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…

Having reconstructive leg surgery as a young teen in BC Children’s Hospital set the course of Victoria Hu’s life. “I had my first surgery at fourteen and the second at sixteen,” Victoria recalls. “I had to relearn how to walk. I spent a lot of time in the hospital. That’s where my love of health…

Starting a career in trades may be unconventional for a woman, but it has its benefits. Ask Red Seal carpenter Emilie Biela. After high school, she landed a summer job with VGS Contracting, a local construction, equipment supply, and installation company in the commercial greenhouse industry. One day, her boss asked her if she would…

When someone is in crisis, it is easy to resort to common platitudes in an effort to offer comfort. Few of us are equipped to support others effectively when they go through stress, grief, trauma, or loss. A new Psychological First Aid course developed by the Red Cross aims to change that. Course materials were…

Did you know that employers who are willing to invest in developing their employees are more likely to retain top talent? And not only that: they are also better equipped to thrive, as large numbers of experienced baby boomers move in droves toward retirement. Like many employers in niche markets that require specialized skills, Prins…

Often, it’s the small moments that make work meaningful. Watching her 86-year-old client splash around in the wave pool was exactly that kind of a moment for former Recreation Coordinator Lori Teske. “She just enjoyed every minute,” Lori recalls. “It was really touching.” Providing engaging experiences to residents in long-term care takes careful coordination, but…

Article submitted by Cari Borenko Hoffmann Have you ever been afraid a medical crisis could leave you too sick to make your own healthcare decisions? Planning for your future health care needs — a process referred to as Advance Care Planning (ACP) — can help you ensure you receive the medical care you require in…

When executive chef Jody Sigurdson-Longo showed her culinary arts class at Rick Hansen Secondary a clip from Chopped Canada, one of her students quipped: “Chef, you could totally win this!” And that’s what triggered Jody to compete in and win the famed Food Network cooking competition in 2015. The episode in which she is featured…

Shirlana Julian is the oldest in a class of 17 medical office assistants in training. Unlike her classmates, who take the UFV Continuing Education’s Medical Office Assistant (MOA) program to launch a career in the field, Shirlana has worked in this role for two years already. Now she would like to become a certified MOA…

Do you love an intellectual challenge? Enter the legal profession. Pawanpreet Gill and Melissa Solomon, two recent graduates from UFV Continuing Education’s Legal Administrative Assistant (LAA) program, have found a stimulating work environment at a full-service law firm, Lindsay Kenney LLP, based in Langley and downtown Vancouver. However, both took a few detours on the…

We’ve all heard it said: networking is critical to career success. For employees who work remotely — such as Denise Parker, a senior administrator who runs the West Coast operation of a weatherproofing company headquartered in Toronto — networking opportunities are gold: they keep career stagnation at bay. Networking events are one way to meet…

Nikolas Croker first heard about nursing foot care while studying to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN). “My first reaction was to wonder why anyone would need a foot care nurse,” Nikolas recalls. “But the more I learned, the more I realized how critical this type of care is.” In older adults, diabetes causes nerve…

“I remember the first time I met you,” says Reece Mack, PR coordinator at Jelly Marketing to his colleague, account manager Hudson Lee. “You were late for class,” he adds, teasingly. The two young professionals met on their first day in UFV Continuing Education’s Public Relations program in October 2016. Since then, they’ve become fast…

When the bottom dropped out of the oil and gas industry in 2014, Kyla Giesbrecht felt the impact. She wasn’t the stereotypical labourer on the rigs. She was an administrative assistant supporting one of the oil and gas companies, but like many others, she lost her job. It was time for a career reboot. She…

When talking about her second career in floral design, Shirley Burns likes to say that she’s still digging up dirt. Throughout a 30-year career in the security and investigation field, Shirley had certainly perfected the art of digging up buried secrets. But even though she was at the top of her game, the former executive…