I am beyond grateful to attend the 2024 Simon Fraser University President and Vice-Chancellor's Award Dinner as an SFU Uggla Family Scholar. It was awe-inspiring to witness the awards presented to community philanthropists. “In recognition of their commitment to the health of people and the planet, SFU is proud to name Ratan and Arran Stephens as the 2024 President’s Distinguished Community Leadership Award Recipients.” They founded Nature’s Path in 1985, North America’s first organic cereal manufacturer, and donated over $40 million to community efforts, including Food Banks. Growing up in the Downtown Eastside, it’s surreal to think how often I received Nature’s Path granola bars, cereal, and chips. Thank you, Ratana, for your kindness when I shared my story. As an SFU Uggla Family Scholar, I’m here today because of their contributions to my community.
Congratulations to Len Pierre and Abhishek Parmar for winning the 2024 Chancellor's Distinguished Service Awards. Len founded a consulting firm focused on Indigenous educational programs, with clients like the First Nations Health Authority and Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Addiction. He also teaches Indigenous Studies at KPU and works to advance systemic change across North America. Abhishek, someone I admire, was elected to the University Senate less than a year into his degree, later becoming vice-chair of Senate, VP Finance of the Simon Fraser Student Society, and Acting President, advocating tirelessly for students.
Thank you to the singers, volunteers, and servers for making the night even more special. Thank you to Joy Johnson, the 10th President and Vice-Chancellor of Simon Fraser University, and Erin Morantz, Vice-President of Advancement & Alumni Engagement, for being so supportive of us Uggla Scholars all night. Thank you Bernard Ryu, SFU Uggla Family Scholarship Program Manager, and Helena Fehr, Uggla Family Scholarship Supporter and Student Development Educator for Student Engagement and Retention, Student Services, for making this event possible for Victoria, Tavia, and me to attend. I had the opportunity to meet some of the brightest and most hardworking staff at SFU, including the honour of sitting beside Kris Magnusson, the Senior Advisor to the Provost & VP Academic for the School of Medicine, and Karina Chow, the Faculty of Applied Sciences Director for Advancement. Throughout the dinner, I learned that Kris Magnusson, PhD, is the senior strategic advisor to the provost and vice-president academic, and is presently the acting associate vice-president academic, teaching and learning. Kris has led several pivotal academic initiatives for the university, including the development and implementation of the School of Medicine's business case, and has been instrumental in guiding the School through the Senate and Board of Governors approval process. As a professor in the Faculty of Education, where he completed two terms as dean, Kris' scholarly work focuses on counseling psychology and career development. Thank you, Kris, for giving me such wonderful advice for university and politics, and for saying you were proud of me. That’s pretty awesome to hear as a Political Science major and aspiring law student. Thank you, Karina, for also giving me advice and having such a wonderful dinner discussion over the importance of fundraising, our families, and giving back to our communities. Thank you to everyone else at the table, including Eugene Fiume, a professor and the Dean of Applied Sciences, for sharing your exciting road trip experience across the Silk Road and for being one of the first people to support the creation of the Uggla Family Scholarship. Thank you to Amyn & Shien Rajan, the 2023 President’s Distinguished Community Leadership Awards recipients, for making the night full of joy. I am incredibly grateful for this experience and to everyone at Simon Fraser University for making our lives easier. We take it for granted as students, but as I attended the dinner that night, I realized that we are all living as the result of the contributions of community pillars who dedicate their lives to helping others.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Slen
Proud Simon Fraser Uggla Family Scholar
Congratulations to Len Pierre and Abhishek Parmar for winning the 2024 Chancellor's Distinguished Service Awards. Len founded a consulting firm focused on Indigenous educational programs, with clients like the First Nations Health Authority and Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Addiction. He also teaches Indigenous Studies at KPU and works to advance systemic change across North America. Abhishek, someone I admire, was elected to the University Senate less than a year into his degree, later becoming vice-chair of Senate, VP Finance of the Simon Fraser Student Society, and Acting President, advocating tirelessly for students.
Thank you to the singers, volunteers, and servers for making the night even more special. Thank you to Joy Johnson, the 10th President and Vice-Chancellor of Simon Fraser University, and Erin Morantz, Vice-President of Advancement & Alumni Engagement, for being so supportive of us Uggla Scholars all night. Thank you Bernard Ryu, SFU Uggla Family Scholarship Program Manager, and Helena Fehr, Uggla Family Scholarship Supporter and Student Development Educator for Student Engagement and Retention, Student Services, for making this event possible for Victoria, Tavia, and me to attend. I had the opportunity to meet some of the brightest and most hardworking staff at SFU, including the honour of sitting beside Kris Magnusson, the Senior Advisor to the Provost & VP Academic for the School of Medicine, and Karina Chow, the Faculty of Applied Sciences Director for Advancement. Throughout the dinner, I learned that Kris Magnusson, PhD, is the senior strategic advisor to the provost and vice-president academic, and is presently the acting associate vice-president academic, teaching and learning. Kris has led several pivotal academic initiatives for the university, including the development and implementation of the School of Medicine's business case, and has been instrumental in guiding the School through the Senate and Board of Governors approval process. As a professor in the Faculty of Education, where he completed two terms as dean, Kris' scholarly work focuses on counseling psychology and career development. Thank you, Kris, for giving me such wonderful advice for university and politics, and for saying you were proud of me. That’s pretty awesome to hear as a Political Science major and aspiring law student. Thank you, Karina, for also giving me advice and having such a wonderful dinner discussion over the importance of fundraising, our families, and giving back to our communities. Thank you to everyone else at the table, including Eugene Fiume, a professor and the Dean of Applied Sciences, for sharing your exciting road trip experience across the Silk Road and for being one of the first people to support the creation of the Uggla Family Scholarship. Thank you to Amyn & Shien Rajan, the 2023 President’s Distinguished Community Leadership Awards recipients, for making the night full of joy. I am incredibly grateful for this experience and to everyone at Simon Fraser University for making our lives easier. We take it for granted as students, but as I attended the dinner that night, I realized that we are all living as the result of the contributions of community pillars who dedicate their lives to helping others.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Slen
Proud Simon Fraser Uggla Family Scholar
