Student Type: International Scholarship Recipient

Sultan Singh Sandur

Driving Cultural Justice and Inclusion, So That We All May Flourish

Q & A with Sultan Singh Sandur, Master of Education, Thompson Rivers University

Recipient of the 2019 Premier’s International Scholarship, Sultan Singh Sandur is currently pursuing his Master of Education (MEd) at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops, BC. A digital content creator whose life has consistently been centered around art, Sultan’s current research activities include a gender diversity and inclusion project with TRU Recreation as well as an a/r/tography project with Universidad de La Sabana in Colombia, where he will study for two terms in early 2020.

Sultan’s research interests include exploring innovative student-centered approaches to pedagogy and examining concepts of power, privilege and inclusion. Challenging society’s current engagement with the deficit ideology gets Sultan super fired up — and he is ready for the task. Inspired by critical pedagogy, Sultan recently launched Suited Up, a local charitable initiative that assists marginalized high school graduates.

We caught up with this brilliant, creative and compassionate young man to learn more about his plans to deliver more “good” in the world.

Q: Hey Sultan. Congratulations on being awarded the Premier’s International Scholarship! Why is this scholarship important to you?

A: I’ll be able to better understand globalization and how I can work toward higher intercultural competence as I study abroad at the Universidad de La Sabana in Colombia. The scholarship will increase my capacity to be a global thinker, as it will allow me to engage life at a deeper level and foster professional, personal and ideological growth.

Q: And what are you planning to study?

A: As a Master of Education student, I look forward to participating in a project that will provide me with hands-on research experience and diverse perspectives to arts-based pedagogy. I’m very interested in arts-based education and learning from ones’ surroundings and nature.

Q: Why did you choose to do an MEd?

A: After completing my undergrad in Canadian Studies (TRU), I worked as a project coordinator in health-care but the role was heavily administrative and I was unfulfilled. I strongly needed a change and felt that there was a lot more that I wanted to do during this lifetime to make an impact in my community. I am pursuing the Master of Education to gain a better understanding of educational leadership and to pave a path towards a career where I can make a deeper impact.

Q: Justice and discrimination seem to be significant issues for you. You are deeply sensitive to the barriers that people face that ultimately create a sense of marginalization. You’re working with international students at TRU to help them adjust to life in Kamloops, you’ve helped sponsor a refugee student from the Congo, and you’re working with TRU Recreation to make their language more inclusive so more people can enjoy intramural sports. Why is changing the landscape of marginalization and discrimination such a passion for you?

A: Let’s start with the deficit ideology: how we constantly try to place the blame on marginalized communities for being oppressed rather than understanding the systemic conditions that foster the marginalization and oppression. To add to the challenge, there are many individuals that show severe complacency and ignorance. These individuals condone and make excuses for cultural insensitivity. As an example, when I raised complaints about cultural insensitivity within an organization I was associated with, I was advised that the person who was being culturally insensitive was “from a small town and had never really left the town before.” This was a terrible excuse for inappropriate behaviour that should not be condoned in a multicultural society like Canada, or anywhere in the world. We need to take responsibility for inequalities and stop making excuses.

Q: What are some of the challenges you’ve had to overcome to get to where you are today?

A: I find that being a minority is extremely powerful, but at the same time, it can be challenge, especially residing in a smaller city such as Kamloops. As much as we say that we are multicultural, we have a long way to go to foster true cultural humility and understanding within our communities. As a minority, I bring a diverse perspective as I have managed to deal with adversity and have navigated various social locations.

Q: In your application for the Premier’s International Scholarship, you say you are an optimist. Why is that?

A: I have inherited my optimism from my dad. He has faced many hardships, yet has always been extremely determined and positive. I think his optimism has been infused into my own worldview — I was taught from a young age that you cannot simply give up. Over the years, I have learned that an optimistic and hopeful attitude is integral to managing change and adapting to new situations.

Q: I wish more people would choose optimism. Because it really is just a choice, and it gets easier with practice. So tell me, Sultan, how is the Irving K. Barber British Columbia Scholarship Society Premier’s International Scholarship helping you in your career path?

A: I have always had a desire to study abroad, but financially I wasn’t able to make that dream come true, so this scholarship will allow me to accomplish a lifelong goal of mine. Studying abroad is a transformational opportunity that will broaden my worldview and provide me with the skills needed to work in a heterogeneous environment. I look forward to deeply immersing myself in my a/r/tography research and the local community. I will use the knowledge and intercultural awareness gained through this scholarship to make a meaningful contribution to my future work, research, and community.

Thank you, Sultan. You are inspiring in your conviction and commitment, and noble in your pursuit of true human equality. We wish you all the best in your studies and on the road ahead!

Danielle Nelson

Forging friendships and sharing knowledge

Premier’s International Scholarship recipient Danielle Nelson is building extraordinary connections between Canadians and Austrians

The Premier’s International Scholarship has allowed Danielle Nelson to pursue her dream of living and learning in Vienna, and has given her and her son an opportunity to experience life in ways they may not have been able to before.

An avid traveller and student of interior design at Vancouver’s Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Danielle had always wanted to learn from the talented design scholars of Austria. Not one to let her dreams sit idly by, Danielle took the initiative to establish Kwantlen’s exchange program with Vienna’s New Design University (NDU) in 2018.

Now, as Danielle learns at NDU, two students from Vienna have come to learn at Kwantlen in Vancouver, an opportunity neither school would have had without her.

“It’s really interesting being exposed to other people and other cultures and seeing the ideas and methodologies they come up with to tackle a task,” says Danielle.

“I think that getting to travel teaches you things and offers you things that no formal education can do and being able to do that while studying and getting the outlook from other people is invaluable. There’s nothing that can replace it.”

Danielle and her son’s transition from Canadian life to an Austrian one has not been without its obstacles, she says, but even the challenges come with benefits. While many Austrians speak English, their native language is German, and a communication barrier can sometimes present itself.

“Some of the classes have been a little bit of a challenge and some of the lectures will be in German, but it has forced me to ask extra questions afterward or get explanations from the teacher and the students have been really helpful.”

“It hasn’t impacted me negatively and it’s given me coping tools to deal with situations that in Vancouver I wouldn’t have to deal with.”

Meanwhile, her eleven-year-old son has been enjoying life in Austria and has been taking to the new language handily.

“It’s really amazing. He knew no German when we came and now he can understand pretty much any daily conversation and translates for me a lot. Hopefully the experience is one that he will remember for the rest of his life.”

Roughly half way through her two-semester stay in Vienna, Danielle is now looking towards finishing her final production project. Unlike university in Vancouver, where Danielle is a second-year student, NDU has placed her in a range of courses, from first year lectures to masters program workshops. Her final production project now is part of an upper-level assignment that involves repurposing old castle  grounds in Lower Austria.

“My final production project is this old castle property in Lower Austria where there are old buildings on the property that the owner wants to reuse because they’re sitting just kind of derelict right now.”

Like her efforts in establishing an exchange program between NDU and Kwantlen, Danielle hopes her designs will connect people by retrofitting one of the larger buildings on the castle property into a public market.

“It’s interesting, there’s a lot of countries in Europe that have these beautiful markets but Austria doesn’t. So, I thought about turning one of the large buildings into a market where people all over Austria can come and meet the producers of their food, vegetables, wine, etc. and bring everybody into one place.”

After her time in Austria, Danielle plans to return to Vancouver and complete her schooling with lessons she learned in Vienna, like taking more time to balance, work, school, and home life.

“[Austrians] really take a different outlook on home life and making sure that you’re a little more balanced. It took a little bit of getting used to for me but it was nice because you have this downtime where your creativity comes back to you in times that you wouldn’t expect it to.”

None of Danielle’s journey would have been possible without the support of the Irving K Barber Scholarship Society, however.

“It’s helped a lot. It’s so expensive to travel and the scholarship has allowed me to focus more on my studies while I’m here and is a huge financial burden off of what I would have had to do. Maybe I wouldn’t even have been able to go.”

For more information, and to apply for a Premier’s International Scholarship, visit www.ikbbc.ca

Brent Lough

Apart from the Pack

 A Premier’s International Scholarship makes study abroad a possibility for a BC man and his young family

 

When Thompson Rivers University student Brent Lough learned he could study abroad with support from the Irving K. Barber Scholarship Society (IKBBC), he jumped at the opportunity. Scotland’s Edinburgh Napier University was on his mind. He knew Napier would be an ideal fit for his second year of business school, in part because of its excellent reputation and in part because the expense of living overseas would be offset by staying with his wife’s relatives near Edinburgh. He applied to the IKBBC for financial assistance, and was awarded a $6000 Premier’s International Scholarship to pursue his dream.

“I’m very grateful for the scholarship,” Brent says, adding that his university did a good job bringing the scholarships to the students’ attention. “It can be a big expense getting flights, and there’s a lot of uncertainty. That was a good incentive to apply.”

The couple and their infant son lifted off in September of 2017, staying with family in Scotland for the duration of Brent’s four-month term. “The $6000 covered tuition, books . . . everything,” Brent recalls. “We even ended up with a little left over. It was very helpful to our situation.” Now back in BC, the 26-year-old Kamloops resident continues to chip away at his accounting degree, currently up to his knees in tax preparation during a full-time co-op placement.

Scotland isn’t the first time this intrepid youngster has set his sights on the farthest horizon. Brent has travelled extensively throughout the world, starting with a trip abroad when he was 18, to volunteer at a children’s orphanage and school. Since then, he has travelled widely, touching lives with his words and lending a hand whenever he can. A long-time volunteer with children’s and youth groups at his church, Brent maintains a strong focus on service and generosity.

For Brent — who met his wife in Mozambique — a highly transferrable career is a key consideration. “I’ve done a lot of travelling and my wife’s done a lot of travelling,” he says. “We used to do mission work in Africa, South America, Central America and Europe. Accountancy is fairly transferrable; you can work with Canadian organizations basically all over the world, or you can work with foreign organizations as well.”

Brent is willing to put in the work that will secure a good future for his family. Although his eight-month co-op term — double the usual length — eats into his family and volunteer time, he is aware that the real-world work experience, coupled with his study abroad, will confer long-term career benefits. “These are two things that I saw and went for that will help set me apart from the pack when I graduate,” he says.

That, and his commitment to an open-mindedness that leaves room for growth, learning and discovery, and that positions him as a culturally sensitive global citizen who is ready to lead with patience, perseverance and perspective.

 For more information, and to apply for a Premier’s International Scholarship, visit  www.ikbbc.ca

Jason Mah

 

In Business to Lift Others Up

Premier’s International Scholarship winner Jason Mah knows the secret of life is to focus on fulfillment

Every so often, a young adult emerges from the crowd, clearly distinct and attention-catching because of their ability to focus on what really matters: moving the needle on human betterment. That’s the way we see Vancouver resident Jason Mah, who received the Premier’s International Scholarship in 2017. In his fourth year at UBC Sauder School of Business, Jason’s focus has always been on connecting with others to support them in reaching their goals. “I remember from a young age when I was able to make someone else smile, or when I could make someone else’s day brighter, that was the best feeling ever,” Jason says. “Because of the resources the university has, the kind of programs I’m able to get involved with, and because I can see what other people are doing, that just really excites me to jump on board and try to help make that change.”

Last fall, Jason travelled to Spain with the funds from the Premier’s International Scholarship to attend a semester of study at Ramon Llull University. The University’s mission is to educate its students in becoming highly competent in their area of study, while also creating a deep awareness of their social responsibility. “It was incredible to be able to study there,” Jason says. “The Scholarship has allowed me to reach outside my comfort zone, where if I didn’t receive the award, I may not have been able to travel to Europe, to be able to meet new people, to be able to walk away with a life experience that really shapes who I am.”

At the age of 22, Jason already recognizes the value of developing mutually beneficial relationships with other people, and how that will help him reach his own career goals while helping others reach theirs. In 2016, he travelled to Colombia with the Sauder Arc Initiative, which sees Sauder students, alumni and faculty leading workshops and internships to support local entrepreneurs. One of the entrepreneurs Jason worked with was a Colombian man making and selling 100% biodegradable shoes and using the profits to provide free education for his employees, all of whom previously ran drugs for or were victimized by the Colombian cartels. Jason helped the man land a significant contract with a Spanish fashion importer, which in turn helped scale his business. “I saw the type of impact that I was able to have on his community,” says Jason. “The fact that he is now able to hire more people, pay for their education, empower them to leave the cartel and not have to be dependent on that system anymore . . . for me, that was very rewarding.”

As he enters the final year of his business degree, Jason plans to continue working as a career-development teaching assistant for other students. “I just see that it’s an amazing opportunity to give back to the next generation of business professionals.” His long-range plan? To find a good fit in the area of strategy consulting. “I’ve realized that empowering people who have fantastic ideas with seed money, or with partnerships that I’m able to help them connect is very impactful,” he says. “Ultimately the skills and knowledge I’m learning at school can be applied in a different way other than just for profit. Sure, that is a possibility, but [I like] the idea that the same knowledge and skill set can be used to effect change locally and globally.”

 For more information, and to apply for a Premier’s International Scholarship, visit  www.ikbbc.ca

Maggie Li

The Stretch Assignment: Learning Abroad

Premier’s International Scholarship recipient Maggie Li’s world expanded immeasurably through her exchange semester in France

 She had prepared herself to the best of her ability for this semester abroad: she had absorbed years of French language classes beginning in grade five and continuing on to a French major; she had carefully selected l’Université François Rabelais in Tours, France as her destination; and she had secured a $6,000 Premier’s International Scholarship from the Irving K. Barber British Columbia Scholarship Society (IKB) to help cover the costs.

But what third-year Simon Fraser University student Maggie Li wasn’t prepared for was the amusing realization that although she had acquired a ton of French vocabulary through her years of study, unexpected language barriers still tripped her up. She found herself at an unexpected loss one day while hunting for a common item in the local grocery store. “Laundry detergent!” she laughs. “I didn’t know everyday words like that!”

It’s just one of the eye-opening experiences that made her international learning experience so memorable. During her four months in Tours, Maggie stayed in a residence dorm, took courses in French and Education, hung out with locals and other students from diverse backgrounds, sharpened her language skills, took in cultural experiences, and broadened her worldview in a way she’ll never forget. “It’s such an amazing experience,” she says. “You never know what you might learn about yourself, the world and the cultures around you until you go to a different place and just . . . go for it.”

A semester abroad is a required element of Maggie’s degree program at Simon Fraser University. For Maggie, France made sense, since she’s doing a French major in preparation for her next degree: a Bachelor of Education. “I’ve known I wanted to be a teacher for a while,” says the Surrey resident. “Back in grade two I wrote in my journal, I want to be either a teacher or a princess. I’ve volunteered with kids ever since grade ten, and I love being around kids, so I thought this might be something I’d like to go into.” A consummate leader by nature — she is the events coordinator for the SFU Education Student Association and Operations Director for SFU’s Free the Children club — Maggie also volunteered at an elementary school and teaches math at a local tutoring agency.

It feels like she’s in the right place at the right time. “There’s a high demand for teachers who know French in BC,” Maggie says, “so this is the perfect way to combine my passion for working with kids and learning French.”

The Premier’s International Scholarship took some of the weight off Maggie’s shoulders as she went into her exchange. “The Scholarship helped unload the cost of the whole exchange experience,” she reflects. “It helped pay for groceries and rent at my university residence, my plane ticket and things like that.” Maggie was careful to keep some monies in reserve so she could take part in cultural events and travel to nearby places. “The Scholarship helped me relax a little about the costs,” she says. “It let me immerse myself more than if I’d been worrying about money.”

And immerse herself she did. “I want to give some advice to students who might be thinking about studying abroad,” Maggie says. “Go with an open mind. Try different things. Go to different cultural events. And know that adjusting to a new place takes time — and that everyone adjusts at a different pace. In the end, everything works out. And you learn so much about yourself.”

 For more information, and to apply for a Premier’s International Scholarship, visit  www.ikbbc.ca