BEQUEST MAKES A BIG IMPACT FOR TRADES STUDENTS AT KPU

Darlene Joyce Reppenhagen (nee Holden) was a long-time resident of Tsawwassen and a former social worker at George Derby Centre. In 2021, KPU received notice that Reppenhagen had passed away in January and that KPU would be receiving a bequest from her estate.

Among several other charities in her community, KPU received a generous gift of over $107,000, which has been endowed by the KPU Foundation to fulfill Reppenhagen’s desire to support students in the trades.

Reppenhagen will always be remembered for her kindness to others, and the legacy that she has created at KPU will encourage and recognize outstanding achievers in all trades. Each year, interest income from the endowment will provide $2,000 to each program chair in the faculty to designate two $1,000 scholarships among the Dean’s Prize recipients from the foundation program cohorts.

The students are recognized for success in their programs combined with stellar attendance and attitude, the important qualities that employers are looking for, and that reflect Reppenhagen’s values.

"As a child, I saw my great-grandmother making and designing regalia; often she would sew on the strawberry flower. The strawberry flower represented growth and new beginnings; when the berry would form, we would harvest it and freeze it, make jam or can it for the winter. The wild strawberry is a resilient plant that grows low to the ground. Considered the heart fruit that nourishes, it is one of the first fruit we would harvest for the year. When designing this image, I thought about how I have always been in awe of the random flower that would grow in an unexpected area, and this reminds me of resilience. In the strawberry leaf, you will see the salmon egg, another representation of strength, stability, growth and resilience. The background is stone representing harsh conditions, but the flower is still growing."

ARTIST: KPU Fine Arts Indigenous Student Sylvia Simpson

TITLE: Resilience

MEDIUM: Digital Art