Issues & Experts >
Issues & Experts Archive > Graduates’ week to shine at Convocation
Graduates’ week to shine at Convocation
Document Tools
June 2, 2008
Simon Fraser University will hold its spring Convocation ceremonies this week, from June 3 – 6, beginning Tuesday afternoon. (See www.sfu.ca/ceremonies)
Among the 3,100 students who are eligible to graduate this spring are the following. More complete stories and photos are available from PAMR. See www.sfu.ca/pamr:
Rob Drapala, SFU’s top scholar-athlete for 2007 and 2008 has been as impressive off the track – teaching new SFU athletes critical learning and time management skills – as on it. The Clan men’s track and field team captain was the first SFU athlete ever to achieve All-American status in the 4x100, 4x400, 4x800 relays. The Armstrong native is now Oxford University bound.
Ian Foulds can make entire mechanical structures that are smaller than a human hair. One of Canada’s most promising young developers of miniaturized machines known as MEMS, the Salmon Arm native was instrumental in creating a team of nano-scale plastic soccer players for the 2007 U.S. RoboCup competition. He’s one of two recipients of the Governor General’s Gold Medal – SFU’s highest graduate award.
Tom Kineshanko wants a role in a new venture – the carbon market. The business graduate has transformed his grandfather’s company, Habitat Enterprises, into a firm specializing in carbon trading, consulting and project development. During an exchange in Singapore, the Vancouverite found Canada seriously lagging behind the international market.
Ania Kolodziej of North Delta is the first graduate of SFU’s new French Cohort Program, created to help immersion students in B.C. pursue a post-secondary education in French. Kolodziej studied political science while on an exchange at France’s Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques, and was recently accepted into law school at the University of Ottawa’s Programme de Droit Canadien.
Mila Lukic immigrated from war-torn Serbia at age 16 and is convocating with a degree in molecular biology and business. She represented SFU in several prestigious business case competitions – and will be the first of seven student speakers to address convocation this week (June 3, at 2:30 p.m.)
Anne Paxton, one of five of the first 16 students in SFU’s new masters program in global health to graduate. The program is attracting hundreds of applications from health professionals around the world – like Paxton, from South Africa - who are passionate about improving the health of people in low to middle income countries. Paxton hopes to return to the village of Zithulele in South Africa’s AIDS ravaged Eastern Capetown region where she did her practicum.
Kaili Rand, of Coquitlam, graduates with a bachelor of science degree (kinesiology) and a dean’s undergraduate convocation medal for earning the highest cumulative grade point average in the Faculty of Applied Sciences – but her volunteer service record speaks volumes on its own. A student leader in the Rec Sports program, other volunteer stints include tutoring kids in the Royal Columbian Hospital pediatrics ward and as a 24-hour telephone hotline crisis-intervention counsellor.
Kanwal Singh Neel, of Richmond, came up with an innovative way to teach math to aboriginal students – utilizing the artistry of button blankets to teach key concepts. During a stint as president of the B.C. Association of Mathematics Teachers, Neel found that most of B.C.’s aboriginal students were performing lower in math than non-aboriginals. After graduating with a PhD on June 6, he’ll present his findings at the World Education Forum in Adelaide, Australia.
Karen Tse, this year’s Gordon Shrum Gold medal award recipient for outstanding academic and extra-curricular achievement. The Hong-Kong born Vancouverite, an English and criminology major (honors), is heading to law school (University of Victoria) after a high level involvement as a student senator, CUPE member and clubs and student union leader.
Among the 3,100 students who are eligible to graduate this spring are the following. More complete stories and photos are available from PAMR. See www.sfu.ca/pamr:
Rob Drapala, SFU’s top scholar-athlete for 2007 and 2008 has been as impressive off the track – teaching new SFU athletes critical learning and time management skills – as on it. The Clan men’s track and field team captain was the first SFU athlete ever to achieve All-American status in the 4x100, 4x400, 4x800 relays. The Armstrong native is now Oxford University bound.
Ian Foulds can make entire mechanical structures that are smaller than a human hair. One of Canada’s most promising young developers of miniaturized machines known as MEMS, the Salmon Arm native was instrumental in creating a team of nano-scale plastic soccer players for the 2007 U.S. RoboCup competition. He’s one of two recipients of the Governor General’s Gold Medal – SFU’s highest graduate award.
Tom Kineshanko wants a role in a new venture – the carbon market. The business graduate has transformed his grandfather’s company, Habitat Enterprises, into a firm specializing in carbon trading, consulting and project development. During an exchange in Singapore, the Vancouverite found Canada seriously lagging behind the international market.
Ania Kolodziej of North Delta is the first graduate of SFU’s new French Cohort Program, created to help immersion students in B.C. pursue a post-secondary education in French. Kolodziej studied political science while on an exchange at France’s Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques, and was recently accepted into law school at the University of Ottawa’s Programme de Droit Canadien.
Mila Lukic immigrated from war-torn Serbia at age 16 and is convocating with a degree in molecular biology and business. She represented SFU in several prestigious business case competitions – and will be the first of seven student speakers to address convocation this week (June 3, at 2:30 p.m.)
Anne Paxton, one of five of the first 16 students in SFU’s new masters program in global health to graduate. The program is attracting hundreds of applications from health professionals around the world – like Paxton, from South Africa - who are passionate about improving the health of people in low to middle income countries. Paxton hopes to return to the village of Zithulele in South Africa’s AIDS ravaged Eastern Capetown region where she did her practicum.
Kaili Rand, of Coquitlam, graduates with a bachelor of science degree (kinesiology) and a dean’s undergraduate convocation medal for earning the highest cumulative grade point average in the Faculty of Applied Sciences – but her volunteer service record speaks volumes on its own. A student leader in the Rec Sports program, other volunteer stints include tutoring kids in the Royal Columbian Hospital pediatrics ward and as a 24-hour telephone hotline crisis-intervention counsellor.
Kanwal Singh Neel, of Richmond, came up with an innovative way to teach math to aboriginal students – utilizing the artistry of button blankets to teach key concepts. During a stint as president of the B.C. Association of Mathematics Teachers, Neel found that most of B.C.’s aboriginal students were performing lower in math than non-aboriginals. After graduating with a PhD on June 6, he’ll present his findings at the World Education Forum in Adelaide, Australia.
Karen Tse, this year’s Gordon Shrum Gold medal award recipient for outstanding academic and extra-curricular achievement. The Hong-Kong born Vancouverite, an English and criminology major (honors), is heading to law school (University of Victoria) after a high level involvement as a student senator, CUPE member and clubs and student union leader.