UFV gave Terry-Lynn Stone a springboard into a meaningful career in her 40s. Three decades later, she continues to contribute to her community through volunteerism.

Terry-Lynn served two terms on the UFV Board of Governors, one in the 1990s and again in the 2010s. She was also founding chair of the UCFV Alumni Association in 2000 (before it was a registered society). And she was named UFV’s Distinguished Alumni recipient in 2005, the third person to receive that honour.

“UFV changed my life,” she says. “It gave me the confidence to take things on that I would otherwise not have done. To have returned to school in my 40s and feel so supported provided a huge boost.”

After graduating, she became editor-in-chief of alive magazine and editorial director of Teldon Media. In 2009, she moved to Kamloops and became executive director of the Kamloops Brain Injury Association. She retired in 2016 but still keeps very busy.

She serves as national president of Days for Girls Canada, which makes and distributes sustainable washable menstrual products, and is the leader of the Kamloops Chapter. DfG International has distributed more than 3 million kits worldwide.

“Since I started the Kamloops Chapter in 2017 we have distributed more than 8,000 kits. This year, we sent 100 kits to Brazil and 200 kits to Gaza via our international partner Days for Girls International. Three weeks ago, we distributed 200 kits in Vernon.”

She sits on the Clinical Ethics Committee of Interior Health West, providing guidance in clinical ethical dilemmas.

She is board secretary of Developing World Connections, a secular organization that works with people on the ground in various countries to help them meet specific goals.

“In Kenya, we helped build a water catchment system at a school to collect rain during the rainy season for use in the garden growing fresh vegetables when it is dry. In Sri Lanka, one year we refurbished a building used for making prostheses for mentally and/or physically challenged adults and children so they could run a self-supporting clinic, and the next year helped rebuild homes all but destroyed by a tsunami.”

She is a member of Rotary and sits on the board of her club.

“I’m so lucky to be involved in so many projects. I’m not sure how long I can go on doing all this, but for now, I can’t imagine not doing it all,” she says.

She sends kudos to several now-retired UFV employees for their support.

“Educational advisor Mandy Klepic helped me broaden my horizons and prepare for success as a student. English professors Miriam Nichols, Rhonda Schuller, and Al McNeill made a huge difference in my life. And Graham Dowden was determined to make me think! I still remember that to this day.”

Her advice for current students, especially mature ones?

“When I first came to UFV, I felt that I didn’t know anything. Don’t be like that! Don’t assume that you don’t have skills. You’ll have to apply yourself, but you can do it!  Be courageous and take that first step.”