50 Remarkable Alumni: Rebecca Anderson finds inspiration for lifelong learning

In 1988, when Rebecca Anderson started her post-secondary education at Fraser Valley College at the age of 27, she developed a personal mantra: one course at a time.

Fifteen years later, she had completed a diploma at what had become the University College of the Fraser Valley, a bachelor’s degree at Simon Fraser, and a law degree from the University of Calgary.

But she would not have considered or completed that journey if it wasn’t for UFV and its direct impact on her.

Living in Abbotsford with two small children and a husband who commuted to Vancouver, having a post-secondary institution in the Fraser Valley opened possibilities for Rebecca. It was an accessible option where she could enroll in a part-time capacity.

“After I transferred to Simon Fraser, oh how I missed UCFV,” she recalls, “where instructors were very supportive and would work with you if you needed extra help. And some were inspirational. My math instructor, Velma Alford, started every class with a slide illustrating how statistics were relevant to everyday life. I loved my time there. It was great for mature students who were tentatively entering academia.”

She also valued the opportunity to explore options early in her education.

“I was going to do a business certificate and the only course I could get at first was marketing,” she recalls. “At the end of it, the instructor, Blake Wight, encouraged me to go for a four-year degree.”

She followed her instructor’s advice and applied at Simon Fraser University after completing the equivalent of two years at UCFV.

It wasn’t an easy road. After a few years of long commutes to SFU to finish her bachelor’s degree, she took commuting to a whole new level, leaving her husband and kids in Abbotsford to attend law school in Calgary.

“I came home for four months in the summer, for Christmas, and for their birthdays. Otherwise, they had to make do without me, but they were older then,” she recalls.

After the law degree came the law career: six years as a barrister and solicitor working for other firms, and six years as the principal of her own firm, which specialized in family law.

She found the work fascinating, but Rebecca’s career shifts were not over. While she was home recovering from an illness, her son, who was taking a master of arts degree in political science, was participating in an internship in local government. He started to share some of his local government reading materials with his mother.

“I thought, if I were to do something other than law, it would be municipal administration,” she says. “I found it fascinating.”

So, she switched gears again, becoming the Chief Administrative Officer for the Village of Lytton for four years; she left the position just eight months before the devastating fire that destroyed the community.

“That was very traumatic to watch from afar, but even worse for the colleagues and residents of Lytton I had left behind.”

Now Rebecca and her husband have settled on the Sunshine Coast, where she is Director of Corporate and Legislative Services for the Town of Gibsons.

She reflects on her time at UCFV with real fondness, as a place where she made lifelong friends and enjoyed many extracurricular activities such as the Women’s History Network.

And she has some ready advice for current students.

“Try everything that interests you! Don’t lock yourself in too soon.”

More than 50,000 people have graduated from UFV since 1974. Over the next year, we’ll be introducing you to 50 remarkable alumni.

If you know a remarkable UFV grad that we should feature, nominate them today.

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