Skookum Archive
UFV Top 40 Alumni: Stacey Irwin — Lifetime of dedication
There are few UFV alumni whose lives are as intertwined with their alma mater as Stacey Irwin’s is. She became the first chair of the UFV Alumni Association when it was incorporated in 2001, and was involved for a year previously when it was an informal organization. She is currently first vice chair of the…Top 40 Alumni: Ken Hildebrandt — Kid who thought “theatre
Ken Hildebrandt enjoyed his theatre studies so much that he put them to good use before he even graduated. A protégé of Ian Fenwick and the rest of the UFV Theatre department, Hildebrandt thought it would be “cool to have my own theatre company.” While still attending UFV (then UCFV) he started Gallery 7 in…UFV Top 40 Alumni: George Hemeon — Carver honoured for
Weaving a life that integrated the worlds of art and business led to George Hemeon’s UFV Distinguished Alumni award in 2012. Now, his tapestry is tailor-made for UFV’s Top 40 Alumni list. George accomplished a considerable amount this millennium. The former landscaper earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from UFV in 2004, majoring in criminal…UFV Top 40 alumni: Gus Hartl — Credit union CEO
It’s a good thing the Mounties didn’t get their man. Aldergrove’s Gus Hartl grew up the youngest of six boys, and all but the eldest followed their dad into the RCMP. Hartl considered doing so too, and was accepted into the force, but when he found himself 500th on the waiting list he decided to…UFV Top 40 alumni: Debbie Greene — resilience personified
Much has been written about Captain Trevor Greene’s experience and his long journey back from his comatose state after an Afghani youth buried an ax in his head. He has made a remarkable recovery to a state where he is conscious and aware, lives at home with Debbie and their two children, and works daily…UFV Top 40 Alumni: Dr. Peter Eppinga — An author
Dr. Peter Eppinga has packed a lot of experience into his first three decades. Now a resident physician at Alberta Health Services, his fascination with health and the human body really took off when studying kinesiology and biology at UFV. He graduated with his BKin in 2006. “Kinesiology was great to study because it addresses…UFV Top 40 Alumni: Dave Dhat — Helping cure blindness
Dr. Dave Dhat didn’t take a very direct route to a career in medicine. Now an emergency room physician at Abbotsford Regional Hospital, he started his post-secondary studies with plans to become an engineer. After completing his Associate in Science two-year degree at what was then UCFV in 2000, he went on to complete an…UFV Top 40 Alumni: Julie Czeck — Young alumna credits
Julie Czeck is one of the younger UFV Top 40 Alumni, still enrolled in graduate studies in the Master of Arts in Dispute Resolution at the University of Victoria. But she has achieved a lot at her relatively young age after graduating from UFV with her Bachelor of Arts in 2011 with a near-perfect 4.2…Top 40 Alumni: Stu Chahal — Cisco kid excels in
From UFV to North Carolina, then back to BC, Stu Chahal isn’t afraid to share his talents, and his time, wherever he lands. Before becoming UFV’s 2013 Distinguished Alumni award winner, Stu hit the ground running after graduating with a Bachelor in Computer Systems degree with a minor in business administration back in 2005. Fueled…UFV Top 40 Alumni: Kelly Chahal — Abbotsford councillor earned
Kelly Chahal liked UFV so much, she stayed for three credentials with UFV's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. First she earned her Criminal Justice diploma in 1993, then joined one of the first cohorts of the Bachelor of Criminal Justice degree, graduating in 1994. When UFV added a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice,…UFV Top 40 alumni: Shelley Besse — from teller to
From part-time teller to president of Envision Financial, Shelley Besse’s success follows a simple recipe: work hard, believe in yourself, and invest in the people around you. A UFV Top 40 Alumni and highly respected leader with extensive knowledge in financial services, Shelley’s focus throughout her career has been facilitating excellent member experiences. That passion…UFV Top 40 Alumni: Luke Armstrong — Bringing security to
Luke Armstrong is one of those people who willingly travels to danger zones from which others flee. A security advisor by profession and one of UFV’s Top 40 Alumni, he recently returned from Liberia, where he managed the security needs of medical professionals responding to the Ebola outbreak. The work is challenging, to say the…UFV Top 40 Alumni: Shirzad Ahmed — Human rights lawyer
Caring, competent, and charismatic, Shirzad Ahmed was an obvious choice for UFV’s Top 40 Alumni list. Winner of UFV’s Distinguished Alumni award in 2011, his tireless fight for oppressed and vulnerable people is partially inspired by his own trials and tribulations. At the age of 18 he was a political exile from Kurdistan. He knocked…UFV Top 40 Alumni: Rebecca Anderson — UFV kick-started law
Rebecca Anderson didn’t know where her educational journey would take her when she began taking media and communications studies and other humanities courses at UFV in the early 1990s. She earned her MACS diploma in 1992 and continued on to Simon Fraser to finish a BA degree. When she finished that she worked in the…UFV, CEPCO, BC government and donors team up to fund
UFV has committed $750,000 toward the construction of the first stage of a new BC School of Agriculture on its Chilliwack campus at the Canada Education Park, and two key partners plus community donors have brought that total to $2.2 million. UFV will pay $750,000 of the cost of building the first phase of the…UFV Top 40: Kathleen McIntosh — Curiosity and communication help
British Columbia has had a number of notorious, extremely complicated, and lengthy criminal cases go before the courts in the past decade. Two of them stand out for the particularly nefarious nature of the purported crimes: the trial of serial killer Robert (Willy) Pickton, and the recent Surrey Six proceedings, in which several young men…Social justice champion Shirzad Ahmed receives honorary degree from UFV
Effectively fighting for the rights of refugees and immigrants from 144 countries takes 12-hours a day, seven days a week. And Shirzad Ahmed wouldn’t have it any other way. For his dedication to human rights, Shirzad will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of the Fraser Valley at 10 a.m. on…UFV Top 40: Alex McAulay — Young executive with entrepreneurial
Alex McAulay is no stranger to well-deserved praise. His hardworking, multi-tasking qualities were recognized when UFV presented the then-28-year-old with its inaugural Young Distinguished Alumni award in 2012. Alex was so honoured that he delayed his honeymoon with new wife Kaila just to receive the award. Presented to a UFV graduate under the age of…UFV Top 40: Patti MacAhonic — A leader in many
Patti MacAhonic’s life has taken some unexpected turns. Married young and widowed young in 1988, she was inspired into activism by injustices she encountered after her husband’s death following a severe workplace injury. Currently executive director at Ann Davis Transition Society in Chilliwack. Patti has applied her skills and talents in many volunteer and paid…UFV Top 40: Jason Lum — Student of everything finds
Jason Lum adhered to the “follow your interests” school of education when he was a UCFV student in the late 1990s and early 2000s. While enrolled he took a little of everything, from theatre and sociology to First Nations studies, anthropology, and medieval history. He initially planned to be a teacher, so took a wide…UFV Top 40: Dave Lanphear — Local boy makes good…
David Lanphear loves a good run, whether along the streets near his Eagle Mountain home in Abbotsford, or down Whistler’s winding slopes. But when it comes to work, his feet dig in until the job’s complete and clients are exceptionally satisfied. As Vice-President, Banking and Insurance Services, Dave is responsible for the financial performance, leadership…UFV Top 40 Alumni: Matt Loewen — Applying management skills
Matt Loewen applied the management skills he acquired by taking a UFV Bachelor of Business Administration degree (with a human resources focus) to humanitarian work in Africa. Matt was hired by the King’s Foundation in 2005 to initiate and provide a permanent presence for the organization in Botswana. Starting from a modest presence in…UFV Top 40 Alumni: Amar Kingra — Criminal justice is
Abbotsford Police Staff Sgt. Amar Kingra’s family has a very close relationship with two major Fraser Valley organizations. One is the Abbotsford Police Department, which Amar joined in 1981. His nephew, Constable Charn Kingra (also a UFV alumnus and a sessional criminology instructor), followed him into the force in 1996. And just last year, his…Scholarship inspired by excellent nursing care at Abbotsford Regional Hospital
Dr. Malwinder Singh Dhami is one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the University of the Fraser Valley. Dhami, a dentist with a long-established practice in Abbotsford, has been connected to the university for many years. He has been a member of the UFV Abbotsford Community Council , and played a key role in fundraising…UFV Top 40 Alumni: Tanya Jonker — A memorable career
Tanya Jonker will never forget her years at UFV. They helped launch her into an exciting academic career researching the mechanisms of memory retrieval. Now a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo, Jonker graduated from UFV in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. She was the UFV Young Distinguished Alumni award winner…Special edition of Skookum magazine highlights Top 40 Alumni
The latest edition of Skookum, UFV’s magazine, has hit the mailboxes of alumni and donors and is being distributed throughout our campuses and to our communities. This edition continues to celebrate our 40th anniversary and highlights the achievements of our Top 40 alumni. You can see a PDF version of the magazine here, or pick…Top 40 Alumni: Brad Jalbert — Confidence to pursue passion
Roses are a hobby that flourished for Brad Jalbert. But if it weren’t for a chance encounter with an ad for the Fraser Valley College Agriculture program, he may never have reached his full potential. Today he is considered a leading hybridizer of roses and his Select Roses varieties are recognized world-wide for their unique…