Twenty-three years ago, Alana Abramson was a 15-year-old living on the streets and embroiled in drugs, abuse and poverty.

This month, she crosses SFU’s convocation stage to receive her third SFU degree—a PhD in criminology.

Abramson’s story is transformational. After a year on the streets, and run-ins with the criminal justice system, she returned home after both she and her parents received counselling. She finished her high school requirements and enrolled in college, where she became interested in criminology.

But it wasn’t until she transferred to SFU and took a foundational course in restorative justice with the late criminology professor Liz Elliott that she had an epiphany that truly transformed her life, sparking her deep commitment to promoting restorative justice.

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