Law graduate is an "advocate at heart"

Basil Alexander has a long history as an advocate for the public interest. In addition to serving on many committees, the former Graduate Students' Society (GSS) president has been the society's director of finance and director of student affairs. He currently sits on UVic's board of governors and is a student member of the senate.

"I like to be involved," he says over the phone from his home in Ontario, where he's currently enrolled in the bar admission course. "I believe strongly that getting involved in your university community is essential. You learn as much outside the education environment as you do from your courses."

He graduates this month with a law degree and a master's in public administration from UVic. He earned a bachelor of arts and science from McMaster University in 2000.

What drives him is a desire to make a difference and to provide a voice for those who need aid. "I'm an advocate at heart, so I always try to help out where I can. Hopefully, along the way, I can bring attention to important issues and change things in a constructive way."

For his efforts, he's won numerous awards and prizes, among them the Blue and Gold Circle Award in 2003 and the Cook Roberts Prize in Indian Lands, Rights and Government in 2002.

In addition to his volunteer work, Alexander's prior work experience includes serving as a law student for Woodward and Co., a Victoria law firm that focuses on aboriginal clientele, and as a law student for the Judges' Chambers at the Nunavut Court of Justice.

This September, he'll be articling with Klippenstein's in Toronto, a small law firm near Queen Street West that specializes in public interest advocacy. It's just one more step toward making a difference.