carleton’s bachelor of journalism program and is currently in her third year.
Some call journalism “the light side” and communication studies “the dark side.” If that’s true, it’s no surprise Ilana is doing a double major. She is a Gemini (the twin zodiac) who seeks to understand (and debate) all points of view.
Ilana — yes, that’s spelled with an “I” but you can pronounce it like an “A” — loves dogs, thunderstorms, and traveling. She aspires to be a struggling novelist who eventually wins the Pulitzer Prize . . . or, an MTV VJ.
Hometown: Ottawa, Ont.
Program: Third-year, journalism and communications
Email: oped@charlatan.ca