Last Wednesday, the SFU Alumni Association celebrated the 2013 Outstanding Alumni Awards with a swanky night at the Four Seasons.
The evening featured a sitdown dinner, speeches from university officials and Alumni Association organizers, and honoured four noteworthy SFU ex-pats: Krista Guloien for athletic achievement; Lance Uggla for professional achievement; and Howard Sapers and Tim Martin, both for public service.
The event saw a few hundred of SFU’s best and brightest current and former students — and one Peak representative — fill up the Park Ballroom of the downtown Vancouver hotel. The evening was hosted by Renee Filippone, a former SFU communications major and current host of CBC News Vancouver Weekend.
In her introductory speech, Filippone described growing up in Burnaby, always seeing SFU “in the distance [. . .] this magical place always shrouded in cloud.” Both Filippone and her sister later attended the university, a place she said gave her “the ability to learn, and the ability to be a critical thinker.”
President Andrew Petter took to the podium for a short speech in which he enumerated many of the recent accomplishments and ongoing projects of the university. He announced that, since its September launch, SFU’s 50th anniversary “Power of Engagement” fundraising campaign has raised $140-million of its $250-million goal.
“What it means is if you have $110-millions burning a hole in your wallet, we can reach that goal tonight!” joked Petter. “And please, don’t hesitate to interrupt me during dinner.”
The night’s air of dreamy nostalgia reached a crescendo as the four award winners each took to the stage to accept their awards.
The event saw a few hundred of SFU’s best and brightest current and former students.
Guloien, who came home from the 2012 Olympic games in London with a silver medal for women’s rowing, was first introduced to her sport at the ripe age of 21. At the time she was a student at SFU, and was lauded for her personal philosophy that being driven and being feminine are not mutually exclusive.
Uggla, who recalled flopping down to study beside the AQ pond on sunny days, was awarded for professional achievement. He was recognized for his business Markit, which, since its inception in 2003, has grown from a small company in a converted barn in the English countryside, into an international behemoth, boasting 3,000 employees and 20 offices worldwide.
Members of the public service were well represented by Sapers and Martin, who now work as the correctional investigator appointed by the Canadian government, and an ambassador and diplomat, respectively.
Sapers was recognized for his work advocating for the rights and fair treatment of those within the Canadian correctional system. Reminiscent of SFU, he shared recollections of his time at the pub, and of somehow finding himself on the board of directors of the student society.
Martin, who has represented Canada diplomatically in Argentina, Paraguay, and Colombia, credited his undergraduate experience with setting him on his life’s path — particularly his involvement in the 1979 Latin American Studies field school, where he met his wife of 33 years.
“Thanks, SFU!” Martin laughed.
The event broke up around 9:30 p.m., with attendees happily warmed from the inspirational tales of post-post-secondary success as well as complimentary table wine.
