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Alumniations
Keeping in touch
Sandy Bishop, Office Careers Cert ’94 — has been working at UFV since graduation. She started part time in 1993, working in various departments. In 1998 she obtained a full- time position in the Financial Aid and Awards office. She says she would not have achieved this without taking the Office Careers (now Applied Business Technology) program at UFV. Anne-Marie Paquette, Dip ’08 — has been working for Khangura Engineering Ltd. in Abbotsford as a civil engineering technician. She has been instrumental in assisting her company in the development of some of the premier subdivisions in the Lower Mainland including Eagle Mountain and Britannia Beach. Recently Anne-Marie returned to UFV to complete her degree in global development. She is also the mother of two current/former UFV students: Ashley Fromin, currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business degree with a minor in Visual Arts, and Christopher Fromin ( Culinary Arts Cert ’04), who is now a sous chef in Vancouver . Her success at UFV inspired her children to attend.
 | Kristin Ory |
Kristin Ory, Dip ’09 — completed her Criminal Justice diploma and went on to pursue a career in policing as a dispatcher while focusing on her art, which included starting up a graphic and tattoo design business while learning the art of tattooing. Pursuing two opposite career paths has allowed Kristin to embrace her creativity while maintaining her passion for front-line response work.
Martin Blumenfeld, BA CIS ’02 —completed his degree along with two co-op work terms, which led to six great years with Intrawest and other tech companies. Martin has always done freelance web design and development work on the side and has now made it a full-time gig over the past year with a growing client base. Martin said that UFV (then UCFV) and its co-op program definitely helped him get to where he is today. Plus he’s expecting a new baby any day now!!
Rhoda Chaput, BSW ’00 — graduated with a degree in social work and immediately started working for the Ministry of Children and Family Development. She has been in a variety of positions while working for the ministry, including working with the aboriginal team for two years. For the last three years, she has been in family service work in Mission. Shane Finch, BA ’97 — After obtaining a degree in Criminal Justice, Shane was hired by ICBC in October 1998. He is currently a litigation adjuster at the Chilliwack ICBC Claim Centre. He says if he had not completed a practicum at the Abbotsford ICBC Claim Centre in in fourth year he would not have discovered the interesting and challenging job opportunities available at ICBC. Donna Morgan, BA ’00 — Her BA in Adult Education enabled Donna to assume responsibility for a back-to-work program run by Continuing Education at at Okanagan University College. Donna then moved on to become project administrator at the National Research Council’s Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory. A highlight of her work is chairing the observatory’s annual open house every September, which draws a crowd of over 1,500 people. Dawn Wilson, Cert ’94 — worked at the RW Large Memorial Hospital for ten years, first as an executive assistant, then as a site manager and finally as chief operating officer. The skills she learned through the UFV program helped her get started. She now works for the Hailika’as Heiltsuk Health Centre as team leader for the Sasum (children) programs aged zero to six. She is currently taking courses/upgrading to enroll in a Bachelor of Nursing program.  | Lisa Morry |
Lisa Morry, Dip Lib/Info Tech ’07 — never left UFV after graduating from the Library and Information Technology program. She has been working in the UFV library, most recently covering a leave in the Chilliwack library. Lisa is also working on a Bachelor of General Studies degree at UFV.
Ken Herar, BA ’01 — received the Arts & Culture award from the District of Mission at its annual 2010 community service awards. He is a columnist with the Abbotsford/Mission Times and was also the named Champion of Diversity in 2007 for the Fraser Valley. Rachel Terpstra, RN, BSN ’05 — went right into a full-time RN position on the surgical ward in the former MSA Hospital, then moved to Brisbane, Australia. In Australia she completed a year-long peri-operative certification course to work in the operating room. She is also well travelled, participating in medical missions while in Nigeria. Back in Canada Rachel completed the critical care program at BCIT and now works at a major trauma centre. She attributes her success, and that of other UFV nursing alumni, to UFV’s hands-on clinical focus . Erin Menelaws, BA ’08 — completed her BA in psychology and went on to complete teacher training through UBC’s West Kootenay Teacher Education program. In 2009 she travelled with UFV’s Anita vanWyk to South Africa to complete courses at Nelson Mandela University as part of a sociology studies program. In the future, Erin would love to travel back to South Africa to teach. For now, she looks forward to her position on the West Kootenay School District teacher-on-call list and is very excited to announce her recent engagement!
 | Depak Parmar |
Depak Parmar, BBA ’02 — after obtaining his Bachelor of Business Administration degree, Depak earned his Chartered Accountant designation in 2004 while articling at KPMG LLP in Abbotsford. Depak is now a senior manager at KPMG serving clients in a variety of industries including agriculture, manufacturing/processing, real estate development, and construction.
Cynthia Sugar, Cert ’01 — received her UFV certificate in substance abuse counselling. Her UFV training has enabled her to help many individuals with awareness, abuse prevention and recovery from street drugs, prescribed psycho-pharmaceuticals, and environmental chemicals which affect the central nervous system. She now owns and operates The Clean Air Coach, a consulting company promoting healthier living.
David Robinson, BBA ’07 — was hired by Meyers Norris Penny LLP (MNP) in Abbotsford, a chartered accounting firm specializing in assurance, taxation and consulting services. With MNP, he recently completed his chartered accountant designation (CA) and will now be working out of MNP’s Vancouver office, focusing on public company audits. He says that the business, accounting, and finance classes at UFV gave him a great knowledge base for his career. Adi Desai, BBA Aviation ’06 — taught flying at Abbotsford Airport while running his restaurant in Chilliwack. In February of 2010, he opened his second authentic Thai food restaurant in Abbotsford, called 'The Thai D'or.. Laura Polomark, Cert ’93 — completed a substance abuse counselling certificate from UFV in 1993, a bachelor’s degree from SFU in 1994, and a master’s degree in counselling psychology in 2008. She has enjoyed a variety of positions, such as teaching at Sylvan Learning Centre, and working as an educational advisor at Kwantlen University, an eating disorder counsellor, and an online counsellor. She met her husband, Mike, in June of 1986 and they married in July, 1992, in Maui.  | Reina Inoue |
Reina Inoue, BA ’06 — After completing a BA (major in Sociology/Anthropology) and gaining work experience as a student leader and event coordinator with the International Education department, Reina now works in the Tokyo office of prestigious international law firm Skadden Arps. Reina trains and supervises a group of secretaries. Her promotion to a supervisory role for a group of multicultural staff members is a result of the working experience gained at the university and the IE department’s excellent support in making the experiences of international students a success.
Brandon Kelley, BBA ’06 — obtained the CA (Chartered Accountant) designation in May 2010, while working at KPMG’s Abbotsford office. Brandon is currently on a two-year secondment at KPMG’s Perth, Western Australia office, where he is working on financial statement audits in the mining industry. Sheryl Appleby, BA ’09 — Sheryl spent a summer traveling in Europe before returning to enter a PDP program for prospective secondary school teachers. She recently completed her short practicum at a high school in China, and will be graduating from the PDP program in January of 2011. Roberta O’Brien, BA ’05 — completed her diploma in CIS and a BA with a major in geography, and currently is contracted as a community developer in the social sector. She specializes in spatial/statistical analysis and GIS. Her business, computer networking and communication skills acquired as part of her academic career at UFV, have been an invaluable asset! Carolyn Kristensen, Dip ’06 — completed her Aviation diploma at UFV and partnered with Coast Pacific Aviation in 2006. After taking some time off to travel Central America, she is now working in northern Alberta for Airborne Energy Solutions Ltd., flying groceries into remote aboriginal communities and providing them with access to health care. Jaimy Hutton, BBA ’09 — After graduation, Jaimy was recruited by Dealer Tire as part of the launch team for the company’s expansion into Canada. Her official title is field training specialist for the BC region, focusing on training clients how to think like retailers and become more profitable selling tires. Jaimy’s UFV experience provided her with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make her a fierce and hirable competitor in the job market.  | Matt Hanson |
Matt Hanson, Dip ’09 — completed his Computer Information Systems diploma, and after great experiences in the Co-operative Education program, went on to happily start his career working for the Abbotsford Police Department as a network support analyst. Matt continues to work towards his CIS degree in his spare time, and strongly encourages all students to take advantage of the benefits provided by the co-op program.
Dan Clegg, BA ’08 — After completing his degree in psychology, Dan is now working for Communitas Supportive Care Society as a mental health worker in two transitional programs in Chilliwack. He plans to embark on a MA in counselling psychology at the Adler school in Vancouver. He is spending as much time as possible fly fishing before he leaves!
Alisa Webb, BA ’02 — completed her BA in History and Sociology at UCFV in 2001, moving on to complete an MA and PhD at SFU. She began working as a sessional instructor in the History department at UFV in 2004 and became a full faculty member in 2007. She is currently working on a book on British girls’ magazines published from 1898 to 1918. Alumni: please submit a brief writeup telling us what you’ve been up to since graduation. Send it to alumni@ufv.ca. We’ll print it in the next issue and enter you to win a prize.
Congratulations to Christa Van Klei, BSc ’07 She won the keeping in touch draw for the Fall 2010 issue.
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