When Christine Seymour crossed the stage as the first-ever Indigenous graduate of UFV’s Bachelor of Science program in 2000, she planned for a future in science.  But her culture and language came calling.  She worked for a couple of years at the federal agricultural research facility in Agassiz before entering the teacher education program at…

"All that we are is story," Indigenous author Richard Wagamese once wrote. For Nerlap Kaur Sidhu, Vice Principal at William A. Fraser Middle School and one of UFV's 50 Remarkable Alumni, these words serve as both inspiration and blueprint for an educational philosophy centred on connecting students with their communities through powerful storytelling projects.  Since…

For Harrison Mooney, the question wasn’t if he would write his story. It was when.  “I could read before I started school, and my goal from a young age was to write books,” he recalls.   That story was greatly influenced by his experience growing up as a Black adoptee in a fundamentalist Christian white family…

The 2021 atmospheric river flooding in the eastern Fraser Valley was devastating, but sometimes, a negative event can be the catalyst for positive change.   For UFV alumni Jenna Noppen (BA ‘19), a Cowessess First Nation Member born and raised within Coast Salish territory, the disaster revealed significant gaps in emergency preparedness and management for Indigenous…

There’s no doubt about it: life can be a pain. For some, who have to live with chronic pain for years or even decades, that’s no joke.   Dr. Mike Hildebrand (BSc ’01) has dedicated his career to finding ways to address pain. Mike, who got his start as a Bachelor of Science student at the…

From UFV grad to celebrated author, Jasmin Kaur (BA ’17) is making a difference through the written word. She’d always dreamed of publishing a book, and now she’s published two: a novel and a book of poetry. Despite her longtime ambition, she didn’t know how to reach that goal at first.   “It felt like something…

When Dr. Leili Heidema (BA ’06) graduated from university and went north for her first job in 2010, she didn’t plan on staying long. Fifteen years later, she’s still in the Northwest Territories, loving life in the community of Fort Smith and using her UFV education to make a difference serving remote and isolated Indigenous…

With a career ranging from trauma-informed teaching to international education and award-winning paleoart, Nikita Griffioen has followed an unconventional path.  After completing her Bachelor of Arts in less than three years, Nikita went on to earn a Bachelor of Education from the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) in 2017. Since graduating, Nikita has dedicated…

Ashlyen Singh doesn’t see themself as remarkable. They balk at the idea of being recognized and are quick to shift the spotlight to the people and communities that have shaped them.   “Everything I am today has come from other people,” they say. “Everything I do is done with others, in partnership. It feels strange to…

Sheetal Deo (BA ’12) changed lanes to follow her heart, centering her life’s work around equity and accessibility. This comes through in the way she approaches her work as a lawyer.  “While community legal aid centres exist and provide free legal help, these organizations are often under-funded, under-resourced, and as a result, unable to help…

  Lawyer. Leader. Podcaster. At just 29 years old, Aaron Pete has proven he’s not afraid to take on challenges.  Since graduating from UFV in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a communications certificate, Aaron has focused on helping others and contributing to his community. In 2022, soon after completing law school…

 Anyone who has spent time in the emergency room with an asthmatic child knows how scary an asthma attack can be.  But what if you could prevent childhood asthma in the womb?  That’s a goal that Dr. Christopher Pascoe and his colleagues are trying to achieve through their research on the respiratory system.  Chris, who…