THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA OCTOBER 29, 1999

Blue and Gold

18 UVIC STUDENTS SUCCESSFULY BLEND ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
WITH COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Award-winners present at the recent Blue and Gold awards reception, l-r: back row -- Kathryn Kimberley, Stephen MacDonald, John Plasterer, Megan Howell-Jones, Bradley Chewpoy; middle row -- Lindsay Brooke, Tessa Campbell, Sherry MacLeod, Anna Hunter, Neelam Sandhu; front row: Leah Diana, Narda Nelson and Debbie Cybulski. Don Pierce photo

Two students who continue to combine successful studies with volunteer activities have been admitted to the highest levels of UVic’s Blue and Gold Circle, a university awards program recognizing students’ contributions both on and off the campus. Sherry MacLeod earned a gold pin and $600 for a third consecutive year of recognition and Kim Hawkins earned a silver pin and $400 for her second nomination. In addition, 16 students received a bronze pin, a certificate and a $200 award for making their first appearance in the Blue and Gold Circle. This year’s 18 winners are: Gold Award: Sherry MacLeod -- MacLeod is now in her third year of law studies after earning her BSN degree, with distinction, in 1997. She balances her duties as a student, wife and mother while continuing her outstanding record of community service, which includes: serving on the UVic senate, involvement with the Vancouver Island Public Research Group, the student parents club, the UVic planning and priorities committee, the National Association of Women in the Law, the Victoria Anti-War Coalition, and Together Against Poverty Society (TAPS). Silver Award: Kim Hawkins -- Hawkins graduated in June 1999 with a double major in biochemistry and environmental studies, but continued to be involved with the new student orientation program and the peer helping program through counselling services. Hawkins was also president of the 1999 graduating class committee, which coordinated celebrations for graduates. Bronze Awards: Lindsay Brooke -- Brooke, a fourth-year bachelor of science in kinesiology student, is the captain of the Vikes basketball team and was named tournament MVP when the Vikes won the 1998 CIAU national championships. She has volunteered many hours in the Saanich Police Player Card Program by going out to local schools to talk to young people with emphasis on the abuse of drugs and alcohol. Tessa Campbell -- A master’s student in biology, Campbell’s latest research paper on bird ecology was part of a broadcast through the PBS network on 45 American radio stations in June 1999. A former member of the Vikes field hockey team and a certified provincial and national level hockey coach, she gives generously of her time as a coach at UVic and in the community. Campbell is presently running a field hockey clinic for Grades 5 to 7 at Gordon Head Elementary School. Bradley Chewpoy -- Currently completing a pre-med degree in honours biology, Chewpoy is also co-founder and vice-president of the UVic men’s baseball club. Off-campus, he volunteers at the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health, the Victoria Hospice Palliative Care Society and the B.C. Lions Society for Children with Special Needs, assisting in their 24-hour relay. Debbie Cybulski -- Cybulski, a fourth-year social work student, is also a wife, mother of two active children and community volunteer. Through the Learning Disabilities Association, Cybulski has developed and delivers parent advocacy courses, assisted in the development of a training manual for support workers, raised awareness of the negative impact of funding cuts to special education and co-ordinated a special education brief which will be submitted to the Ministry of Education on behalf of the association. Leah Diana -- A nursing student in UVic’s school of nursing at Vancouver’s Langara College campus, Diana volunteers with the Philippine Women’s Centre, directing her efforts to improving the experience of nurses and other women who are ‘imported’ to Canada for domestic labour and often deprived of basic human rights. Diana has been involved in grassroots political work and community projects to address the needs of marginalized women. Joanna Holdsworth -- A fourth-year bachelor of commerce student, Holdsworth is a member of the Vikes basketball team whose outstanding academic record placed her on the CIAU Academic All-Canadian Team this year. She volunteers as part of the Saanich Police Player Card Program, helping at various schools with drug and alcohol prevention, and works as a group recreation leader at an international student program hosted by St. Margaret’s School. Megan Howell-Jones -- A fourth-year electrical engineering student, Howell-Jones was instrumental in developing the GO WEST program through the Engineering Students Society (ESS). GO WEST promotes engineering to high school students, specifically female students. Megan is also president of the ESS and was an enthusiastic supporter of their 24-hour Bug Push which raised $2,600 earlier this month for the United Way. Kathryn Kimberley -- Kimberley is enrolled in the master of public administration program, is a member of senate and various senate committees, and is vice-president of the Graduate Students Society. She is one of six national winners of the CIBC Youthvision Graduate Research Awards, worth $30,000 over two years. Anna Hunter -- A third-year student in the joint law and MPA program, Hunter volunteers her time in the First Nations community, developing models of self-government that reflect a combined western-indigenous perspective. An executive member of UVic’s Native Student Union, Hunter is active in organizing her fellow aboriginal students and promoting native issues on campus. Stephen MacDonald -- A fourth-year bachelor of commerce student, MacDonald is a member of the Vikes men’s basketball team who also played on the championship winning Team B.C. at the Canada Summer Games. He volunteers as a basketball coach and participates in clinics for younger players throughout the Victoria area and at the Boys and Girls Club in Victoria. Narda Nelson -- Currently enrolled in the honours program in women’s studies, Nelson volunteers in such groups as the Victoria Status of Women Action Group Agency, the Women’s Studies Outreach Committee, the APEC Research Campaign, and the Making History, Making Race conference, but her primary focus is her work with the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women Collective. Elle Parks -- A fourth-year social work student, Parks volunteers at the UVic Women’s Centre, sat on the Community Coalition Against Racism and formed the University Coalition Against Racism. She has recently been selected as the student representative on the B.C. Association of Social Worker’s Executive Council. John Plasterer -- A fourth-year computer engineering student with a perfect grade point average, Plasterer is active in the Engineering Students Society and chairs the organizing committee for the Western Engineering Conference and Competition 2000, a conference to promote the ties between engineering students and engineers in industry. Neelam Sandhu -- A second-year pre-med student, Sandhu is a member of St. John Ambulance and was one of 11 Victoria people assisting in the Kamloops fire disaster last year. She volunteers at UVic’s athletic therapy clinic, Victoria General Hospital, the Upper Room and the Salvation Army’s Beacon Bus. Jennifer Spencer -- Spencer combines part-time graduate studies in women’s studies and contemporary social and political thought with second-year law courses. She volunteers at the UVic Legal Information Clinic, organized two panels for the National Association for Women and the Law, and assisted at the Garry Oak Meadow Community Festival. Mai Yasue -- A fourth-year biology student, Yasue helped environmental law students organize a conference on multinationals and the environment, is a regular contributor to the CRD Environmental Education Speakers Bureau, assists the CRD Waterwise Gardening forum and volunteers for the B.C. Wildlife Rescue Association.

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