Meet the Peer Ambassadors!
Kim Regala
Communications & Marketing Assistant, SFU Public Square
Every year, SFU Public Square invites a group of students to the Peer Ambassador program, a work-integrated learning opportunity focusing on community engagement at SFU.
Peer ambassadors create connections with one another across all campuses and online, gain experience in organizing student-centred events, and are provided a platform to work on projects that matter most to them.
This Fall and Spring semester, we are excited to welcome six new peer ambassadors, each coming from their own unique background and level of studies. They have already begun planning their own event set to take place in early 2021, so stay tuned for upcoming details!
For now, we asked them what brought them to SFU Public Square and some fun questions devised by the other peer ambassadors.
Alyanna Thornton
Alyanna is a second-year student currently pursuing a BBA at the Beedie School of Business at SFU. She is an aspiring Finance and Strategic Analysis major who values community connections, dedication, and kindness. During her short time at SFU, she has realized the potential and power in fostering connections. She hopes to apply her knowledge and skills to the cause through SFU Public Square.
“I’ve seen the significance community engagement can have on decisions. I knew being a Peer Ambassador with SFU Public Square would be an amazing opportunity to connect, learn and grow from the experiences, as well as the people within the community.” – Alyanna
What is something on your bucket list?
“To drive across Canada with all my friends and recreate the same photo in each major city.”
Christina Lam
Christina is a first-year student studying in the fields of health sciences and social sciences. Through this role as an Ambassador with SFU Public Square, Christina hopes to create a positive and welcoming environment where all members of the SFU community can connect, grow, and learn together by engaging in conversations on diverse issues – thus becoming part of each other’s learning journeys.
“I have always valued spaces (in or out of a classroom) where people can collaborate and learn together. I was drawn to how Public Square creates safe and inclusive platforms where all members of the community, regardless of their background, can connect, share knowledge, and learn from each other’s unique perspectives on various important issues.” – Christina
If you could do something to change the world, what would it be?
“I would give each person somebody who loves them unconditionally – be it family, a friend or a significant other. Sometimes, we have to endure difficult times to be able to experience the beauty of the world, but having someone with us on that journey makes it so much more bearable.”
Gabrielle Wong
A first-year student studying human geography, Gabrielle is delighted to begin her university journey by volunteering with SFU Public Square. She hopes collaboration and a touch of whimsical creativity will break through the isolating nature of remote learning. Gabrielle looks forward to meeting (even more) amazing people here at SFU through this role!
“SFU Public Square is doing some fascinating, meaningful work that connects the university to the community. I wanted to join to share these initiatives with my peers and learn more about the team that makes these wonderful things happen!” – Gabrielle
What qualities do you look for in a friend?
“The best friends I know are the ones that work to understand you and genuinely care about your well-being, not for any ulterior motive, but just because.
Haebin Pan
Haebin is an SFU alumna with a major in English and a minor in learning and developmental disabilities. The wonderful experiences that she had at SFU led her to continue serving the SFU community by becoming an SFU Public Square Peer Ambassador. Her passion lies in fostering engagement and strengthening connections for the SFU community. Haebin looks forward to using her skills in collaborating with others and supporting the values of the SFU Public Square.
“SFU Public Square is essential to SFU’s goal of strengthening community engagement and bringing the community members together. I became a Peer Ambassador for SFU Public Square because I wanted to be a part of the organization that creates a safe place for dialogue between various community members, with a focus on the values of innovation, collaboration, inclusion, and engagement.” – Haebin
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
“I love cooking new dishes! I usually search the Internet to discover new recipes that I can use, and I buy the ingredients if needed. Such an exploration takes a long time, but the result is always worth it.”
Kary Ka Yiu Cheng
Kary is a fourth-year Communications and Publishing student. In her three years of being at SFU, she believes that every time she engages with the community, she changes the world a little bit and it changes herself as well! She is happiest when she is involved in graphic design, creating marketing strategies, and working with like-minded people.
“I attended SFU Public Square’s social media and democracy conference last year. I was very impressed by the event planning efforts. I can see how SFU connects with the community, public organizations, and stakeholders. I found that SFU Public Square has been engaging with many social and community topics that make me want to get involved with them and contribute my communication skills to organize engaging events.” – Kary
What is your favourite quote?
“My favourite quote is ‘I can't change what I've done, but I can start trying to be a better person today.’ from Happy Death Day. It really speaks to me because I believe that it's better to regret what I have done than what I haven't. We can choose what we want to become today!”
Lisa Tran
Lisa is a first-year student in the faculty of Business Administration at the Beedie School of Business at SFU. Through her varied experiences and eagerness to take on new challenges, she is ecstatic to serve as a Peer Ambassador for SFU Public Square. Lisa hopes to take on an active role of representing SFU Public Square through the organization of projects and events aimed to familiarize students with engagement in the community. Through this, she looks forward to seeing new connections flourish among members of the SFU community.
“With my passion for raising awareness of social issues and community engagement, I wanted to continue this role by serving as a Peer Ambassador for SFU Public Square. I was drawn to how this initiative strives to foster community connections by hosting events and workshops while providing opportunities for members in the community to have their voices heard. Through SFU Public Square, I hope to provide a safe space for members to build lasting connections and create impactful changes.” – Lisa
What is a study tip you want to pass on?
Whether you are studying for finals or completing assignments, I recommend to always take breaks in between in order to maximize productivity. During study breaks, I like to go on walks, grab a snack or call a friend to give myself a brain break. An effective approach to studying I have found is the Pomodoro Study Method, where I would alternate between 25 minutes of intense work of burst and allow myself to have a brain break for 5-10 minutes in between.
Learn more about how you can get involved with SFU Public Square by visiting our page on Student Opportunities, or sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on our latest opportunities, events, and more!