Thea Bramer of Mission had never heard of the Governor General’s Silver Medal award until she got the phone call telling her she’d be receiving it. After a 20-year break from school, the former administrative assistant came to UFV for a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care — and received the highest academic standing of any graduate from a four-year degree program.   

“It took a lot of juggling,” she says. On top of her full-time studies, Thea is co-founder and executive director of a family togetherness program with 94 staff, and is the caregiver for eight children. As a foster parent for 16 years, Thea was inspired to take this degree by a UFV student she’d hired for childcare support.  

“She shared a lot of the stuff that she was doing in her classes, which was the first time I’d ever heard about the Child and Youth Care (CYC) program here at UFV. Getting my own bachelor’s degree was always something that I wanted to do, but I never found the right fit,” Thea recalls.  

“I’d considered social services, but I don’t love the idea of being in an office all the time. I didn’t want to do the work with children, youth, and families in that way, and so this was the first time I had heard that there was something different. So, I explored it and fell in love with what I heard from her, and what I saw on the website.” 

Though she had plenty of experience, the CYC program gave her stronger historical context, boundaries, and mindfulness skills. With a degree and a medal under her belt, Thea’s ready to pour her education back into her team. The Growing Up Hope Society provides outreach prevention, parenting support, a teaching home, and resources that support family connection for the children who reside there.

“We do all things based on relationships,” she explains. That means family dinners, constant communication with parents, and a focus on reunification. “We don’t work with our children in the absence of their families of origin, whatever that looks like for the family. We encourage our young people to have a voice at the table when it comes to their planning, their goals, the things that they want to work towards.”  

After watching a friend go through the heartbreaking decision to put her child into government care 30 years ago, Thea never forgot how a lack of funding and support can make it impossible for loving families to stay together. 

“That experience underpins a lot of what I do now in terms of working with the families,” she says. “We encourage our team to really look at the family from a different perspective. They’re doing the best they can. We haven’t walked their path or lived their experiences, and you can’t know what led to their decisions.” 

Because of this approach, Thea now gets to see children with significant challenges grow and find their footing, and parents get support and reunite with their loved ones. She’s had the honour of supporting reconnection for more than a dozen families.

Thea is most excited to receive this award because it serves as an example to those in her care.   

“I think it really speaks to the fact that you can do anything at any point in your life. It’s never too late. You’re never too old. I took a 20-year break before coming back to university. And not only did I do it, but look at how well I did. It shows my kids that there were some hard times, but there was a reason and a purpose — and I think that this is part of it. So, I am excited to be able to share that with them.” 

Thea received her Governor General’s Silver Medal at UFV’s afternoon convocation ceremony on June 10, 2025.