Student Awards

Success Story

Blue & Gold Student Ambassador Regan Oey: Student awards changed my life

Regan Oey grew up in Vancouver with his mother and two siblings. He went to Vancouver College and excelled in his studies, becoming class valedictorian and participating in both athletics—he was on the football and basketball team—and in community service, volunteering in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. That volunteer service, undertaken to fulfill a religion requirement, turned […] more

Success Story

Creating future leadership through philanthropy: Patrick and Beryl Campbell

Patrick Campbell always had an adventurous spirit. During his time at UBC, he played football, soccer, lacrosse and basketball, and earned three Big Block Awards for his athletic achievements. With his 1947 BASc in mechanical engineering, he took that same spirit with him on a career that spanned more than three decades and took him […] more

Success Story

Retired Alumnus Engineers Path to Higher Education

An avid reader at the age of 97, alumnus A.J. “John” Shaw (BASc. Eng. 1944) has continued the pursuit of knowledge throughout his life. Although John always hoped to further his formal education, when life and time didn’t permit, he did the next best thing. Already a regular UBC donor, John decided to establish an […] more

Success Story

A Legacy to Live By

UBC alumnus Ralph Zbarsky (BASc. 1971) still remembers the day in 1967 when the postman began arriving at his home with bags and bags of lab samples for analysis. Ralph’s father was Dr. Sidney H. Zbarsky, co-founder of Metro Labs (today known as LifeLabs), and one of the original two faculty members when the UBC […] more

Success Story

Alumnus Aims to Foster Excellence through New Award

“Perseverance, inventiveness and initiative are essential traits for a researcher,” says Dr. Sarvajna Dwivedi, UBC Pharm Sci alumnus (MSc 1988, PhD 1992). As co-founder and chief scientific officer of Pearl Therapeutics Inc., Dr. Dwivedi and his wife, Dr. Seema Dwivedi, have recently established and endowed an award that will support outstanding graduate students in the […] more

Success Story

Family Bursary Supports Okanagan Students

There are many reasons people choose to support UBC. When Erma Connaghan decided to create a bursary it was a decision born of her and her family’s passionate belief in education, but it also reflected Erma’s personal experience as a student more than 60 years ago. “I received a scholarship in high school,” explains Erma. […] more

Success Story

Making Education Accessible

“What we know when it comes to post-secondary education is students whose parents have not attended university, tend to overestimate the costs and underestimate the benefits,” says Dr. Kathleen Ross (EdD 2011), right. “They feel university is beyond their reach.” As Associate Vice President of Enrolment Services and Registration, Dr. Ross, better known as Kate, […] more

Success Story

Entrance Award Provides Passport to Education

“The need for secondary education is growing, but accessibility is becoming more and more of a challenge—especially for students from low- and middle-income families,” says Reshma Misra, a UBC alumna who recently completed her BA in Psychology. Like many UBC students, Reshma comes from a rich cultural background. Although she was born in Canada, her […] more

Success Story

Alumnus creates Centennial Award for UBC Students

“I think education is foundational for building a community, city, or nation,” says Barj Dhahan, UBC alumnus (BA 1983) and CEO of the Sandhurst Group, above. “Education leads to equality. It leads to opportunities for all.” Barj, who describes himself as “interested in a bit of everything,” comes from a family of eleven UBC graduates. […] more

Student Learning

Success Story

Dentistry Professor Emeritus honours former colleague through monthly donations

Donald Brunette retired in December 2015 from a thirty-six year career as a Professor and former Associate Dean with UBC’s Faculty of Dentistry. He taught and researched oral biology – the basic science of dentistry – developing better surfaces for implants and studying cell migration that made implants fail or succeed. But in addition to […] more

Student Learning

Success Story

Student Awards are a Community Investment for Okanagan Family

  “When Jean and I became interested in philanthropy, we wanted to do something that would make a difference in our community,” says Ken Finch, an Okanagan businessman and UBC alumni who graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in 1968. As part of Ken and Jean Finch’s commitment to enhancing the growth and prosperity of […] more