Families cheered and friends applauded as graduates crossed the stage during four University of the Fraser Valley Convocation ceremonies, held June 2 and 3 at the Abbotsford Centre. More than 2,300 students earned more than 2,800 credentials at UFV this year, and many of them gathered to formally celebrate and bask in their moment of…

Alyssa Zucchet came to UFV as a stand-out student, and she’s leaving the same way. Recruited out of Chilliwack Secondary in 2012 with a $16,000 President’s Entrance Scholarship, she maintained excellent grades for the full four years, and is leaving with the Governor General’s Silver Medal as the top graduate from a bachelor’s degree program.…

UFV’s Hospitality Event Planning certificate program is known for its practical focus. In Rebecca Noort’s case, the skills she picked up have an immediate application. Roughly one week after she crosses the stage here at UFV Convocation, she’ll be walking down the aisle to marry her fiancé Phil. That means that while she was completing…

Kristy Kardos can see the surface of her dining room table for the first time in two years. And her ever-patient husband and friends are happy that she’s free to take part in social activities again. Everything’s been on hold as she immersed herself in social work studies at the University of the Fraser Valley,…

Blending beautiful design with commercial and community consciousness led Abbotsford’s Courtney Verbeek to the top of her class. And artfully beyond. With a 4.19 GPA, Verbeek is this year’s recipient of the UFV Governor General’s Bronze Medal as the student with the highest GPA over the last 15 credits in any two-year diploma program. A…

Rags-to-riches stories often offer a glimpse into the highest level of human achievement. But Luigi Aquilini’s tale might top them all. Emigrating from his small Italian hometown, Luigi arrived in Canada penniless. Speaking little to no English and armed with nothing but a fifth-grade education, a strong back, and a determination to succeed, he set…

Decades of public service behind him, George Peary has a quip for every occasion, a story for every situation, and now an honorary degree from UFV recognizing a lifetime of community commitment. “I’m an ordinary fellow who’s been given an extraordinary opportunity to serve,” he says. “You make a living by what you get, but…

Halldor Bjarnason knows all about overcoming barriers. The cerebral palsy he was born with affects his movement and his speech. It crushed his dream of becoming a firefighter, a profession for which he still cares deeply. Halldor was a bright child, and his mother fought to get him into regular school in an era when…

For Linda Frimer, art is a form of reconciliation, and creativity a means of expressing the love within us all. The Vancouver artist has been sharing her art to heal, help worthy causes, and reconcile nature and culture for more than 35 years. In recognition of her artistic, humanitarian, and philanthropic contributions and accomplishments, Frimer…

Derek Harnett’s research explores things we can’t see and that might not exist. And it’s vital. A world-recognized expert in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) sum-rule methods, Harnett’s work isn’t easily understood by the layperson, but it’s heralded within the physics community. His research — fuelled by insatiable curiosity and funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering…

Some people say volunteering is for the birds — as in it’s not worth doing. But for Elizabeth Melnick, volunteering is literally for the thousands of birds and other wild animals that she and her helpers have saved and attempt to rehabilitated over the years. Melnick has been taking in injured birds and animals at…

UFV is once again looking for unsung heroes. Do you know an individual or a group who has made the Fraser Valley a better place to live? People who make everyday contributions to their community but who may not be recognized? Consider nominating them for the UFV Betty Urquhart Community Service award. Betty Urquhart was…