It starts with you

In addition to experiential learning, the Haskayne Student Experiences Fund supports extra-curricular activities such as JDC West, a prestigious business competition held every January at a university in western Canada. Team Haskayne, made up of 60 students, often shines at the multi-day showcase. No wonder JDC West is considered one of the highlights of the school year.

The E. Catherine Barclay Scholarship — which supports undergraduates pursuing full-time studies in France at an institution where there is a bilateral exchange agreement in place with UCalgary — enabled recipient Paola Velasquez to attend the Université de Bourgogne in Dijon in 2016-17. The unforgettable year overseas improved her language skills, broadened her world perspective and changed her life.

“Going to France, living there, experiencing the culture gave me so much confidence,” says Velasquez. Today, she teaches French at Madeleine d’Houet School and is a member of the E. Catherine Barclay Scholarship advisory committee, helping make that experience possible for the next generation of students.

The Bill Rosehart Student Wellness Room, named in honour of the former dean of the Schulich School of Engineering, supports programming for student mental health. The space hosts yoga classes and music lessons, has daily drop-in hours for playing board games, and served as the Schulich setting for UFlourish, a campus-wide mental health expo.

“Students appreciate having a quiet space where they can connect with other academics,” says Onyx Shelton, BSW’24, former Wellness Inclusion Program Coordinator with the Schulich School of Engineering. “I would like to see more students access this space.”

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine’s free clinics, operated in conjunction with the Calgary Urban Project Society (CUPS), help underprivileged Calgarians and their pets by providing access to care that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. Thanks to the fundraising success of the Vet Ball gala — a welcome jolt of student-generated support — the highly regarded program was able to expand its reach in the community.

Led by a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous faculty members, graduate and undergraduate students, teachers and community members, the Werklund School of Education’s Book to Build On initiative develops teaching and learning resources to accompany the diverse collection of Indigenous stories. “What’s great about these texts is that they’re local and they integrate place-based knowledge,” says program co-lead Dr. Erin Spring, PhD. “As a teacher who doesn’t speak the language, it’s helpful to have the author read the story aloud to ensure proper pronunciation and engagement with the words.”

Kiipitakyoyis, a ceremonial lodge on campus, is integral to both the Faculty of Social Work's decolonization efforts and ii’ taa’poh’to’p, UCalgary’s Indigenous Strategy. Named by Siksika Elder Clarence Wolfleg and meaning “Grandmother’s Lodge” in the Blackfoot language, Kiipitakyoyis is committed to sharing Indigenous ways of knowing, creating a sense of belonging and community, and enhancing the recruitment and retention of Indigenous students.

Encouraging Dinos men’s hockey alumni to become involved with the community and with the current team is a priority of the 3rd Assist Club. “We’re quite proud of how we’ve been able to get guys re-engaged,” says Paul Geddes, BComm’87, club treasurer. “Our efforts to engage the alumni is what’s led to the fundraising success that we’ve had in the last couple of years.”

“To expect the alumni to step up when they don’t know what’s going on with the program, that’s always a stretch — so engagement is our focus,” adds club president Terry Johnson, BComm’91. That engagement gives a big boost to the team and players, with the club helping to recruit top athletes and ease the financial burden on student-athletes.

Before the University of Calgary established a nursing school, the Calgary General Hospital School of Nursing was training the city's future health-care workers. While the school closed its doors more than 50 years ago, its alumni remain remarkably engaged, hosting a homecoming banquet annually since 1936 and supporting future generations of nurses with the Calgary General Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae Association Bursary, which is awarded to three UCalgary nursing students each year. 

“The most important part of our alumni are the bursary scholarships — and the importance of keeping that going,” says June Pirie, CGH Class of 1974, BN’80, MN’91, president of the Calgary General Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae Association. “Hopefully it helps nursing students continue in their program.”