KPU Alumni Magazine Issue 5 by kwantlenu

KPU ALUMNI MAGAZINE ISSUE 5 2022 LEL AND HARPER pg.14

6 12

INSIDE ISSUE 5 4

Randall Heidt Publisher’s Message

Dr. Alan Davis President and Vice Chancellor’s Message

A LUMNI FE ATURES 6

Nasrin Ali A Spark of Inspiration

Preet Bal From TV Personality to Environmental Advocate

Jennifer Causey Crunching Numbers

Joseph Deasy The Physics of Success

Leland Harper Philosophical Connections

Roop Johal Making an Impact

Sara Jonsdottir A True Revolutionary

Asima Khokhar Opening Doors

Balraj Mann Turning Adversity into Opportunity

Mariam Nasrri A Voice for the Voiceless

Parabjot Kaur Singh For the Love of Language

20 38 A LUMNI COMMUNIT Y 28

KPU Alumni Perks Benefits and Privileges

AOK: Alumni of KPU

Meet the KPUAA Team

Gabby Gill Message From KPUAA the Chair

KPU Names Melville School of Business After $8-Million Donation from Philanthropists

CommUNITY

Distinguished Alumni Awards

KPU Connects

CONTRIBUTORS Publisher/Editor: Randall Heidt, Ted Murphy Production Manager: Nancy Armitage Writers: Julia Waring, Stephen Smysnuik, Nancy Armitage, Randall Heidt, Alan Davis, Sherri Magson, Steve Lewarne Design by KPU Marketing: Joanne Saunders, Leah Coray Photography: Lisa King, Kal Romain, Faraz Shah

Have comments or ideas about KPU Alumni Magazine? Contact Nancy.Armitage@kpu.ca Want to communicate with your Alumni Affairs Office? Contact alumni@kpu.ca

PUBL ISHE R ’ S ME SS AG E I’m excited to be writing my first publisher’s message for the KPU Alumni Magazine. While I joined the university last June, this is my first opportunity to communicate with all of you via this outstanding publication. First, I want to thank all of you for choosing KPU in the first place. I have had the good fortune to meet and work with several outstanding alumni already and their passion and enthusiasm for KPU is impressive and contagious. They talk about how KPU transformed their lives and gave them the skills, confidence, connections and knowledge that helped them to grow and flourish to become the professionals they are today. Alumni who are on the KPU Alumni Association and KPU Foundation boards often talk about the importance of giving back and helping grow and evolve the institution that gave them the transformational learning adventure they desired. They talk about wanting to pay it forward by increasing opportunities for innovation and financial support for today’s students, just as previous alumni helped them grow and thrive during their time at KPU. It’s that circle of giving that makes KPU a special place. So to all of our supporters, and all of our alumni, I thank you for believing in the power of education, in the power of KPU. Many of you have personified KPU’s slogan, where thought meets action, by donating your time, money and expertise to help make things better for the next generation. I cannot thank you enough for that as there has never been a more important time for your support. Alumni like you, along with our current and future students, are the key to our economic recovery in a post-pandemic world. You are the innovators, the business owners, the artists, the scientists, the healthcare workers and the skilled trades people who will build a new and improved world full of opportunity and inclusiveness. You will shape and mold the lessons learned over the last couple of years into a novel future that is more nimble, pliable, innovative and seaworthy to the waves of change that await us. I cannot wait to read more of your inspiring stories in upcoming magazines. Please contribute in whatever way you can to help support the next generation of KPU alumni. Thank you

Randall Heidt Vice President, External Affairs and CEO, KPU Foundation

P RE SI D ENT A ND V I CE CH A NCEL LOR’ S M E SSAG E

As we move into spring and all of the hope and optimism that comes with it, it reminds me of the transformational investment we received from George and Sylvia Melville. Many of you know George Melville from his legendary business ventures at Boston Pizza and Mr. Lube, but George and Sylvia Melville are much more than business leaders, they are true community builders and long-time champions of KPU. From their previous donation of $500,000 for the creation of the Melville Centre for Dialogue at KPU Richmond, to two terms as chancellor – George Melville has been incredibly generous with his most valuable commodity – time. We thanked George for his dedication, passion and knowledge in 2013, by awarding Dr. Melville with a well-earned honorary Doctor of Laws degree. This past September we thanked George and Sylvia once again for their historic $8-million donation to the Melville School of Business. The donation provides rich, fertile soil which will help thousands of KPU students grow and transform their professional and personal lives. This will help strengthen their families, which, in turn, will help our communities thrive. Perhaps most importantly, the Melvilles’ investment will provide unprecedented access to education for undergraduate business students, who will be able to access $150,000 of bursaries and scholarships annually. Endowed funds will also allow business students to be able to compete at prestigious case competitions, while the Melville School of Business Venture Fund will allow innovation to take root in new and exciting ways. Perhaps business student Karen Villgracia said it best during her thank you speech to the Melvilles when she said, “Thanks to the Melvilles I believe that we, the students in the School of Business, will be able to focus and allocate more time to our studies in the future, which will allow us to perform better academically, while also contributing more to the community.” They are such profound words, as community has never been more important to all of us. And as we work together to rebuild our economy, it is the graduates of the Melville School of Business who will lead the way today, tomorrow and in the future.

ALAN DAVIS, PHD, PRESIDENT AND VICE CHANCELLOR

Thank you, George and Sylvia, for being the visionary leaders and community champions that you are and for leaving a legacy at KPU that will provide exceptional equipment, technology, access and opportunities to KPU business students. Thanks to you, the Melville School of Business takes its rightful place among other prestigious programs and institutions in Canada. 5

“When we empower one another, we can get to a point where we are confident stepping into positions that can be intimidating or not traditionally held by women.”

NASRIN ALI 6

A SPARK OF INSPIR ATION

asrin Ali thinks it’s strange that by 2021 she has yet to work with another woman on a construction site. An electrical apprentice who has been working industrial and commercial jobs for three years, Ali says time after time she’s the only woman there. As a result, and even though she won’t admit it, Ali is a trailblazer in her field – not only one of the few female electricians in the industry, but also one of the only women of colour as well. “Going into this, I lacked support from some friends and family because of certain Indo-Fijian cultural norms,” Ali says, adding that people still have rigid views on what masculine and feminine roles are when it comes to career choices. “There is no reason women can’t do this job,” she says. “I think people have expectations of what a tradesperson should look like, and I don’t fit that image at all. If I was them, I guess I’d be a bit surprised, too. But times are changing, and nothing comes out of a mold these days.” Ali is in the process of completing her construction electrician apprenticeship at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), after which she will be Red Seal certified. She is often the only female in her cohorts at KPU, which she says was intimidating at first, but she credits her instructors – all of whom have been male – with keeping her

motivated and helping her find a place in the industry. “I had no confidence in my abilities when I started,” she says. “There were points in my education where I was like, no, I think I’m done, I can’t keep up with the boys. “But my instructors were always encouraging, telling me, ‘You can do this, keep your chin up and be confident in yourself.’ I think that’s what ignited my desire to keep going, because otherwise I don’t think I would have. If they didn’t care enough, I would not have stuck around, because it did get hard at times.” School was one thing, finding a job was something else entirely. Ali recounts one early interview where the employer said to her, “You know, honey, you’re going to get your boots dirty.” “I said, ‘Yeah, I’m aware of that.’ Then he said, ‘Oh, but you’ll get dirt in your nails too.’ I didn’t get that job, and I’m glad I didn’t because if that’s the work culture, there’s a lot of change that still needs to be made in that organization. Since then I’ve had more positive and welcoming experiences.” Before becoming an electrician, Ali studied recreation management, a field she still loves, but found it difficult to make any inroads. “I kept hitting roadblocks and I thought to myself, maybe this is a sign that I need to change what I’m doing,” she says. “Getting

into trades was a lofty idea in my head for so long, but I decided to give it a shot and enrolled into the Foundations Electrical program at KPU – I had nothing to lose.” She continued to pursue it because she liked the “finesse” of the trade – the meticulousness of it all. She loves how electricians have the skills to bring light, power and energy into any space and environment. While she doesn’t feel like she’s representative of any meaningful change in the industry yet, she does hope her example can alter perceptions of what women are capable of doing in their careers. “Just because you haven’t seen someone doing something before doesn’t mean they are not able to, or that they won’t be successful,” she says. She’s also passionate about seeing women and girls lifting each other up. “When we empower one another, we can get to a point where we are confident stepping into positions that can be intimidating or not traditionally held by women,” she says. “Given the opportunity and support, people can achieve anything. I started off not knowing how to use basic hand tools, now I can fabricate and wire motor control panels that are used in the field. I encourage women and girls to challenge the status quo even if it’s scary because we can do hard things.”

FROM T V PERSONALIT Y TO ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOC ATE

reet Bal had already worn many hats by the time she was in her 20s, but it wasn’t until she went to India for a term abroad that she decided to turn her environmental passion into a career. Bal and her sister starred in a TV show on the Shaw Multicultural Channel that made them local celebrities in the South Asian community, she studied business at Simon Fraser University and was a passionate advocate for the environment after years of watching The Nature of Things hosted by David Suzuki. It was a fourth-year business class, however, that tipped the balance, Bal recalls. “My assignment was to sell shoes and make the highest profit margin. Most students knew that meant sending manufacturing overseas to countries like China or India where labour and material costs are cheaper.” While in India, Bal vividly remembers the air and water pollution. “When I saw the actual impact of rapid business growth on the environment, I realized I don’t want to be part of the problem, I need to be part of the solution.” When she returned to the Lower Mainland, Bal found the environmental protection technology program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) and enrolled immediately. While she didn’t have the typical science background required, program chair Paul Richard considered her other qualifications, including math and physics. “Thank goodness he took me as a student,” says Bal. “I was a business student, but he considered me and I really appreciated that.” In the program, she found an immediate avenue to make a difference in her community. On a team project learning about recycling at the Vaisakhi festival, an annual Sikh cultural celebration and one of the Lower Mainland’s largest events, a light went off for Bal. After realizing the celebration, which offers free food and beverages to thousands of attendees, also generates unnecessary waste, Bal, her sister and classmates teamed up to provide recycling bins. “We just thought, ‘Hey, it was time for someone to do something about all these refundable containers

that end up in the garbage can. Let’s just roll out a recycling bin and see what happens,’” explains Bal. After diverting 200 bottles and cans per hour that otherwise would have ended up in the landfill, the effort received support from the City of Vancouver, the City of Surrey and Metro Vancouver. That experience, along with a co-op term with the City of Vancouver, sparked an interest in local government. Since graduating from KPU in 2008, Bal has worked for the city in a number of roles, currently as an engineering assistant in the branch responsible for drinking water. “Water quality may sound kind of mundane to people, but actually getting to know your local drinking water was amazing to me. I was in the field almost every single day, testing it and I got to know it at a very intimate level,” says Bal. “I became more of an advocate for local drinking water because I know how good it is.” Bal says her time at KPU prepared her well to work alongside engineers and for sampling the city’s drinking water. “Getting to use the turbidity and pH meters and being able to test for chlorine, those are all very important and useful skills that I developed before I got to my job,” she says. With such pride in Vancouver’s drinking water, it’s understandable why Bal prefers it over purchasing single-use plastic water bottles. She says a career highlight has been making drinking fountains, water wagons and temporary fountains available to the public through the city’s Access to Water Program. “I would take my kids to the park and my number one issue would be needing to find a drink of water,” she says. “That was my local drinking water and I wanted access to it, so it felt like a big win.” It’s this ability to make a difference on the ground that has been the most gratifying part of her career, and Bal says she hopes to help others apply their skills to environmental challenges. That’s why she and her husband recently established a bursary for environmental protection technology students that will be allocated over five years as part of KPU’s Giving Tuesday campaign. “I’m just at that age where I want to give back. I benefited from bursaries as a student at KPU and to

be able to further my education and actually get a job out of it at the end of the day was huge. I’m very grateful for the people who set these up,” explains Bal. Sherri Magson, director of the KPU Office of Advancement, says, “We are thrilled to receive Preet’s family’s support for current EPT students facing financial hardships. Knowing her personal journey and inspiration to give back is all the more meaningful. As their bursary has been established to give preference to students who are single parents or adults returning to school, we were proud to feature their gift as part of KPU’s 2021 Giving Tuesday campaign on Nov. 30th, which focused on financial support for students in KPU’s Diversity Community, including mature students. This new bursary will have a great impact on students who, like Preet, want to make a difference in their communities and for the environment.” Bal says she hopes the bursary will help others further their education. As for her own decision to go back to school after university, she has no regrets. “The fact that I did not have to do another four-year program, to be able to sink my teeth into a two-year diploma and enter my industry through co-ops, helped me get job ready. I truly credit where I am today to KPU,” she says. “When I went through my program, I wanted to do something with my hands, to be involved in the environment somehow. And then to be able to work for my local government, to be a part of that scenario, I feel that’s a big accomplishment.”

“I’m just at that age where I want to give back. I benefited from bursaries as a student at KPU and to be able to further my education and actually get a job out of it at the end of the day was huge. I’m very grateful for the people who set these up.”

PREET BAL 9

JENNIFER C AUSE Y 10

“I just knew that I liked math and playing around with numbers... so when I discovered the new mathematics program KPU had released, I knew it was the perfect fit for me.”

CRUNCHING NUMBERS

hen Jennifer Causey started at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), she wasn’t sure what she wanted to study. She says being open to anything helped guide her towards applied mathematics, with a focus on computer science, a natural fit for someone truly happiest working through complex mathematical problems or simply solving Sudoku puzzles. “I just knew that I liked math and playing around with numbers,” she explains. “I was like, ‘this comes naturally to me, I’m pretty sure I can get a good job with this,’ so when I discovered the new mathematics program KPU had released, I knew it was the perfect fit for me.” That same approach came in handy again after Causey graduated in 2018 and was having trouble finding work. Once more, she stayed open to new possibilities and decided to complete a master of management degree at the University of Calgary. She says learning the fundamentals of business, teamwork and leadership with a cohort of students from diverse backgrounds helped enhance her background in mathematics. “Having that business knowledge on top of the technical skills from my math background helped me to be able to find my current role,” she says. Causey returned to B.C. and took a health and benefits analyst position at Mercer, an American consulting firm with locations worldwide that specializes in talent, health, retirement and investments. Based out of the Calgary office, she is part of the Mercer Marsh Benefits team, helping Canadian companies with their employee benefits plans, including extended health care, dental, life insurance, disability and other offerings. “We offer consulting services to help companies design their benefits plans to attract talent and meet current and prospective employee needs, negotiate with insurers on behalf of our clients to ensure they are receiving competitive rates, and monitor and evaluate plan performance to identify trends and guide decision-making,” she explains.

When she was deciding where to go for her undergraduate studies, Causey says running the numbers also helped her choose KPU. A shorter commute from her hometown of Surrey gave her more time to study, and lower tuition costs and intimate class sizes all factored heavily into her decision. “The bigger universities are more expensive and you’re essentially getting the same education. Plus, KPU has smaller class sizes,” she says. “I never had to deal with the whole 300-person class environment, which I felt had a significant impact on the education I received. In one of my fourth-year classes, there were only five people in the class, and it was a lot of one-on-one attention and help from the instructors.” Causey says the tight-knit environment helped her get through long days of studying and to develop lifelong relationships. “I have good memories with the group of people that I went to class with,” she says. “Because our class sizes were so small and you were with the same people all the time, you really got to know them and bond with them. I’m still friends with several of those people today. “It was a pretty tough program and there were some challenging classes to go through. Being able to work together, help each other get through tough material and support one another in and out of school was really beneficial.” Leaning on her support system has helped Causey get through an unusual first year in her current role. On top of the steep learning curve that goes along with starting a new job, she has had to navigate working virtually with a new team and the uncertainty of the pandemic in the field of health and wellness benefits. Despite the challenges, she’s proud of all she’s been able to accomplish so far. “Given the COVID-19 pandemic and the nature of the business being health-focused, this first year has been a-typical but definitely a really good learning experience. It’s been difficult, and many of the challenges we are helping clients through we are all tackling for the first time, but I’m still managing and excelling through it.”

THE PHYSIC S OF SUCCESS

eople often talk about the “Sunday scaries,” that nervousness or tension that creeps in the night before going back to work after a weekend or holiday. Joe Deasy has never experienced it, and he makes a point of saying so to illustrate how much he enjoys his job. The marketing manager for Teledyne Photometrics, a Surrey-based company that develops cameras for microscopes, it’s the only company Deasy has worked for since graduating with a major in physics for modern technology from Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) in 2018. He’s thrilled to be working with some of the most innovative scientists in their field. “I work with a lot of companies that are kind of developing cutting edge technology,” Deasy says. “There have been times where I’ve walked out of labs with my mouth open, just in awe of what some people are doing out there. (It’s) stuff that wouldn’t necessarily affect you or me today, but in five years will be commonplace in every LifeLabs or wherever, because these people are pushing the limits.” It’s Deasy’s job to build and implement the business development and marketing plans for these technologies, which is impressive in its own right. He’s doing so well, in fact, the people running the KPU program have enlisted Deasy to promote it on a volunteer basis and serve on its advisory committee. In many ways, he’s a poster child for what success can look like for graduates of the relatively new program. Deasy started as an intern at Teledyne Photometrics, back when it was called QL Imaging, while still pursuing his degree. At the time, he thought he was going to be a teacher, but was offered a job as a support engineer, which he did for eight months before being promoted to technical advisor. About a year later, he was promoted again to product manager. He just kept moving up. “The more I did this work, the more I realized I liked it and enjoyed the role, so I stuck with it,” he says. Last summer, he was promoted to marketing manager, where he serves as the go-between

for the sales, engineering and marketing departments, allowing him to play a key role in business operations. Business has become such an interest he’s in the midst of obtaining an MBA from the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University, although he says his training in physics is just as useful in this context as it would be in a lab. “Physics gives you a really good process to digest really complicated problems,” Deasy says. “The approach that I learned studying physics is one I use every day to tackle big business problems.” Like a lot of students, Deasy initially attended KPU because he wasn’t sure in which direction he wanted to take his career. Rather than go to a larger, more expensive institution, he figured he’d try a year at KPU to figure things out. “I started just studying normal physics courses. Then I heard a lot about the program and got to know the professors. Once I was more comfortable with the content, I decided to enroll,” he says. “The thing about KPU is the smaller class sizes are fantastic. You get to know your classmates really well. It’s kind of like you’re in the trenches together, getting through these super hard courses in third and fourth year. You get to know the professors really well, and then it just makes everything a bit more fun. And the hands-on experience of lab work is a huge thing.” His class was so tightknit he knew the families of some of his professors. He says the program did a good job of ensuring students in all years were interacting with, and learning from, one another. It was this kind of environment that nurtured his skills in the business side of his industry, an experience he’s not so sure he could have got at any other institution. “Just because someone goes to a bigger university doesn’t mean they’re more qualified than you. I know that’s one thing that high school students are very caught up on. “In the workforce, people care about what you can do, not where you went to school. KPU is very good at preparing you to do the work,” he says.

JOSEPH DE ASY

“Physics gives you a really good process to digest really complicated problems. The approach that I learned studying physics is one I use every day to tackle big business problems.”

LEL AND HARPER 14

PHILOSOPHIC AL CONNECTIONS

eland Harper never intended to be a philosopher. It just kind of happened that way.

It all started at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) where Harper was taking some philosophy and sociology courses, mostly because they fit his full-time work schedule while he tried to figure out what he wanted to do with his career. “I ended up enjoying and doing well in those philosophy courses. That’s how I started off down this road,” he says. “It was just gelling with my philosophy professors that first term. That’s pretty much all it was.” Today, Harper is an assistant professor of philosophy at Siena Heights University in Michigan, teaching second- and fourth-year philosophy and liberal arts courses. He also served as the interim director of the university’s Ethnic and Gender Studies Institute. Already an author of two books, Harper has a third on its way. His first, Multiverse Deism: Shifting Perspectives of God and the World, was released by Lexington Books in May of 2020. He edited an anthology, The Crisis of American Democracy, that was published in the fall of 2020 and a book he co-authored about race, language, injustice and democracy in the U.S. will be out this spring. For most of his academic career, he’s been concerned with philosophy of religion, exploring religious experiences, miracles and alternative concepts of God. Lately, he’s transitioned to focus on the philosophy of race. “As a multi-racial Canadian raised by a white mother in an Asian neighbourhood, I have some identity issues that I’m trying to figure out, right?” Harper says. “Now I’m working in the United States, and I’m noticing

these subtle differences between the U.S. and Canada, in terms of race and justice. I think moving forward, one of my projects is going to be to draw clear distinctions between those two countries, and how they deal with racism and injustice.” Growing up in East Vancouver, Harper had his first experience with philosophy through a Grade 11 distance education course offered by the University of Athabasca, which he took because he could earn high school and university credits. After graduating high school, he planned on becoming a chef, but was denied a promotion when he was 19. He quit in response and decided to try university instead. He says he applied to “literally every university in the area,” with the intention of attending the first institution that let him in, applying for every kind of program – fashion design, criminology, general studies, you name it. KPU was the first school to send an acceptance letter. Harper explored different subjects during his time at KPU, which he says allowed him the freedom to follow his curiosity and develop intellectually. It also helped him figure out what he’s not interested in, which is equally as important when on a path of academic self-discovery. “I think if I went the big standard university route where you pick a major right away and you’re stuck in all these required courses, I wouldn’t have been able to experience that,” he says. Harper graduated with a B.A. in general studies in 2010. During his time at KPU, he hit it off with philosophy instructor Colin Ruloff, who suggested he pursue graduate studies in that field. Harper moved to Toronto, where he earned a master’s at Ryerson University, focused on

the philosophy of religion, before heading to the U.K. to get his Ph.D. at the University of Birmingham. Then, armed with his credentials, he returned to Canada – and couldn’t find a job in his field. “It’s a tough market,” Harper says. “I applied for probably 150 or 200 jobs, got maybe a couple of interviews, but didn’t get any of them.” As he searched for work, he supported his family through hospitality jobs. Then, by chance, Ruloff suggested Harper as his sabbatical replacement at KPU, effectively giving him the big break he needed to pursue academia as a profession. He also runs a consulting company, Leland Harper Consulting, which focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion in the hospitality industry, inspired by his time working in that field. Looking back on it now, Harper says the greatest benefit of his KPU education was the relationships he built with the faculty, which allowed him to get to where he is today. “If I wouldn’t have buddied up with Colin, I would never have gotten that email telling me to apply for the job,” he says. “Then I probably would not have ever gotten the next job because I wouldn’t have had the experience.”

“I ended up enjoying and doing well in those philosophy courses. That’s how I started off down this road. It was just gelling with my philosophy professors that first term.”

MAKING AN IMPACT As the business development and sponsorship manager at Small Business BC, Roop Johal plays a pivotal role in developing meaningful stakeholder relationships and securing sponsorship for programming that supports entrepreneurs in British Columbia. Ninety-eight per cent of businesses in the province are small businesses, and Johal and her colleagues at Small Business BC help serve nearly 250,000 clients in any given quarter. “The work I do is very rewarding,” says Johal. “For me, it’s important that the work I do aligns with my personal values. I’m able to make an impact in the community and establish my own network whilst I move through my career.” Johal moved to B.C. from the UK shortly before starting the diploma in arts program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU). As a newcomer, she says being able to establish relationships in the community during her studies benefited her work once she graduated in 2013. Some of these flourished into business relationships, and KPU sponsors an award for youth entrepreneurs in B.C. because of a partnership Johal helped build while at Small Business BC. This is just one of many examples of innovative partnerships she’s developed to benefit local small business owners. “During the pandemic, it has been very difficult for many of those businesses to survive,” says Johal. “Being in a position where I can establish relationships with other stakeholders in order to support them, in order to provide awareness and access to resources for those businesses, it’s very fulfilling.” Johal says given the outsized impact small businesses have on the local economy and community, being able to give back to that sector is incredibly gratifying. She says the “ripple effect” of the partnerships and relationships she’s established has exceeded her expectations. One achievement Johal is particularly proud of is her work to support small business employers in creating an inclusive environment for people with disabilities. She helped establish Accessibility Month, which includes free business education featuring ASL interpretation and closed captioning, and secured the Workplace Accessibility Grant, a program that provides businesses with financial assistance towards removing barriers for people with disabilities.

“As an individual with a learning disability, I can personally relate to the struggles people face with accessing and comprehending information,” says Johal. “To think all this came from an idea I had and for it to have grown to what it is today is something I am proud to have initiated and have been a part of.” For Johal, who was diagnosed with dyslexia as a young child, having access to resources and support for her disability has been crucial to her success. She says Gagan, the student advisor she was paired with while at KPU, was pivotal in ensuring her experience was positive. “I can’t begin to express my gratitude to her. She had helped me so much during my time at KPU and really guided me with my education.” She also credits her mother for fighting for her education and support. “The people you surround yourself with influence who you are as an individual and contribute to your life’s path.” She says she’s inspired by those around her who share the same positive mindset. “Having a learning disability comes with both positives and negatives. I found it hard at first when I was diagnosed with dyslexia, but as I got older my perspective on it changed. I saw it less of a challenge and more of a gift.” Inspired by the people who advocated for her, today Johal is using her experiences to be a voice for marginalized groups. She volunteers on a number of advisory committees, including Ending Violence Association of BC, where she advises on its Sexual Harassment Advice, Response, and Prevention for Workplaces (SHARP Workplaces) Program. The program aims to improve access to legal supports and resources for complainants of sexual harassment in workplaces across B.C. and is targeted at Indigenous persons, non-binary and LGBTQ+ persons, immigrants, racialized persons, persons with disabilities and women. Johal says her education at KPU helped her develop life skills, such as being able to take a perspective outside of her own, that she brings forward in the work she does today. She says being exposed to a variety of courses helped open her mind to different career paths. “My time at KPU allowed me to explore my interests and really helped me figure out what it was I wanted to do. I look back at it with fond memories and think that it has truly helped lead me to where I am today.”

ROOP JOHAL

“The people you surround yourself with influence who you are as an individual and contribute to your life’s path.”

SAR A JONSDOT TIR

Since 2007, the KPUAA and KPU have been recognizing exceptional individuals like Sara Jonsdottir, recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN LEARN MORE ON PAGE 42

A TRUE RE VOLUTIONARY

ara Jonsdottir never saw herself as an entrepreneur. Even after she launched Revol Undies, her ground-breaking line of menstruation-proof underwear, she didn’t think the term really applied to her. She always saw herself as a technical designer, someone geared toward developing practical solutions in the fashion world. Then, as her company started growing, she says, “the lightbulb went off” one day. “I realized this excited me more than anything I’ve ever done before,” says Jonsdottir. “I felt like I suddenly had this deep found purpose.” Jonsdottir launched Revol Undies in 2017, eight months after she graduated with her bachelor of applied design from the Wilson School of Design at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU). As CEO of Revol, she participates in all aspects of business development, from market research and finance to operations and marketing. Her products are sold all over North America and have been featured in Vogue, Refinery 29 and Vancouver Magazine. The company’s beginnings are humble, with the first pair of underwear created for a class project in her final year at KPU. She had no idea anyone would be interested prior to launching them at a KPU fashion show, after which people – strangers and classmates alike – flocked to her asking if she could make them a pair. “I was like, OK, maybe I have something here,” Jonsdottir says. “I came to realize, as people were asking me to make them underwear, they had the exact same problem

as I had. It just snowballed from there.” Revol is growing rapidly and over the next year, it will launch its postpartum and fibroids collections, which are designed for doulas, midwives, gynecologists and others in the medical industry. Over the next two years, the plan is to expand globally, with specific targets in Europe and West Africa. Within five years, Jonsdottir says the company hopes to fully expand its reach into the medical industry, replacing disposable leak-proof items in hospitals. Her determination to make a positive social impact is fundamental to the company’s philosophy. She’s developed a loyal customer base by creating products for people typically forgotten or ignored by the mainstream fashion industry. The Charlie – a line of Revol underwear designed for menstruating trans people – is a prime example. “For me, it’s just really basic. I have a lot of people in my life that I want to give this product to. If my product limits who I can give it to, then I’m not doing it right,” she says. “I love to solve problems. If I know there’s somebody out there who’s been left out of the solution, then I’m not really solving the problem. It means I’m not actually doing what I’m capable of doing, because I know I’m capable of solving that issue on a more global level.” As a result of these efforts, Jonsdottir was awarded the 2021 KPU Outstanding Young Alumni Award. In a way, she embodies everything KPU hopes to see from its graduates: a socially conscious business leader who’s applying her

polytechnic education to create innovative solutions to a social problem. Jonsdottir says she’s grateful to be recognized by the very university that gave her the push she needed to start Revol. “I do credit KPU a lot to where I am in my career,” she says. “It was really the teachers’ support that gave me the idea to start a company. I don’t know that I would have necessarily thought that my idea was so good if someone with actual industry experience hadn’t told me.” She also learned some fundamental skills at KPU that made her success possible. She says 90 per cent of the fashion industry is practical and deadline-oriented, not the conceptual, artistic type of design the industry is sometimes characterized as in the media. Jonsdottir says she thrives in this kind of environment and because KPU’s design program is rooted in the technical, she was a perfect fit for it. “KPU is such a good school if you’re the kind of person that wants to have an actual career in the arts,” she says. “You really have to learn structure and what people expect from you in the industry, and KPU taught me that. “The skills KPU graduates have are way better than most design schools because of the school’s focus on critical thinking skills. The reality of the fashion business is you have to get stuff into production. You have to get your tech packs, you got to get all these not-so-glamorous things done. KPU’s great because it prepares you for how the fashion industry actually works.”

OPENING DOORS

or many people, graduation is the most memorable day of their university experience. But for Asima Khokhar, her first day in the bachelor of business administration in entrepreneurial leadership program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) is the one that most stands out.

systems at Google, Khokhar has spent the last decade delivering technology transformations in industries spanning transportation, financial services, retail, higher education, healthcare, publishing and industrial manufacturing in Canada, the United States and Europe.

“The moment I walked into my first class was a huge relief,” says Khokhar. “I thought, ‘OK, I am going to get an education. I now have a journey and a path.’ That first day at KPU is my most memorable moment of the time I spent there.”

While she didn’t start out in the tech industry, it wasn’t long into her first job after graduating from KPU in 2005 that Khokhar discovered her passion. Working in the publishing division of a print media organization, she collaborated with the IT team to complete the design, testing and deployment of a new circulation system. Her work was quickly noticed, and she was promoted to the marketing division, where she helped with the company’s enterprise management system.

For Khokhar, who at the time was still grieving the death of her mother and had recently immigrated to B.C. from Pakistan with her father and two brothers, being able to attend KPU near her home in Richmond was a blessing during a difficult time in her and her family’s life. “I was an immigrant coming from a different culture, a different country,” she says. “KPU was a small college campus that had small class sizes where everybody knows everybody. Looking back, I think that was really good in helping me get settled without feeling overwhelmed.” The achievement of arriving on campus that day was also one she knew would have made her mom proud. “Growing up, my mom wanted me to have a professional education and a career,” she says. “She wanted me to be someone in my own regard and she wanted me to be financially independent. The dream that my mother had for me has been a huge inspiration in my life.” That inspiration has led Khokhar on an admirable career path. A seasoned technology consultant who is currently head of portfolio operations, cloud

“I realized that I really enjoyed that project-based technology work,” says Khokhar. “I decided to pursue that as a career by going into technology consulting, but entering management consulting is not easy, and I needed more education to pursue my new career goal.” While completing her MBA at UBC, she landed an internship with Rocky Mountaineer, helping it implement its Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, “which as luck would have it was one of industry’s first SaaS tools that disrupted the market for CRM systems,” recalls Khokhar. That internship resulted in Khokhar getting noticed by many management consulting firms that were doing campus recruiting for MBAs. She got the attention of Deloitte Consulting, where for seven years she worked on major technology transformation projects for Fortune 500 companies and the public sector. That experience led to her being recruited by Google,

and she relocated to the United States three years ago. Today, she is committed to giving back and helping other women of colour who want a career in tech and aspire to land their dream jobs in Silicon Valley. She volunteers on the executive board of OPEN Silicon Valley, or Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America, a non-profit dedicated to providing educational programs, career coaching, business mentoring and networking opportunities in the Bay Area. She also coaches high school students and recent university graduates looking to land jobs in tech. “There are a lot of companies who are looking to hire people from underrepresented minority groups, including women of colour, because we bring diversity into the organization,” explains Khokhar. “In big tech, and the tech sector in general, it is hard to find too many women, especially women of colour, in very senior executive positions. Therefore, it is my deep desire that more women like me pursue careers in tech, so that one day more of us can make it to senior leadership positions, and eventually make our way to CEO roles of big tech companies.” Khokhar hopes to encourage others to set high goals for themselves, and to not be defeated by life’s setbacks and disappointments. She wants to inspire others to believe in themselves, the way her mother inspired her to believe in herself. Despite her many accomplishments, she remains humble about her success. “What I’m most proud of is that I fulfilled my late mother’s dream, and I made something of myself,” reflects Khokhar. “I think I have made my parents, especially my mother, proud. To this day, I still think that has been my biggest achievement.”

ASIMA KHOKHAR

“Growing up, my mom wanted me to have a professional education and a career. The dream that my mother had for me has been a huge inspiration in my life.”

BALR AJ MANN Since 2007, the KPUAA and KPU have been recognizing exceptional individuals like Balraj Mann, recipient of the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award.

NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN LEARN MORE ON PAGE 42 22

TURNING ADVERSIT Y INTO OPPORTUNIT Y

his year’s Kwantlen Polytechnic University Distinguished Alumni Award recipient learned the value of flexibility and resilience at a young age.

related businesses. BM Group has expanded operations to other parts of Canada, the U.S. and South Asia, with more than 500 employees worldwide.

At 15, Balraj Mann, the youngest of seven siblings, immigrated with his family to B.C. from a small village in Punjab, India. Adapting to a foreign country can be difficult for anyone, but the recession of the early 1980s complicated matters, making finding work a challenge. However, Mann used the housing market crash as an opportunity to purchase his first home.

In the process, Mann has left an indelible mark on the region during his 30-year career as the BM Group has worked on just about every landmark in the Lower Mainland, including Canada Place, Simon Fraser University and Vancouver International Airport.

He fixed it up himself, which piqued an interest in construction that led him to enroll in the diploma in civil engineering technology program at KPU, close to where he was living in Surrey. When he graduated in 1986, the construction industry in B.C. was still in a downturn so he moved to Toronto where there were more opportunities. “It was booming at that time and I got a job in construction consulting that week,” Mann explains, later moving back to B.C. and rising through the ranks of a multinational company where he had the opportunity to work on several major projects such as the Millennium Line construction. Mann credits his experience at KPU with helping him build the confidence to keep moving forward, even when times were tough. “For me, the value at KPU was the personal connection, the small class sizes and the professors that interacted with the students,” he says. “I was a very timid and a shy person with limited resources. I think that KPU gave me that confidence to graduate and move on to get a job.” Mann eventually bought a partnership in an engineering and testing firm in B.C., and later began acquiring companies. He purchased the buildings they were based in, combining his passion for real estate, construction and business in general. Each time he came up against a challenge – including the recession of 2008 – he diversified his portfolio. Today, as founder and chairman of BM Group of Companies, Mann oversees a diverse range of structural restoration, waterproofing, construction management, material supply and real estate-

But it’s his philanthropic efforts of which he is most proud. BM Group supports causes such as BC Children’s Hospital, the Ride to Conquer Cancer and Make a Wish Foundation, while Mann serves on the boards of many community organizations, including the Surrey Board of Trade, the Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation and the KPU Foundation, among others. “A part of our corporate philosophy is giving back to the community,” he says. “I’m lucky to live in Canada, especially as an immigrant. Canada gives you the greatest opportunities and we are fortunate to be living in this part of the world.” A proud KPU alumnus, Mann credits his education with helping launch his career. He continues to help students access the same opportunities he had, serving as vice-chair of the KPU Foundation. “I think KPU is a great local organization. There are certain things KPU does that’s way beyond what the other larger institutions do,” he says. “So we try to give as much as we can, and I certainly recommend to anybody who is thinking of their career and education to consider KPU. It’s one of the best.” Of being recognized for his contributions with the prestigious KPU Distinguished Alumni Award, Mann says he hopes to inspire others – especially young immigrants – to look for opportunities, even in difficult times. “I want others to see that there’s always an opportunity and that it will work out in the end,” he says. “In my career and in my life in Canada, I’ve been through three recessions. Every time we bounce back, we become stronger. So even after the end of this whole COVID-19 era, we will become stronger.”

A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS

atching the situation in Afghanistan unfold brings back the horrors Mariam Nasrri experienced the last time the Taliban ruled her birth country from 1996 to 2001. Amidst the civil war, Nasrri and her family fled their home after living through unthinkable traumas. Nasrri immigrated to Canada in 2001, but her troubles were far from over. In 2009, she suffered a concussion, spinal injuries and damage to the left side of her body after falling down a flight of stairs. She spent the next decade in chronic pain, depression and isolation. However, through it all, she persevered and discovered a talent she could use to help improve the lives of the people she left behind in her home country. While studying at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), Nasrri focused on creative writing, a skill she says became an outlet for her own pain and opened doors for her to become an advocate for her people. “I wanted to be the voice for the voiceless in Afghanistan,” says Nasrri. “I have had the opportunity and privilege to experience life in Canada and in Afghanistan. With this unique perspective, I wanted to sharpen up my media and writing skills to be able to have a voice and give my people a voice.” During a visit to see family members still living in Afghanistan, she decided to video document the plight of women and girls in the northern region. “During that trip, I was pursued by the Taliban and had to flee the country,” explains Nasrri. “However, my mission to make a change, influence and bridge the gap between Canada and Afghanistan was not complete, so I returned the next year to finish my project.” While Nasrri found video documenting to be a healing experience, she realized that filming Afghans could put their lives -- and those of her family -- in peril. After members of her family received death threats from the Taliban for supporting her work, she decided the best way to help Afghan women and girls would be to provide opportunities for them to develop skills that would give them more independence and choices.

With support from a board of directors that included some of her instructors at KPU, she founded a Canadian-based non-profit called Nahz Empowerment of Women and Girls, an organization that facilitates opportunities for vulnerable women and girls in northern Afghanistan to improve their literacy skills and help them find sustainable employment. At KPU, Nasrri says she found a supportive community -- one that inspired her to pursue her dreams. After graduating in 2017, she earned a certificate from Harvard University online, studying the works of Shakespeare. She credits Nicola Hardward and Chris Sears, her instructors at KPU, with inspiring her passion for writing and the creative arts. Currently, with support from Bard on the Beach, she is writing an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet set in Afghanistan. She also continues to be a voice for the Afghan community in Vancouver and abroad by focusing on mental health, emigration challenges and violence against women. Since 2015, Nasrri has directed for Caravan TV on OMNI, where she has created and hosts a show focused on social issues within the Afghan community. Over the years Nasrri continued to return to her birth country to give Afghan women a prominent voice on the international stage. In 2019, she brought her training in the 12 Steps program for addiction and trauma therapy to Kabul, where she volunteered at a women and children’s hospital for the homeless who suffer from substance abuse, drug addiction and mental illness. Nasrri was the first woman to organize the 12 Steps program for Afghan women in Kabul and held the first-ever all-female meeting for those who suffer from substance abuse.

“I have a chance to spread a message of humanity and compassion and show that the world is for Afghanistan, for my people, especially for women.”

In 2020, Nasrri was recognized for her efforts with the Coast Mental Health’s Courage to Come Back Award, which celebrates British Columbians who have overcome significant adversity and who inspire and give back to others. Nasrri says the care and support she has received in Canada has helped restore her faith in humanity, and she hopes to help her community access compassionate support for their mental health.

MARIAM NASRRI

“I have been lucky, or privileged, to have access to books, to great friends and to counselors to process all my experiences back at home,” says Nasrri. “Mental health is quite stigmatized and a taboo subject in my community, unfortunately. That’s why I hope to contribute to opening up some of the venues for people in my community to reach out for help if they need it.” While COVID-19 and the latest Taliban takeover of Afghanistan have been setbacks for her humanitarian work, Nasrri says she sees this as a beginning rather than an end. As she looks ahead to how she can continue to be of service to her community, she continues to pursue her dream of being a playwright. Despite all she has had to overcome, she remains optimistic for the future. “I have a chance to spread a message of humanity and compassion and show that the world is for Afghanistan, for my people, especially for women. My experience in both countries gives me hope in humanity, that no matter what, at the end, humanity will remain, because our hearts are always ignited by compassion.”

PAR ABJOT K AUR SINGH 26

FOR THE LOVE OF LANGUAGE

hen Parabjot Kaur Singh was a child, her grandfather taught her everything she was going to need to know. A professional author who writes exclusively in Punjabi, her grandfather immigrated to Canada in 1994. He instilled in Singh the importance of preserving their mother tongue, teaching her how to read and write the language, and nurturing her budding talent. She fell in love with it in the process. “I developed this love for literature because my family environment revolved around it,” she says. “I grew up in that atmosphere, it was instilled into me and I enjoyed it. So, I took it up from there.” In many ways, Singh has made it her life’s work to preserve the language for kids growing up in her community and beyond. Her first book, Chewie, The Budgie – a bilingual storybook for children, written in both Punjabi and English and featuring illustrations from local PunjabiCanadian artist Jarnail Singh Artist – was written to do just that. “What happens is that a lot of times kids from multilingual, or even bilingual, backgrounds tend to focus on English,” she says. “Slowly they forget their mother tongue.” She used both languages for Chewie, the Budgie to make the story more relatable and make exploring Punjabi accessible and comfortable. “I feel I wanted to promote Punjabi because of my love for language and literature, and I wanted to preserve that as well. Because I feel very close to the Punjabi language, I wanted to honor that as well by writing it.” Singh got her start as a writer while studying English at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU). In fact, her time at university allowed her to explore the things she loves most – language and writing –as she got involved with the Department of Language and Cultures as well as the Creative Writing Guild,

which nurtured her interest in the craft and where she forged relationships with other writers. She wrote during her undergraduate years, and some of her poems were published in the PULP, KPU’s literary arts magazine. Through the Department of Language and Cultures, she connected with Punjabi professor Dr. Ranbir Johal. Singh took up tutoring with the Surrey Learning Centre at KPU, working with students who were taking Punjabi courses and worked as a conversationalist for Punjabi courses taught at KPU. While tutoring, her relationship strengthened with the Punjabi language and she continues to volunteer for events organized by the Department of Language and Cultures regularly.

The other was Dr. Surjit Singh Pattar, a Punjabi language poet who inspired Singh to write poetry. “It’s a very nice, tight-knit community. There’s a lot of opportunities at KPU, whether it’s related to academia, whether it’s related to work experience or whether it’s related to volunteer experience. So with KPU, I think, I flourished, because I was able to find myself and connect with the community there as well.”

Singh says she had originally planned to take journalism as a practical way to utilize her love of writing but was quickly steered away from that route once she arrived on campus.

She graduated with her bachelor of arts in English with a minor in psychology in 2016. Since then, she’s been involved with the Dhahan Prize, an internationallyacclaimed award for Punjabi writers, coorganizing the Youth Award launched by the Dhahan Prize for students studying Punjabi in B.C. schools. She’s also an executive member with Punjabi Language Education Association, coorganizing the International Mother Language Day each year.

“Obviously, KPU has a good journalism program at the undergrad level,” she says, “but by exploring and taking different courses, I realized that my core strength actually lies in literature. That’s why I chose to study English.

All of this, by the way, is outside the scope of her day job as a high school teacher with the Surrey School District where she teaches Punjabi and English courses. There couldn’t be a better fit for her skill set.

“I found the professors at KPU who taught English to be very inspiring. I learned a lot from them. I developed a keen interest in Canadian literature by taking courses with Dr. Shelley Boyd. And Dr. Aislinn Hunter helped me hone my creative writing skills. This made me stay there.”

“I contribute to the school environment from my heart,” she says. “Punjabi classes organize and celebrate cultural events such as Diwali and Vaisakhi as a school. Teaching feels very rewarding to me when I learn that I’ve made a positive difference in students’ lives.”

She says KPU always felt like a deeply creative place, with writers and poets holding court or live music flowing through the halls, depending on which campus she was at. She met many of the writers-in-residence that came through campus, several of which made an impact on her. One was Gurjinder Basran, a B.C.-based writer who chronicles the experience of Punjabi-Canadians, and whose journey as a writer impacted her greatly, inspiring her to try becoming a writer herself.

“It’s a very nice, tight-knit community. There’s a lot of opportunities at KPU... I flourished, because I was able to find myself and connect with the community there as well.”

ALUMNI PERKS: BENEFITS AND PRIVILEGES THE KPU ALUMNI A S SOCIATION WA S PLE A SED TO MOV E OUR ALUMNI BENEFITS AND PRI V ILEGES PROGR AM INTO THE 21ST CENTUR Y BY L AUNCHING A LUMNI PERK S . This new mobile app and microsite replaces the plastic benefits card. To celebrate the launch, the Alumni Affairs office signed on over a dozen new alumni owned and operated services and products customized for KPU alumni, at discounted rates. New products and services include: • • • • • •

Arafat Kalam Notary Public Best Coast Bonsai Inc. Black Bird Holistic Broadway Across Canada Coach Hector Wong Conscious Works

• • • • • •

Dominion Blue Reprographics EJ Cellphone Repair Eyetician Fresh Prep Hannah T. Photography HUM Baby Apparel

• • • • • •

Ingrid Brito Life Coaching Magic IT Solutions Miller Concrete and Co. Mishra Railing Experts Ltd. Neicey Glam Studio Partopia Digital

• • • • • •

S&A Accounting Second Life Apparel Thunderbolt Sign Vancouver Boat Parties VanGo Vapes Z&R Automotive

In addition, to our existing offerings, this past year we collaborated with several new Affinity Partners, who provide discounted services to alumni while also generating revenue for the Alumni Association. Our partners include: • • • • •

All-Purpose Realty Artona Group Canucks Sport and Entertainment Convocation Flowers KPU Bookstore

• LEAD Benefits (Legal Extended Assistance Discount) • TD Life & Health Insurance • TD Home Insurance

For more information on alumni benefits, privileges and services, contact the Alumni Affairs office at alumni@kpu.ca

DOWNLOAD THE APP TODAY!

LEARN MORE AT

alumni.kpu.ca/perks

AOK: ALUMNI OF KPU

PALEK TREHAN

There is a high probability that you have yet to come across an individual whose educational journey has been as unconventional as Trehan’s, which began at KPU during the 2008 global recession and finished during the 2020 global pandemic. Needless to say, it was a long, rewarding and unique 12-year odyssey. Throughout her educational journey, she was fortunate to work across several industries with many reputable organizations, including Hudson’s Bay Company, Terry Fox Foundation, Fairmont Waterfront, Better Business Bureau and Computershare Canada. She found her homecoming at KPU, where she has been working in the Office of Registrar for almost five years now; her most recent position being the curriculum and graduation coordinator. Trehan holds a bachelor of business administration in entrepreneurial leadership, co-operative education option. She is working towards her master of science in management from the University of Illinois. BBA ’21 ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP

After Singh graduated with his computer information systems diploma in May 2019, he got a job as a software engineer and API integration expert at VoPay, a payment processing company. DIP ’19 COMPUTER INFO SYSTEMS

DAVNISH SINGH

VANESSA MOHAN

Since graduating from KPU, Mohan has gone on to work for the New Westminster Police Department. With her bachelor’s degree in criminology, she was able to get a job working as a CPIC operator. BA ’19 CRIMINOLOGY

JESSICA CHAUHAN

Since graduating from the fashion design and technology program in 2017, Chauhan has had an incredible experience exploring all parts of the fashion industry. She has worked as a design assistant at Lululemon and then moved to become the head designer at Brunette the Label. She now finds herself working as a freelance fashion and graphics designer, collaborating and working with companies across North America. BDES ’17 FASHION & TECHNOLOGY

Since graduating with a diploma in public relations in 2016, Butler has gained experience in a variety of sectors, including real estate, technology, not-for-profit and public safety. She has always had a desire to do work that positively impacts her community, which led her to a position with the communications and public affairs team at E-Comm 9-1-1, British Columbia’s largest 9-1-1 emergency communications centre. After two years working for the organization, she has now stepped into a communications manager position where she is responsible for overseeing a variety of external and internal communications efforts, including 9-1-1 public education, crisis communication and both traditional and social media. Butler is also working alongside public safety communicators across the country on the development of a national communications strategy for the implementation of Canada’s Next Generation 9-1-1 system. DIP ’16 PUBLIC RELATIONS

KAILA BUTLER

HONEYLYN AMAGA

After Amaga graduated in 2018 from graduate nurse internationally educated program (GNIE), she started a hemodialysis specialty program which was sponsored by St. Paul’s Hospital. Amaga is currently working at 6D hemodialysis unit. Her transition from being a fresh graduate from KPU to getting a full-time job has been smooth and she thanks KPU for all the resources provided to students. CERT ’19 GRADUATE NURSE INTERNATIONALLY EDUCATED

CHLOE PARKER

While Parker only just graduated, she has thrown herself right back into learning by pursuing her master’s degree of counselling psychology at Adler University. It’s with the help and passion of her professors at KPU that Parker felt inspired to pursue this program, which is getting her one step closer to helping as many people as she can.

Dinh got promoted to marketing manager at a drone technology company. KPU’s part-time program allowed Dinh to work full-time and finish school.

BA ’21 PSYCHOLOGY WITH MINOR IN COUNSELLING

BBA ’21 ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP

SAMANTHA MERZ CUONG DINH

Merz is a receptionist at Macdonald Commercial Real Estate Services. She has been a freelance writer for Prizm Media Inc. and Valnet Inc., while also being a published poet. Merz enjoys singing with the Vivaldi Chamber Choir and playing badminton. DIP ’16 PUBLIC RELATIONS

Bellec’s debut novel, Someone’s Story, won the Reader Views Young Adult Book of the Year back in March. He also makes music and recently released a Canada Council for the Arts grant-funded music video he worked on for eight-plus months. His second novel, Pulse, was released on Dec. 1 to tremendous buzz on the indie scene. After his award-winning debut, Bellec flipped genres and penned a dystopian sci-fi horror about a mysterious creature attacking the world’s biggest music festival. He has campaigns running with Rue Morgue Horror Magazine (a Canadian company) and multiple indie PR agencies (one of which is Canadian - R&R Book Tours). The book will be free for a limited time. DIP ’13 ACCOUNTING

JOSEPH KURDZIEL

BRIAN BELLEC

Since graduating KPU, Kurdziel has worked for the Surrey School District teaching and assisting students, including special needs, learning disabled, and handicapped. He got to work at different elementary and high schools as well as having some classes of his own. He also worked as a B.I. for special needs clients outside of school and helped with summer camps for kids and teenagers of all ages and with all types of differences (special needs, learning disabled, handicapped). Now Kurdziel has returned to KPU get his second degree in both psychology and counselling after which he plans to take the PDP program at SFU. CERT ’16 SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER ASSISTANT

CHERRIE LO

After graduating with her health sciences degree, Lo applied for nursing school at KPU. She found her passion for nursing through SFU co-op education while working with nurses across B.C. During the one-year gap between graduation and the start of nursing school, she went to Osaka, Japan to teach English to children. Lo was able to earn enough to repay the rest of her student loan for her health sciences degree. She has been working as a registered nurse at VGH for two years now and she loves her job. BSC ’20 NURSING

Sharma graduated from KPU with bachelor of arts, major in sociology. She decided to utilize her people learning and social skills in a corporate work environment and is now an HR coordinator at LMI Technologies Inc. Sharma is so grateful for obtaining her degree in this field as she was able to study the sociology of work and occupations which has helped her in learning about race, gender and culture in a workplace. This program helped Sharma develop good communication skills and to be able to process and analyze data. In her current role, she deals with people’s personal information and helps employees solve problems related to work on a daily basis. The soft and hard skills that Sharma has learned from this program has definitely made her a good fit in her current role. BA ’18 SOCIOLOGY

ANDRE GRESS Gress has published three books. He received his first editorial review, has done over a dozen interviews and will be doing his first book signing at a commercial store. In addition, the company that did the editorial review loved his third book so much it submitted it for an award in November. Gress is working on the fourth book of his My Urban Fantasy series in which he will be including more LGBTQ+ characters. Gress thanks KPU for giving him a great education. ASSOCIATE OF ARTS IN CREATIVE WRITING ’14 & BA ’19 CREATIVE WRITING

PAULA HLAVACEK

TANIA ROSIER

SONIA SHARMA

In February 2021, Hlavacek joined Oasis Adaptogens as its brand manager, working alongside CEO and founder Jeremy Hoffmann. As a recent start up, Oasis Adaptogens wants everyone to find their harmony by reducing stress through adaptogens. Hlavacek wears many hats in the business as brand manager and isn’t limited to just marketing tasks; whatever needs to get done, will be done. From content creating, social media managing, customer relations and general logistical tasks, Hlavacek is helping build Oasis Adaptogens to make a stress-free lifestyle available for everyone. BBA ’21 MARKETING MANAGEMENT

Rosier is the owner of Guided Path Wellness, a personal development consulting company that guides individuals on their own healing journey. Rosier is also a public speaker, author, professional singer and recording artist as are several members of her family. They can be found on many platforms under Gryphiitii, Tonya Joyce, Jacob Bellamy, Jesen Jzshionrah, Eli Burns and others. In addition to this, she works with the provincial government as a CSW for the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. BA ’18 CRIMINOLOGY

Since graduating from the public relations diploma program at KPU in 2016, Seney has worked as a PR and communications professional for some of Canada’s most well-known and respected brands, including Interac Corp. and Lush Cosmetics. With a passion for social impact and storytelling, Seney has secured international coverage on groundbreaking initiatives such as Lush’s #TransRights campaign that sought to raise awareness on the importance and need for stronger legislation to support the trans community. Seney is a communications specialist at Interac Corp. where he works cross-functionally to bring key campaigns to life that are focused on community investment and advancing Interac’s position as Canadians’ most trusted financial services brand. Seney is also passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion, and has worked throughout his career to elevate the voices of vulnerable groups and share his own story of resilience as a member of the LGBT2Q+ community. DIP ’16 PUBLIC RELATIONS

KEVIN HICKS

Since 2019, Hicks has been using what he learned in his degree working at the Delta Archives as the only dedicated archives staff member. Hicks is responsible for collecting, processing and making available the historical records of the community as well as records of the municipality. It’s really rewarding work and Hicks can’t see himself doing anything else. BA ’14 HISTORY WITH MINOR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE

Since graduating, Muratoff has become a professional artist/writer. She has won awards for her 3D art and been published in a magazine. She has also written a fantasy book series and published 10 novels in that series, with more to come.

AMANDA MURATOFF

DIP ’13 FINE ARTS

CONNOR GRIFFITHS

PETER SENEY

After graduating, Griffiths joined the travel/tech startup Leavetown Vacations as the revenue coordinator. Leavetown was acquired by the RedAwning Group less than a year later. After leaving Leavetown in early 2020, Griffiths and his brother launched a vacation rental management business, Lifty Life Hospitality, which manages vacation rentals throughout B.C. and Alberta in destinations such as Whistler, Tofino, Kelowna and Canmore. In addition, he is the digital marketing manager at Hostaway.com, operates three of his own Airbnb properties and is an Airbnb Community Leader.

BLANCHE MONABEKA

Right after her last exam at KPU, Monabeka got a job at Réseau-Femmes, a Francophone non-profit organization. As a youth worker, she teaches young people in the Francophone community about healthy relationships and how to prevent youth dating violence. The BA in psychology with a minor counselling has given her the will to pursue a master’s in counselling psychology so she can continue to help youth and families in the Francophone community and beyond. BA ’21 PSYCHOLOGY WITH MINOR IN COUNSELLING

BBA ’18 ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP

DAVE BAUDER (R)

JORDAN DINESEN

Since graduating from KPU’s ENTR program in spring 2020, Dinesen continued his sales and entrepreneurial skills and advanced at CubicFarm Systems Corp. At CubicFarms, Dinesen sells commercialscale agriculture technology and is at the forefront of the company for global prospective sales opportunities. DIP ’18 BUSINESS MANAGEMENT & BBA ’20 ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP

After graduating from the building construction program taught by Don Currie in 1984, Bauder continued with an apprenticeship and received his full interprovincial qualification. He worked with Thorpe Construction before it was taken over by Stuart Olson Construction where he worked his way up the ranks to foreman, assistant superintendent and project superintendent. Bauder’s extensive experience has provided opportunities for leadership in the field of construction where he has overseen projects in excess of $300 million. Today Bauder is a construction manager for Bird Construction, the fifth largest construction company in Canada. He is currently responsible for overseeing site personnel on construction projects all over the province. The knowledge base provided by KPU’s program and Currie allowed Bauder to reach his potential. To this day, Bauder keeps in touch with Currie. CERT ’84 CARPENTRY/BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

Since completing her psychiatric nursing degree, Jewell has been working full time in federal corrections with female offenders. She completed her masters in counselling to be a better mental health clinician and recently began her PsyD in clinical psychology! Since graduation, Jewell has also travelled the world, hiked to the base of Everest and met a lot of beautiful people. BPN ’16, PSYCHIATRIC NURSING

CHELSEA JEWELL

As an adult student working full-time in the hospitality industry, van den Broek really enjoyed the flexibility and intimacy KPU provided her. After completing a business diploma and legal secretary certificate with criminology and political science electives, she worked for the African Children’s Choir. After receiving some advice from a political science Instructor, she started volunteering with the Langley RCMP Detachment, which quickly led to a fulltime job. Twenty years later, van den Broek continues as a federal public servant at RCMP BC headquarters in Surrey. She has worked in many units, including major crimes, federal policing and community policing. In addition, she has also worked for Corrections Canada in several institutions and at Abbotsford headquarters. Although van den Broek was working within her desired career, her political passion couldn’t take a backseat. She was elected as a Langley City councillor in 2014 and in 2018 became mayor of Langley City. CERT ’04 APPLIED BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY, LEGAL SECRETARIAL & DIP ’05 APPLIED BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY

JANGIR BRAR After graduating with a bachelor of arts at KPU, majoring in English and minoring in history, Brar went on to attend UBC for a bachelor in education in the latter half of 2020. She is now a high school teacher in Surrey and Delta and is planning to continue her education in the coming years. She hopes to make a difference for future generations. BA ’20 ENGLISH WITH MINOR IN HISTORY

VALARIA VAN DEN BROEK

MEE T THE TE AM

NANCY ARMITAGE

DAVID DRYDEN

MOHAMMAD KALLAS

HENRY FLOWERS

KELLY TRAINER

The KPU Alumni Association (KPUAA) became a registered society in 2008. Founders and Directors are KPU alumni who volunteer and support the growth of KPU by creating engagement opportunities for our alumni. The board follows a governance model and is responsible for providing the strategic vision to achieve our mission and mandate of engaging a population of over 65,000 KPU Alumni.

JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA Keep in touch with what’s happening at KPU: Tweet with us @kpualumni Like us on Facebook at KPU Alumni Join our growing community of KPU Alumni on LinkedIn Follow us on Instagram at KPU Alumni

KP U A LUMN I A SS OC IATION B OA R D OF DIR E CTORS

GABBY GILL

JACQUELINE TARANTINO

JAMES GRANGE

HAYLEY WOODIN

ALUMNI CHAPTERS Alumni chapters are a way to stay connected with your special group of former classmates, meet new people and be involved with KPU in a way that is meaningful to you. Chapters can organize events and activities that promote the interests of your particular group of alumni. The KPU Alumni Association is pleased to provide seed funding, and the KPU Alumni Affairs office is there to provide support for new alumni chapters. If this interests you, be sure to check out the Chapter Handbook at alumni.kpu.ca/chapters or contact the Alumni Affairs office at alumni@kpu.ca or call 604.599.3137.

MES S AGE FROM THE KPUA A CHAIR Dear KPU Alumni, I’m delighted to have stepped into the chair position of the KPU Alumni Association (KPUAA) at our AGM last September. At that time David Dryden became our past chair and has graciously offered to remain on the board until our next AGM so he may continue to provide leadership and guidance to a new executive team. Joining the new executive team alongside me was Mohammad Kallas in the position of vice chair. He took over for Amanda Smith-Weston. Both Dryden and Smith-Weston fulfilled three full terms of six years on the board. We are so very grateful for the dedication and leadership they both showed during their tenure to help champion our mandate of engaging KPU alumni. The KPUAA board of directors welcomes applications from KPU Alumni. Joining the board allows you to play a pivotal role in the governance of our ever-growing alumni base. Please reach out with your interest by contacting alumni.kpu.ca. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic continues to mean that we re-align our priorities. Much of our engagement work used to be conducted in-person, but now unfolds in virtual environments. In response to COVID-19, we have remained nimble in achieving our mandate of engaging alumni. Despite the pandemic, we continue to build on several new virtual initiatives such as Alumni Perks, offering exclusive discounts on a growing number of products and services. Be sure to sign up at alumni.kpu.ca/perks. We are also very pleased with the growing levels of engagement on our KPU alumni career mentorship and networking platform from Ten Thousand Coffees called KPU Connects. We hope you will take advantage of this virtual platform. You can find more details on how to get involved on page 43 of this magazine or visit alumni.kpu.ca/TenKC. Now more than ever, we recognize the importance of supporting students, our future alumni, as they continue to navigate these challenging times. To that effect, the KPU Alumni Association is very pleased to continue its support of the KPU Foundation through the KPUAA Endowment. This continued support means access to education and a brighter future for our students. If you have any questions about the many benefits of being KPU alumni don’t hesitate to reach out to the Alumni Affairs office and if you want to share your story for the next issue of the magazine, I encourage you to connect with us at alumni@kpu.ca. All my best,

Gabby Gill (BBA ’15) Chair, KPUAA

K PU NAMES ME LV ILLE S C H OOL OF BUSINESS AFT E R $8- MILLION DON ATION FROM P H IL A N TH R OP ISTS

wantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) announced last September the renaming of its business school to the Melville School of Business to recognize a historic donation from philanthropists George and Sylvia Melville.

George Melville, who co-founded Boston Pizza International Inc., and his wife Sylvia donated $8 million to KPU over four years to create tremendous opportunities for students. “Sylvia and I are very proud to be able to make this investment in the future of the KPU School of Business,” said George Melville, who served as KPU’s second chancellor from 2014 to 2020. “Our hope is that the Advanced Teaching and Learning Fund will enhance the educational experience for students for many years to come. There are also funds for scholarships and bursaries, which will make KPU’s excellent business program more accessible to students than ever before.” “This very generous gift will create tremendous opportunities for students and faculty and will significantly enhance the reputation of both the business school and KPU,” said Dr. Alan Davis, president and vice-chancellor of KPU. “George Melville’s sterling reputation as a business leader, philanthropist and community builder will be a tremendous asset as we continue to shape exceptional entrepreneurs who graduate ready to work, willing to learn and poised to lead.

THE MELVILL ES’ DON ATION IN C LUDE S : » $3 million to establish the Melville School of Business Advanced Teaching and Learning Technology Fund, which will provide students with the most up-to-date teaching technology and equipment used in business and industry; » $2 million to create the Melville School of Business Endowed Scholarship Fund, which will provide $100,000 in scholarships annually for undergraduate business students; » $1 million to establish the Melville School of Business Endowed Bursary Fund, which will provide $50,000 annually for bursaries for undergraduate business students; » $1 million to create the Melville School of Business Endowed Scholarship Fund for postbaccalaureate students, which

will provide $50,000 annually for scholarships for postbaccalaureate business students; » $500,000 for the Melville School of Business Endowed Case Competition Fund, which will provide $25,000 annually to support business students taking part in case competitions; » $450,000 to create the Melville School of Business Incubator Fund, which will provide the necessary seed funding to launch and support operations of the Melville School of Business Venture Fund; and » $50,000 for the Melville School of Business Activation Fund, which will support the rebranding of the Melville School of Business.

The Melvilles previously donated $500,000 to create the Melville Centre for Dialogue at KPU’s Richmond campus. They have also donated millions to organizations in British Columbia, including the Union Gospel Mission, Surrey Memorial Hospital, Peace Arch Hospital, St. Paul’s IBD Centre, Covenant House and the Rick Hansen Foundation. “George and Sylvia Melville are true community builders and have been champions of KPU for many years,” said Kelly Finlay, chair of the board of directors of the KPU Foundation, which raises funds to create quality, life-long learning opportunities for KPU students to achieve personal, social and career success. “Both their children attended KPU and their passion for this university comes from witnessing directly how big an impact this institution has on its students.” George Melville is chairman and owner of Melville Global Investments Inc., a diversified investment portfolio which includes ownership in Mr. Lube, Naramata Benchland Properties and Bamboo World Kitchen, along with other public and private investments. Previously, he co-founded Boston Pizza International Inc. with business partner Jim Treliving and together they turned it into the T&M Group of companies, with operations throughout North America and sales of over $1 billion per year. In 1990, they founded what became the Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects, which has raised and donated over $18 million to Canadian charities. “The gift from the Melvilles will not only elevate the reputation of our School of Business but will support advancements in leading-edge teaching and enrich the student learning experience,” said Stephanie Howes, dean of the Melville School of Business. “The generous investment in endowed student awards will provide meaningful support for hundreds of students and strengthen our students’ affiliation to their business school. Students will have more opportunity to build their skills in communication, teamwork and critical thinking through case competitions and work-integrated learning connections with industry.” Beginning in 2003, George Melville was a member of KPU’s board of governors for six years, during which time he held various leadership roles. As chairperson of the audit committee, he helped guide KPU during its transition from a community college into a university in 2008. In 2013, he received an honorary doctorate from KPU in recognition of his outstanding professional achievements. 39

DR. ALAN DAVIS, PRESIDENT AND VICE CHANCELLOR, JINNY HWANG, ARTIST, AND JAYA DHILLON, GIVING TUESDAY CAMPAIGN COORDINATOR, PICTURED WITH THE ARTWORK FRAMED IN THE LIBRARY ON THE SURREY MAIN CAMPUS.

COMMUNIT Y

PU’s second annual Giving Tuesday campaign on Nov. 30, 2021, celebrated the rich diversity of the student population of our university, raising muchneeded funds to support students who come from a range of backgrounds and lived experiences. These are students who may have faced extra barriers in pursuing their educational dreams due to systemic racism and other challenges as people of colour, members of the LGBTQ2+ community, mature students and/or students with disabilities. Representing how every individual within our KPU community is unique, and yet contributes to the overall picture in a beautiful, multi-faceted way, KPU fine arts student Min Jin (Jinny) Hwang provided an original mosaic artwork that was used to represent the impact of donor support for our diverse student population. As the campaign developed and gifts were committed, the artwork took shape and became the overall picture of a healthy and thriving ecosystem. The campaign raised $148,519, which will support more than 148 students from diverse backgrounds in the coming years. The KPU Alumni Association was once again a key supporter, adding $5,000 to its endowment this year. The following donors made special commitments for Giving Tuesday last year: » The Kwantlen Student Association partnered with faculty and staff in the Faculty of Arts to establish four new student award endowments for diversity students. » Randall Heidt established two new annual $1,000 awards over the next five years after his challenge to the community to share social media posts about Giving Tuesday was met and exceeded. » Native Northwest contributed $5,000 to establish the Native Northwest Reconciliation Fund Award. » Once again, Professor Emeritus Chamkaur Cheema challenged ENTR grads to participate and matched their donations up to $2,500. » KPU alumna Preet Bal funded a new bursary over the next five years for mature students in Environmental Protection Technology. » Former KPU Chancellor Dr. Arvinder Bubber and his son, KPU Foundation director Vikram Bubber, each contributed $5,000+ to support the campaign. » Dr. Weidong Yu, Wellspring Charitable Foundation, contributed $5,000 to complete a building endowment that will support bursaries in KPU’s Traditional Chinese Medicine program.

KPU GIVING TUESDAY MOSAIC (2021) MIN JIN (JINNY) HWANG

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR DONORS . If you missed Giving Tuesday and want to support KPU students, please visit give.kpu.ca/givingtuesday to make your Giving Tuesday gift any time this year. The next KPU Giving Tuesday Campaign will be on Nov. 29, 2022. We look forward to more and more alumni giving back to support the students who follow in your footsteps!

2021 FUTURE ALUMNI AWARD Each year KPU and the KPU Alumni Association recognize a student who, while maintaining a good academic standing, is also making impactful contributions to KPU and the external community.

LESLI SANGHA, LEGAL ADMIN STUDIES ‘21

In 2021, we were pleased to honour Lesli Sangha with the Future Alumni Award. Sangha enrolled in KPU’s legal administrative studies program with the desire to act as an advocate for those with disabilities. She has achieved top grades while serving as the Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) VP of student life and the KSA mature students representative. We are proud to have such a deserving woman win this award.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS KPU alumni are everywhere, doing amazing things, and since 2007, the KPUAA and KPU have been recognizing these exceptional individuals. If you know of someone who has enhanced the reputation of the university, or made a contribution through their outstanding professional, business or industry endeavours or through public, community or volunteer service, you are encouraged to nominate them now!

alumni.kpu.ca/awards

KPU Connects

A virtual networking platform by Ten Thousand Coffees KPU Connects is a community built with you in mind! Find your perfect mentor or mentee and start connecting with other members to accelerate your personal and professional development.

LEARN MORE alumni.kpu.ca/TenKCoffees

KPU alumni, feel confident with preferred rates from TD Insurance. You could save on home, condo and tenant’s insurance.

Get a quote and see how much you could save! Go to tdinsurance.com/kpu The TD Insurance Meloche Monnex home and auto insurance program is underwritten by Security National Insurance Company and distributed in Quebec by Meloche Monnex Insurance and Financial Services Inc., Damage Insurance Agency, and in the rest of Canada by TD Insurance Direct Agency Inc. Our address: 50 Place Crémazie, 12th Floor, Montréal, Québec H2P 1B6. Due to provincial legislation, this car and recreational insurance program is not offered in British Columbia, Manitoba or Saskatchewan. ® The TD logo and other trademarks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank or its subsidiaries.

8249-0320

KPU ALUMNI MAGAZINE ISSUE 5 2022

Keep in touch with what’s happening at KPU and with our active alumni community. alumni.kpu.ca KPUalumni KPU Alumni Interested in KPU programs and courses? Contact the Future Students’ Office: 604.599.3030 study@kpu.ca Kwantlen Polytechnic University 12666 72 Avenue Surrey, BC V3W 2M8

KPU Alumni Magazine Issue 5

Articles inside

Distinguished Alumni Awards

KPU Names Melville School of Business After $8-Million Donation from Philanthropists

CommUNITY

Gabby Gill

Meet the KPUAA Team

AOK: Alumni of KPU

KPU Alumni Perks

Parabjot Kaur Singh

Asima Khokhar

Balraj Mann

Mariam Nasrri

Sara Jonsdottir

Dr. Alan Davis

Jennifer Causey

Roop Johal

Randall Heidt

Nasrin Ali

Preet Bal

Leland Harper

Joseph Deasy