Tracey Vanderaegen-Jones credits UFV with giving her the foundational skills for a successful 30-year nursing career. Now, she has taken the expertise she gained through her education and experience and uses it to save lives in organ recovery.  After graduation in 1994, Tracey worked as an on-call, casual nurse at a local hospital, and then…

With over 40 years in the financial sector, Gus Hartl has seen significant changes in the industry, but his core principles of leadership and community involvement have remained constant.  Graduating from UFV’s business administration program in the early 1980s, Gus was part of only the second class to complete the diploma program. “At the time,…

“You’ve got to have some skin in the game,” said Jasmit Singh Phulka’s high school wrestling coach. It wasn’t enough to just show up for practice. Being part of a team meant being part of a community -- taking care of your space, taking care of each other, and investing in the things that you…

At the University of the Fraser Valley, community is a part of who we are. When it was founded 50 years ago, Betty Urquhart was among the very first staff members who made this school what it is today. She was an avid volunteer with a strong belief in giving back – after her passing…

There are few things Renee Prasad loves more than re-connecting with UFV’s agriculture alumni. So many students have graduated from the university and gone on to do wonderful things in the ag sector, and she’ll see some of them on Saturday, Oct 5 when UFV Chilliwack hosts the Agriculture Alumni Pop-Up Farmer’s Market.  “My favourite…

The grand, arched entrance of the Hotel Morado sits among the picturesque cobblestone streets of Chilliwack’s District 1881. Whether by chance or by magic, it came to its owners in the most unlikely way. “It was a series of synchronicities that kind of led up to it all,” smiles Jade Lehti, one of the owners…

Award-winning film and TV producer Mary Anne Waterhouse started out in the theatre, treading the boards at Fraser Valley College as an acting student in 1984. She had her sights set on a career as an actor, but after transferring to the University of British Columbia in 1986, she had an epiphany that changed her…

When Rob O’Brennan started at the Fraser Valley Regional Library, he wouldn't have guessed he would become its CEO.   But that’s how it turned out, and Fraser Valley College helped him get there.   Rob got off to a bit of a rocky start in post-secondary education with what he calls a “less-than-serious attempt” to study…

Hometown hero Nick Taylor took a trip to Paris this month; the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) honorary degree recipient represented Team Canada at the 2024 Olympics.   Nick won the RBC Canadian Open in 2023, slingshotting himself all the way to the Olympic golf team. The 36-year-old Abbotsford local was the first Canadian to…

When Peter Eppinga was a young boy growing up on Haida Gwaii, his parents told him he could do great things.   “This is where I learned the fundamentals on how to be successful in school. It was my father who bought me a medical book when I was in Grade 3 and my mother said…

Jennifer Owen experienced the scientific discovery of a lifetime — an amazing and remarkable event. And now, she shares the excitement of discovery with undergraduate students. In 2006, Jennifer graduated from what was then called UCFV with a Bachelor of Science in physics. She then continued her education, completing her master’s degree and PhD at…

Stu Chahal’s time at UFV allowed him to gain expertise and experience in both business and computing—something that has served him well. Launching his career with Cisco Systems, an IT industry giant focused mostly on networking infrastructure such as routers and switches, in 2019 he transferred his talents to Splunk, a software company focused on…