“Ashifa joined the UBC Bookstore in August 1983—initially as a rush cashier, but quickly moving to more exciting and responsible roles in Accounts Payable and Receivable. In addition to her role, Ashifa also organizes all the social events and activities at the bookstore.

“Originally hailing from Tanzania, Africa, her family moved to London, England and then immigrated to Canada in the mid-’70s, where she grew up in Richmond, BC.

“Meeting her husband on the dance floor, they married in 1989 and are the proud parents of two children, Alisha, who is an educator, and Anthony, who is studying to be an osteopath.

“Ashifa enjoys reading, hiking and dancing—but not necessarily in that order! She also spends a lot of time with her extended family in Vancouver, including nieces and even grandnephews who keep her young and active.”

— Margaret Tough, Director, Finance

Congratulations Ashifa!

“Starting at UBC in October 1988, Paula has worked at several Food Services’ locations, including Bread Garden, Pacific Spirit Place and, most recently, Tim Hortons Forestry, where she brings her contagious smile and work ethic. An inspiration to her colleagues and UBC student workers and customers alike, Paula always goes above and beyond the expectation every day.

“She genuinely cares about her work, and her dedication and commitment is impressive to many.”

— Jody Ropas, Retail Manager, Food Services

Congratulations Paula!

“Teresa started working at UBC in July 1988, and since that time she has worked at Underground, The Barn, The Bus Stop Café (as a server!), IRC, Steamies, Subway and Café Perugia, where she has worked the last 18 years.

“When Teresa is working you always know you have no worries, the customer will get served quickly with a huge smile and everything in the back of house will be taken care of. She loves to laugh and always moves swiftly to ensure quick service.

“Her customers often ask for her by name and if she’s away—she loves to travel!—they are quick to ask when she’ll be back. No matter where Teresa works, the supervisors and staff love her dedication and commitment to the customers and the university.”  

— Jody Ropas, Retail Manager, Food Services

Congratulations Teresa!

“In April 1988, Shirley started at UBC in Financial Services; in November 1990, she joined Student Housing as a Finance Clerk. Since that time, she has tirelessly supported staff, supervisors and her colleagues by always being available to answer questions and ensuring their pay is accurate and on time—and, more recently, helping colleagues navigate the Workday Payroll system.

“In her spare time Shirley enjoys travelling with her husband Paul and spending time with her two children, Ashley and Ryan.

“Shirley, we are so glad you are a part of our team. Congratulations on achieving 35 years of service with SHCS!”  

— Vicky Lau, Payroll Manager and Rob Wharton, Associate Director, Finance and Payroll

Congratulations Shirley!

“Congratulations to Andrew Parr on achieving 35 years of service at UBC. From humbling beginnings, Andrew has worked his way up the leadership ladder to oversee the country’s largest auxiliary operation.

“UBC houses more than 15,000 students and serves more than 90,000 students, faculty and staff across Food Services, Parking, Child Care, Conferences and Accommodation, Student Housing and the Bookstore and Campus Mail. The growth and excellence in these areas can be directly attributed to Andrew’s leadership and vision. Under some of the most difficult conditions (e.g., COVID, rising costs, etc.), Andrew and his team continue to keep their operations at the head of the class.

“Thirty-five years of service is a testament to Andrew’s durability and commitment, but more importantly his lengthy term of service continues to be a gift to UBC. We would likely not be where we are today as a university and as a division were it not for his commitment to excellence. Thank you for your dedicated service.”  

— Ainsley Carry, Vice-President, Students

Congratulations Andrew!

“Greg has been a recognized face at the front desks for the past 35 years, many of those years in a leadership role as a coordinator. He has spent significant time at Place Vanier, Acadia Park and Marine Drive as a supervisor and has been part of helping to shape the hundreds of staff that have worked at the front desks over all these years. Greg’s dedication and commitment to his work has been evident in all his years with UBC. He is always looking at ways to improve our processes to create a better experience for the students who live with us.

“Greg has been an avid film buff for most of his life and has written many print and online film reviews throughout the years.

“In June 2021, Greg received a shout-out from President Ono as an unsung hero for the support he provided students and staff during the pandemic. Congratulations, Greg, and many thanks for your years of service!”  

— Carol Young, Associate Director, Service Development and Operations

Congratulations Greg!

“David has worked for Campus Mail for the last 35 years, and during that time he has been a big part of building our reputation for great service and  supporting the UBC community at large. In his role, he supports a network of mail routes that facilitate the delivery of mail to over 400 locations on and off-campus.

“Always willing to share his knowledge with new team members, his colleagues have benefited from his significant experience, not to mention his efforts to help keep the team safe through his ongoing participation on the health and safety committee.

“An avid sports fan, David loves to listen to the local sports channels. He also enjoys spending time with his two dogs, who he likes to take on long walks.

“Congratulations, David, and many thanks for your years of service!”  

— Rodolfo Calero, Associate Director, Bookstore and Campus Mail

Congratulations David!

“Kim began her ECE career with UBC soon after she graduated with her ECE certificate and she has worked at Lilliput for all of the years since. Her warmth, compassion and dedication contribute to making Lilliput an excellent place for children under three years of age to live, learn and grow. Kim has welcomed many UBC families into Lilliput throughout the years, consistently offering warm care to the children and peace of mind to their parents.

“Kim is skilled in working with a variety of different materials that enhance the curriculum and offerings for the children at Lilliput.  She is creative and can often be found repurposing things like stray puzzle pieces, materials for new curtains and interesting unique upcycled objects for the children to explore.

“Kim has stepped into the senior educator role during maternity leaves.  She often takes on the challenges of leadership and administration while continuing to provide exemplary child care.  Kim has been and continues to be an enormous asset to UBC Child Care.”

— Karen Vaughan, Director, Child Care

Congratulations Kim! 

“Ronyne started at UBC Bookstore in August of 1994, she has worked in various bookstores almost exclusively her entire adult life and loves books passionately.  During her tenure, Ronyne has worked in every book department at UBC Bookstore. Serving customers and building displays to promote books has always been the most enjoyable part of her job. Regarding her coworkers, Ronyne often states: ‘These are the best people and I love many of them like family.’

“Some of Ronyne’s proudest moments at UBC are receiving the Presidents Awards, getting a UBC grant for the Staff Meditation Garden outside the Bookstore breakroom and her work surrounding ‘Freedom to Read’ to highlight book censorship past and present.

“Ronyne has been married for 39 years and has 3 daughters. Aside from her family and books, she loves birds, plants, nature in general and chocolate, though (according to her) not necessarily in that order.”

— Shane Gopaulsingh, Store Manager

Congratulations Ronyne! 

“Ken started working at the UBC Bookstore in 1993 and has held a variety of positions since then.

“He helped build the first Bookstore website in 1996, which—thankfully— survived Y2K!

“Over time, he progressed to a Systems Co-ordinator role as the Bookstore shifted from green-screen terminals to Windows PCs. Ken’s role then evolved to Systems Manager to reflect our additional IT staff and the widened scope of supported physical sites and system integrations.

“More recently, Ken’s role is still customer and staff-focused with an eye to enabling and guiding their use of available technologies, and for the Bookstore, innovate their service and resources offerings in support of the UBC community.” 

— Steve Alb, Director, Bookstore

Congratulations Ken! 

“Alma started her career here at UBC on July 22, 1998. By her current picture you would think she was 14 when she started. She works for Residence Dining and is a pillar and resource for all things Gather and Vanier.

“Very hard working and the epitome of dedication, Alma actually has two full time jobs. She is engaged, helpful and cheery, and she makes great suggestions, since she wants to take care of our students. Her great laugh can be heard across Gather, and it will always put a smile on your face when you hear it.

“She loves to travel with her husband, Arnel and grown children Arman and Andrea. Outside of work, you can find Alma checking out a new restaurants or going for dim sum with her many work friends.

“Thank you Alma for your commitment to excellence and for being a true delight to work with.”

— Kerensa Wotton, Residence Dining Manager, Food Services  

Congratulations Alma!

“Ines started at UBC in February 1998. During her time with Food Services, she has worked at Subway, Bread Garden and Tim Hortons.

“A hard working team member, Ines is always found smiling and often joking with her fellow team members. She also likes chatting with her regular customers and enjoys the busy times at Tim Hortons, where she is typically at the sandwich station making fresh, hot food.

“No matter which Tim’s location she is working at, she always digs in and gets the job done.”

— Jody Ropas, Retail Manager, Food Services

Congratulations Ines!

“Esperanza works in our residence dining operations, where she provides service to many students, staff and summer conference guests.

“One of her hobbies is cooking. She often invites her friends and family members to her house and shares food with loved ones. She definitely chose the perfect career (working in Food Services) that aligns with her hobby.

“A lover of travel, she has travelled to many beautiful places and countries by bus, train and air. Esperanza is always active, and she especially enjoys hiking and going to the parks and beaches.”

— Jane Sunwoo, Residence Dining Manager, Food Services

Congratulations Esperanza!

“Donald is a true Vancouverite; he was born here and has lived here all his life. He’s thankful for all the opportunities he has had while working at UBC. One of his favourite experiences was working with the warehouse team for a few months, delivering supplies to all the student residences. He truly enjoys coming to work and spending time with his friends. He takes leisurely walks around campus during his free time and appreciates the beauty of campus.

“A dragon boating volunteer and participant, he has recently finished his fourth season supporting the races in Penticton, BC. The highlight of his participation in the sport was in 2014 when his team Eyes of the Dragon travelled to an area near Naples, Italy where his team won gold and a silver medals in their races. He points out that the difference between gold and silver was between one tenth and one hundredth of a second.

“Donald is one of the friendliest people you will meet, always ready with a little humorous banter and a great smile. Ask him about his 1,000 shares in the Pepsi company!”

— Mahara Silva, Building Service Manager, Facilities & Building Services

Congratulations Donald! 

“As a teenager in 1995, Steven began his career here with Student Housing on the night shift as a Service Worker. He quickly displayed a reliable and diligent attitude, which would carry through to his future role as utility worker and his current position as plumber. An integral member of our trades team, Steven brings his trademark professionalism and extensive campus knowledge to all of his repairs, troubleshooting efforts, and emergency resolutions. He has truly found his calling with a blow torch and pipe wrench.

“Steven has built lifelong friendships through his connections made in SHCS. In his personal life, Steven enjoys driving his classic cars, both original and dragster. An avid hunter and fisher, he can often be found cruising along the Fraser River in his boat fishing for salmon.

“Steven always represents the trades group and our larger facilities team with class and we are lucky to have him.”

— Claudia Popa, Trades Manager, Facilities and Building Services

Congratulations Steven! 

“Terrence is simply a joy to work with. He is dedicated, diligent, and he gets things done. A few colleagues summed up how important he is to the department:

“If Terrence leaves we’re in trouble” [except they didn’t use the word “trouble”].

“Terrence? Dude, he’s the glue in the department!”

“His encyclopedic knowledge means you can ask him anything and he’ll know where to find the answer.”

“He’s a lovable rogue with an infectious laugh, transforming a quiet office the moment he walks through the door, which is so, so refreshing. He may be Terrence but to us, he’s “Our Terrence” and it’s hard to believe he’s been at UBC for just 25 years.”

— Brian Jones, Director, Parking Services

Congratulations Terrence! 

“Josie has worked in every department within Food Services! Starting in 1998 at Totem Park, she later moved to Café Perugia in 2005 and served the Olympics in 2010. From May 2009, she worked at Triple O’s and in 2015 she moved to the retail business at Ike’s Café, Stir it Up and Law Café. In fall 2018, she moved to The Point where she worked as a Supervisor. During the summers of 2022 and 2023, Josie also worked at Sage Catering during.

“Over the years, Josie was also fortunate to work with her husband, Steve, who was the Sous Chef at Place Vanier and retired a few years ago. Her engaging sense of humor, care for others, and passion for food made her a great colleague to many. In October 2023, she made the decision to retire.

“Thank you Josie, for the legacy you leave at UBC—many thousands of meaningful employee and customer interactions. Wishing you a happy and healthy retirement!”  

— Levi Semadeni, General Manager, Catering and Restaurants 

Congratulations Josie! 

“Ivone grew up in Toronto with her parents and four siblings. After she graduated high school, she gained employment as a night auditor and front desk clerk at the Royal York Fairmont Hotel in downtown Toronto. Working there, her interest in pursuing a career in hospitality grew, which led her to study hotel management and food and beverage management.

“After living in Australia on a working holiday visa for a year, Ivone’s return flight stopped over in Vancouver. She immediately fell in love with the city and decided to move here—which she thinks was the best decision of her life. Upon moving to Vancouver, she worked in several hotels and then started part-time at UBC.

“She tells me, ‘working at UBC allows me the freedom to lead a well-balanced happy life style. Thank you UBC.’

“Outside of work, Ivone enjoys travel, the great outdoors, yoga and strength training. She also supports environmental and animal welfare organizations.”

— Jane Sunwoo, Residence Dining Manager, Food Services

Congratulations Ivone!