Awards

Both awards recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of exceptional alumni, emphasizing the hard work of our alumni across all ages and careers.

UFV employees, students, alumni, board members, or members of the community are all welcome to nominate candidates for the Distinguished Alumni Awards.

Matt Douma wasn’t a typical nursing student: He chafed against convention and questioned the rules.

He had passions outside of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program, including rowing, research, and volunteer work. He was at risk of dropping out and almost gave up on his dream of becoming a nurse. Kindness from his rowing coach and support from a faculty member who introduced him to academic research kept him from giving up, and 16 years later he has been recognized regionally and nationally for his collaborative work on trauma and life-saving practices related to aortic compression and hemorrhaging.

After serving on the frontlines during the pandemic, Matt left bedside nursing to focus on his PhD studies. He continues to teach and mentor new health-care researchers.

Matt has made significant contributions to emergency health, according to Dr. Adrienne Chan, who nominated Matt for the Distinguished Alumni Award. He thinks innovatively about emergency trauma and ways in which new protocols can be integrated into current practice.

He has an empathetic understanding of a broad set of issues. He sees problems differently and seeks to shift paradigms in nursing and health. His strong commitment to clinical education, emergency care, and to vulnerable and marginalized populations makes him a respectful and inclusive practitioner.

When asked what advice he would have for the UFV community, his wish was a simple one: “Get first aid training. Everyone can learn to save a life.”

Inside a high-rise office overlooking Sydney’s endless sea of skyscrapers, Kara Chan and her team are helping solve Australia’s most pressing climate and energy-related issues.

As Senior Manager of Climate Resilience Strategy at Ausgrid, one of Australia’s largest electricity distributors, Kara puts climate resilience policies at the top of the agenda for national government regulators and industry leaders. She led a climate impact assessment of Ausgrid’s network, collaborating with climate scientists to create a white paper that maps out likely future climate situations.

Kara is only 30, but she is already making a difference. Her innovative contributions in the urgent battle against climate change have earned her the 2022 Young Distinguished Alumni Award.

After earning her BA in political science at UFV in 2013, Kara quickly rose up the ranks at local energy companies like BC Hydro and FortisBC, focusing on energy conservation and management, as well as policy proposals. Chan and her husband relocated to Sydney in 2019 and she began working at Ausgrid in 2021.

She hopes winning the Young Distinguished Alumni Award inspires the next generation of students — particularly young women and people of colour — to get involved and educated in environmental and sustainability issues. She is living proof that you can make an immediate impact.

“There’s a lot of power in diversity of thought,” Kara says. “Never be afraid to offer ideas that people have never ever thought about or present things in a different way. You’ll be amazed at how much creating meaningful change is actually in your control.”

Manjot Benning is such a deeply involved UFV student that it’s hard to find an activity or organization related to her studies that she is not involved with and excelling at.

She’s a straight A Bachelor of Science student with a near perfect 4.13 GPA and has been on the UFV Faculty of Science Dean’s list since December 2019.

She is vice-president of the UFV Women in Science and Technology organization, sits on the Senate budget committee, and has served as a UFV Lead student mentor, and a wellness peer leader.

She has also worked in paid positions that help UFV students and the next generation. She’s been a Supported Learning Group leader (supporting first-year students in introductory calculus courses) and a Science Rocks summer day camp leader.

Manjot is also engaged in research at the undergraduate level, working as a research assistant on the UFV Proteomics team.

Manjot volunteers in the community, serving as a community policing volunteer with the Abbotsford Police Department, a surgical daycare volunteer at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital, a volunteer with children at the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, and as an in-school mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Dr. Stefania Pizzirani, an assistant professor in UFV’s School of Land Use and Environmental Change, nominated Manjot for the inaugural Outstanding Student Leadership Award.

“ Manjot is clearly an exceptional individual,” noted Pizzirani. “She consistently exemplifies the qualities of determination, inclusivity, collaboration, mentorship, leadership, and genuine enthusiasm for learning. I have seen few students as passionate about community (both within and outside of UFV) as Manjot. She is truly an inspiration to me and to the wider student body as well. She is extremely hard working and leads all her actions with a good heart and meaningful intentions.”

Amy Carrick, the volunteer coordinator at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, also wrote in support of Manjot’s nomination for the Outstanding Student Leadership award.

“Manjot has demonstrated distinct leadership through her volunteerism at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice,” noted Carrick. “Manjot is someone who is willing to step in wherever needed, and demonstrates a high level of care towards all levels of stakeholders at Canuck Place. We are truly grateful to have her as a volunteer and I cannot recommend Manjot highly enough for this award!”

Acknowledge their contributions by submitting a UFV Alumni Award nomination package.