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Every entrepreneur knows it takes courage to start your own business. For B.C. editor and writer Harkit Kaur Dhillon, it also took finishing the Editing Certificate program to feel ready to launch her freelance career. She’s now building her practice as an editor with a purpose: to support the stories of underrepresented groups.

“It was a lot of anxiety initially,” recalls Harkit about striking out on her own. “But I felt like I owed it to myself to pursue this passion that I had. Taking the program at SFU gave me confidence because it helped me see that I was capable of doing it, that I have the skill set and experience to make it a reality.”

Before transitioning to her editorial career, Harkit had spent nearly two decades in English language instruction, academic administration and curriculum development. While she had no formal training in editing, she loved to write, and she learned to edit on the job. After deciding to pursue her master’s degree in intercultural and international communication in 2019, Harkit found herself exploring the ways language has been used to represent certain groups of people to reinforce and maintain systems of inequality and oppression. She soon became aware of unconscious bias even in the curriculum work she was doing.

For Harkit, that research ignited her passion for editing works by and about members of underrepresented communities. As the daughter of South Asian immigrants to B.C., she brings to her work her own lived experience of navigating two worlds.

“When I was growing up,” she explains, “I didn’t often see people who looked like me represented in a positive way. This makes it harder to integrate into a culture where you’re not part of the dominant group when it comes to race and other social constructs.”

In addition to working on writing her own book of historical fiction about South Asian immigrants in Canada in the early 1900s, Harkit aims to support others in telling their stories. “I want to be a part of the movement that’s countering polarization and working to build intercultural empathy and understanding,” she says.

Harkit envisions herself as the bridge between a writer and their readers, as she works with a writer to generate and refine ideas, and identify and connect with their audience. “It’s wonderful to see a manuscript evolve, and helping someone grow as a writer and get their work into the hands of readers is very rewarding,” she says.

Thanks to the editing instructors at SFU, she says, she feels well prepared for her new venture.

“I really valued my time in the program,” says Harkit. “Being taught by experienced professionals who are working in their respective fields and sharing their knowledge was amazing. Having them as role models and getting their feedback on assignments helped me improve as an editor and as a writer.”

As she was working through her courses, Harkit says the program gave her validation in areas where she was already experienced, but it also showed her the gaps in her knowledge. “I received a very solid and practical education that I can now stand on for this new phase of my career,” she notes. “Without this program, I would have felt underprepared.”

While her freelance practice remains in its early stages, Harkit has already met community members interested in working with her when their projects are ready.

“It alternates between scary, challenging and exciting,” she laughs. “But I feel like I’ve made the right decision. I’m excited that I’m getting to live this dream of being a writer and editor that I’ve had for quite some time.”

By Kim Mah