Skookum Magazine
Bands blast, rappers lay down beats, and poets are slamming — all in one night and all in one room. One young woman is in her element, putting herself on the line and reading for a live audience. It’s all part of a fundraising evening organized by the Raspberry collective at the Reach Gallery and […]
One student’s memorial gift helped first-generation learner and UFV President Mark Evered get his start. Now stepping away, he looks forward to where universities are going next Dave Evered, a Hamilton factory worker, pushed callused and grease-streaked hands into the palms of five sons. “Do better, boys,” he implored. “Get an education so you won’t […]
Think about about those little Russian dolls. The smallest doll is surrounded by a larger one, which is in turn enveloped by an even bigger one, which is finally held safely by the largest doll of all. A healthy community is sort of like these dolls. The youngest and most vulnerable are cared for by […]
Steve Jobs owned the world. Tim McAlpine just wants its credit unions. Banking on evolving business makes perfect sense for Tim McAlpine. A UFV graphic design alumnus with clients across North America, McAlpine sports a Jobs-like look with black sweaters coating the thin build of a man who loves all things Apple. He looks at […]
We step into the forest near Bridal Falls outside of Chilliwack and the trappings of modern-day life slip away. There’s just us, the mist, the cedar, the ferns, and the birds and animals quietly observing. Our mission? Finding food and medicine in the forest to gather and harvest, along with a path towards healthier communities. […]
When internationally known peace and conflict scholar George Lopez visited UFV in March, he stayed at a local Abbotsford hotel. There is nothing inherently remarkable in this, except that his fellow guests were not all business travelers or families on vacation. In the parking lot, men gathered to smoke. In the lobby, women gathered to […]
Walter Sussel doesn’t actually remember leaving Germany, but the story of his journey as recounted by others is seared into his brain. A little boy. Four years old. Holding the hand of his two-year-old sister. Being told by a trusted adult to walk along a forested path. That his uncle was waiting for him on […]
Forty years ago it was rare to see a woman in a police uniform. And when you did, chances are she was in a skirt and kept her gun in her purse. Now women comprise 20 percent of all police officers in Canada. Women in policing have faced challenges along the way, and many have […]
Dentist, husband, father, volunteer, globetrotter, Distinguished Young Alumni. And now, UFV Top 40 Alumni. It’s little wonder Dr. Evan Wiens is always smiling. UFV’s 2013 Distinguished Young Alumni award winner — reserved for a high achiever under the age of 35 — has been making an impact at every stage of his education and career. […]
Mary Anne Waterhouse is a two-time Gemini award-winning producer, with a resume that includes over 50 film and television productions. Her most recent film projects include Lawrence & Holloman, and That Burning Feeling, and The Steps. She is head of production for the Blue Ice Group in Toronto and in that capacity just finished production […]
An unsuccessful start to nursing school at a large urban university may have been a blessing in disguise for Tracey. Tracey, winner of the 2010 Distinguished Alumni award and one of the UFV Top 40 alumni, knew from a young age that she wanted to be a nurse. After high school, she went directly to […]
Playwright, producer, filmmaker, actor, and director Andy Thompson was almost an engineer. Andy, the artistic director of The Virtual Stage, a leader in the Vancouver theatre scene, and one of UFV’s Top 40 alumni, started as a science student with an academic scholarship heading towards an engineering degree. “My mother said I should take some […]
