Skookum Archive
Skookum magazine — Keeping in Touch — 2022 edition
The Keeping in Touch section of UFV’s Skookum magazine features brief updates from a variety of alumni. Derek Epp (BSW ’15), whose Xwélmexw name is Weli’leq, is the elected Chief of the Tzeachten First Nation, part of the Ch’iyàqtel Tribe. He is a proud descendant of the Wealick family. During his studies at UFV he…
After the Flood — UFV helped launch Abbotsford Disaster Relief
When the devastating floods of November 2021 inundated parts of the Fraser Valley, former UFV VP External Craig Toews and his team leapt into action to help a traumatized community recover. Every resident in the Fraser Valley can probably tell you exactly where they were on November 14 and 15, 2021, and the rain-soaked days that…
Celebrating three decades of university degrees at UFV
As UFV celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024, we look back at our roots and key moments in our evolution. The year was 1991. Nirvana topped the music charts, Thelma and Louise, Beauty and the Beast, and Silence of the Lambs graced the silver screens, while grunge jeans, scrunchies, and Doc Martens walked the…
Catching up with Justice Shirzad Ahmed — 2011 Distinguished Alumni
A former UFV student from the university-college era is now a Federal Court judge. Justice Shirzad Ahmed was appointed to the Federal Court on September 14, 2017. The Federal Court is Canada’s national trial court. It deals with cases in a broad range of areas of federal jurisdiction, including national security law, intellectual property law,…
Telling her truth — Pursuing her passion leads to success
Jasmin Kaur’s imagination is taking her places. From her bedroom office in Abbotsford she is living the life of a twice-published author and worldwide influencer. Her novel If I Tell You The Truth, is interspersed with poetry and tells the story of Kiran, an international student who stays illegally in Canada to raise a baby…
Teaching social justice — How Nerlap Sidhu is transforming the
Inside Nerlap Kaur Sidhu’s classroom, there’s a giant sign that reads: If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you. Underneath are more than 30 colourful self-portraits neatly lined up and symmetrically organized into three rows. More important than the art quality is the diversity, the pride, and most importantly, the stories, derived from each…
Skookum magazine 2021 — Keeping In Touch — extended version
The Keeping in Touch section of UFV's Skookum magazine features brief updates from a variety of alumni. We couldn't fit every submission into this year's print edition, so here's an extended online version. Sheetal Deo (BA '11) When Sheetal Deo (BA ’12) felt the call to become a lawyer after graduating from UFV, she headed…A different debut — COVID dashed plans for volleyball, but
Put yourself in Ellie Sinclair’s shoes. Back on March 2, 2020, when she was introduced as part of the UFV women’s volleyball team’s class of incoming recruits, she had a very distinct picture of what her first year of university would look like. She’d attend in-person classes primarily on the Abbotsford campus, pursuing her Criminal…
The Indigenizer: Shirley Hardman’s journey of discovery guides her mission
Shirley Hardman remembers the shock she felt when a government clerk asked: “And what kind of Indian are you?” “How do you know I’m an Indian?” replied Shirley, whose Stó:lō name is Swelchalot. “I can tell just by looking at you,” replied the clerk. The thing is, at that point in her life, Shirley wasn’t…Passion Ignited — mentors guided Matt Douma from rebel to
Two mentors guided Matt Douma from rebel living in a car to ER nursing career Matt Douma wasn’t a typical nursing student. He chafed against convention and questioned the rules. He had passions outside of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program, despite being warned by his professors that he wouldn’t have time for…Meeting of the minds — CityStudio Abbotford’s exchange of ideas
“Pretty fun, eh? I love it!” Max Dishman’s enthusiasm is contagious. People stopping by Abbotsford City Hall during the semi-annual Hubbub event are in jeopardy of walking away with a major dose of zeal. Max is one of dozens of UFV students on hand to show off their work at the CityStudio Abbotsford Hubbub. He…
Fishy business: Dr. Lucy Lee raising fish cell lines and
Dr. Lucy Lee is in demand. She’s on the phone, walking down the hall near her UFV office arranging a trip to New Zealand, having just returned from San Francisco. There’s an email from Chile in her inbox. Is she going to Japan in a few weeks? There’s also that shipment that needs to get…Deep roots — the Crabtree connection carries back to UFV’s
There are not many people whose connection to UFV goes back as far as Tom Crabtree's. And that long-time connection has led to new support in the form of bursaries for UFV students. The Honourable Mr. Justice Thomas Crabtree, as he is formally known, was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in May…Career U-Turn — Bill Chivers on the road to reinvention
The moment Bill Chivers knew his life would never be the same came with a loud snap. “I heard it pop, I knew it right there,” he says. “I was reaching in to get a case. It was one of those ones where you had to dig deep, move ten, grab the one in the…
UFV Queen Elizabeth Scholars in spotlight
Recently, UFV student Maegan McKay spoke about her experience as a Queen Elizabeth Scholar (QES) at a Government House reception in Victoria. The third-year Global Development Studies (GDS) was one of eight QES alumni at the event marking five years of the QES program. McKay worked in Kenya at Nairobi’s United Nations partnership development office…Skookum magazine — Keeping in Touch — 2022 edition
The Keeping in Touch section of UFV’s Skookum magazine features brief updates from a variety of alumni. Derek Epp (BSW ’15), whose Xwélmexw name is Weli’leq, is the elected Chief of the Tzeachten First Nation, part of the Ch’iyàqtel Tribe. He is a proud descendant of the Wealick family. During his studies at UFV he…After the Flood — UFV helped launch Abbotsford Disaster Relief
When the devastating floods of November 2021 inundated parts of the Fraser Valley, former UFV VP External Craig Toews and his team leapt into action to help a traumatized community recover. Every resident in the Fraser Valley can probably tell you exactly where they were on November 14 and 15, 2021, and the rain-soaked days that…Celebrating three decades of university degrees at UFV
As UFV celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024, we look back at our roots and key moments in our evolution. The year was 1991. Nirvana topped the music charts, Thelma and Louise, Beauty and the Beast, and Silence of the Lambs graced the silver screens, while grunge jeans, scrunchies, and Doc Martens walked the…Catching up with Justice Shirzad Ahmed — 2011 Distinguished Alumni
A former UFV student from the university-college era is now a Federal Court judge. Justice Shirzad Ahmed was appointed to the Federal Court on September 14, 2017. The Federal Court is Canada’s national trial court. It deals with cases in a broad range of areas of federal jurisdiction, including national security law, intellectual property law,…Telling her truth — Pursuing her passion leads to success
Jasmin Kaur’s imagination is taking her places. From her bedroom office in Abbotsford she is living the life of a twice-published author and worldwide influencer. Her novel If I Tell You The Truth, is interspersed with poetry and tells the story of Kiran, an international student who stays illegally in Canada to raise a baby…Teaching social justice — How Nerlap Sidhu is transforming the
Inside Nerlap Kaur Sidhu’s classroom, there’s a giant sign that reads: If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you. Underneath are more than 30 colourful self-portraits neatly lined up and symmetrically organized into three rows. More important than the art quality is the diversity, the pride, and most importantly, the stories, derived from each…Skookum magazine 2021 — Keeping In Touch — extended version
The Keeping in Touch section of UFV's Skookum magazine features brief updates from a variety of alumni. We couldn't fit every submission into this year's print edition, so here's an extended online version. Sheetal Deo (BA '11) When Sheetal Deo (BA ’12) felt the call to become a lawyer after graduating from UFV, she headed…A different debut — COVID dashed plans for volleyball, but
Put yourself in Ellie Sinclair’s shoes. Back on March 2, 2020, when she was introduced as part of the UFV women’s volleyball team’s class of incoming recruits, she had a very distinct picture of what her first year of university would look like. She’d attend in-person classes primarily on the Abbotsford campus, pursuing her Criminal…The Indigenizer: Shirley Hardman’s journey of discovery guides her mission
Shirley Hardman remembers the shock she felt when a government clerk asked: “And what kind of Indian are you?” “How do you know I’m an Indian?” replied Shirley, whose Stó:lō name is Swelchalot. “I can tell just by looking at you,” replied the clerk. The thing is, at that point in her life, Shirley wasn’t…Passion Ignited — mentors guided Matt Douma from rebel to
Two mentors guided Matt Douma from rebel living in a car to ER nursing career Matt Douma wasn’t a typical nursing student. He chafed against convention and questioned the rules. He had passions outside of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program, despite being warned by his professors that he wouldn’t have time for…Meeting of the minds — CityStudio Abbotford’s exchange of ideas
“Pretty fun, eh? I love it!” Max Dishman’s enthusiasm is contagious. People stopping by Abbotsford City Hall during the semi-annual Hubbub event are in jeopardy of walking away with a major dose of zeal. Max is one of dozens of UFV students on hand to show off their work at the CityStudio Abbotsford Hubbub. He…Fishy business: Dr. Lucy Lee raising fish cell lines and
Dr. Lucy Lee is in demand. She’s on the phone, walking down the hall near her UFV office arranging a trip to New Zealand, having just returned from San Francisco. There’s an email from Chile in her inbox. Is she going to Japan in a few weeks? There’s also that shipment that needs to get…
