Gerry Eggert is defying age stereotypes and inspiring students of all generations with his persistent pursuit of education at the age of 82. With five or six semesters left before he earns his degree, Gerry is proving that it is never too late to chase your dreams and inspire others along the way. While…

In early March, Daria Tsynda stood at the border of Ukraine and Romania without a plan and with a single bag in tow. A future that looked so certain and promising only weeks before, one that involved attending university in the Ukraine capital of Kyiv to study business after her upcoming high school graduation, was…

As the hometown Abbotsford Canucks battled the San Diego Gulls tooth and nail below on the ice recently, a familiar face within UFV sports circles roamed the arena with a camera in her hand and an employee credential dangling off her neck. Throughout the game, Sarah Parker deftly captured every slap shot and fan interaction,…

On October 5, UFV celebrates its designation as B.C's only institution to achieve Age-Friendly University status with a gathering on the K Building patio at 4pm. The achievement is no surprise to Bachelor of Arts bookworm Kathleen (Brown) Paddington. Earn a degree and become a teacher. That was always Paddington's goal as a student at…

Near the top of each on-air interview, Victoria Surtees, the host and creator of the new UFV Ekta podcast series, asks each guest the same two-part question: “What is one time you have felt powerful and one time you have felt powerless?”  For the UFV students on the other end of those questions, it has…

If you are a current UFV student or UFV STEM graduate (within the past two years) and are interested in making an impact on society with your innovative research, UFV’s Esposito Family Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (EFCIE) might have an Innovation Grant for you! The recipients of the EFCIE Innovation Grant 2021 were awarded…

Gagan Khakh traveled by tractor the first time he returned to his family’s farm on the Sumas Prairie after being evacuated 48 hours earlier. A truck wouldn’t have cut it. Catastrophic flooding had not only forced road closures in all directions, but had also displaced hundreds of farmers and residents in the area.  When Gagan,…

Larissa Kowalski made a big leap when she enrolled at UFV. She was the first in her family to attend university. Making the even bigger leap from student to researcher during her undergraduate years gave her the knowledge, skills, and confidence she needed to successfully apply to and complete a graduate degree. Larissa came to…

By Elicia Tournier RuoYu Xiao came from a hard-working family of farmers with no academic background. "We never thought I’d be an academic, but now I’m on this path to become a researcher,” she notes with a chuckle. As a first-generation university student and an international student from Chengdu, China, RuoYu wanted to maximize her…

Research is just looking through a microscope, right? Katrina Frankenberger, a fourth-year kinesiology student with an extended minor in psychology, fell prey to this misconception when her first research opportunity presented itself. “I always thought of research as looking at something through a microscope. I now know that is really narrow-minded but it’s what we…

For alumnus Travis Gingerich, his undergraduate research experiences were as much about the journey as the result. "Field-based research provided me with the chance to experience so many landscapes and remote locations that would otherwise be very difficult to get to. Once there, you get to know them on a much more intimate level than…

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…

It's not very typical for your mum join you in your graduation photo, but Isabelle St-Martin didn't mind: her mum is a new graduate too! Both Isabelle and her mum, Dr. Shelley Canning, have been working hard at their credential for years. Shelley, who is an associate professor of nursing at UFV and an elected…

When Emily Rettich graduated high school and wasn’t sure what her next step should be. UFV helped her find out, and introduced her to career options within the STEM field. After a few years off for travel and work in the service sector perfecting her barista skills, Emily enrolled at UFV, working towards a bachelor’s…

When UFV Computer Information Studies student Mykal Machon realized that many local small businesses were in trouble because of the temporary closures and social isolation brought on by COVID-19 in mid-March, he wondered if his particular skill set could be of help. Machon, who recently finished his fourth year of studies at UFV, working towards…