This year we received many wonderful nominations. Thank you to everyone who nominated one of their incredible colleagues. While it was challenging to select from all of the outstanding nominees, we are pleased to announce the following six recipients of this year’s Outstanding Contribution Awards.
Outstanding Contribution Award
“Jim is such a deserving recipient of the outstanding contribution award. He is always focussed on customer service and taking care of students’ needs. Jim is a wonderful person to work with and we are fortunate to have him on our bookstore team!!” — Steve Alb, Director, Bookstore and Campus Mail
Congratulations Jim; your work in SHCS is amazing!
From Jim's Nomination
“He genuinely cares about providing excellent customer service to everyone he meets, whether it’s in person, on the telephone, over chat or by email.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a person at the hospital in long term care who had ordered a book, but couldn’t leave to pick it up. Jim personally delivered the book to the hospital. This is one of many examples of why Jim is an outstanding employee.
“Although not part of his normal work duties, Jim has served as the volunteer Co-Chair of the local safety committee and JOHSC for the last 20 plus years and has helped ensure that the Bookstore’s safety committee is recognized as one of the most progressive and effective safety committees on campus.
“It is a pleasure to work with Jim because of his reliability, knowledge, teamwork and positive “can do” attitude.” — Weldon Wong and Ken Wong
Nominated by Kawa Ada, Natalie Tole and Lakshmi Sangaranarayanan
“Cassidy excels in her work. Her peers look up to her for being empathetic and highly dependable. Her student-centered approach helps her establish meaningful relationships with students, remaining steadfast to their distinct needs. Whether it is working to resolve multiple facilities emergencies after a snow storm or supporting students in distress, Cassidy is a skilled, caring and thoughtful leader to her peers, partners and the residents we serve.” — Kawa Ada, Associate Director, Residence Life and Administration
Congratulations Cassidy; your work in SHCS is extraordinary!
From Cassidy's Nomination
“Cassidy continuously offers to take on various tasks above and beyond what was initially allocated in order to help a project along or take things off other teammates’ plates (should they be stretched at that time). However, where she truly excels is in her support of the students in residence. Her focus is on learning the ‘why’ behind decisions so that we can make the most impact. She advocates for students who might be underrepresented and is always student-centered in her work.
“Cassidy went above and beyond in her role as the on-call Residence Life Manager during the 2022 holiday break. There were a number of challenging flood situations across our residence areas due to extreme freezing and wet weather. As a result, many families were displaced from their units during the holiday period (including December 24 and 25). Cassidy remained unnerved and handled these situations with extreme professionalism and empathy, and required little direction or support.
“Cassidy’s professionalism and willingness to go above and beyond with a smile and a good attitude models excellent leadership qualities—she is truly a leading force.” — Kawa Ada, Natalie Tole and Lakshmi Sangaranarayanan
“Stoja is known for her positive attitude and her high level of service for residents and staff. Stoja is a pillar of knowledge for those around her. We are so proud of the recognition that Stoja has received. Честитамо, поносни смо на вас” — Johanna Webber, Director, Building Services
Congratulations Stoja; your work in SHCS is extraordinary!
From Stoja's Nomination
“Stoja is a well-respected member of Student Housing and has built lasting relationships across the SHCS community. She excels in her work, always has a positive attitude, maintains strong attention to detail and provides genuine care to those around her.
“Recognizing the essential role her team provides, Stoja leads by example. She acts as a role model to fellow colleagues, and her attention to training and development continuously contributes to the retention of staff.
“Stoja worked in the Acadia/Fairview residence area for many years and is a pillar of knowledge to those around her. In 2021, Stoja began working at tə šxʷhəleləm̓s tə k̓ʷaƛ̓kʷəʔaʔɬ. Stoja was integral in implementing procedures and setting up the new residence. She worked to train staff while also learning the new area herself, using her past knowledge and expertise to provide high standards of cleanliness to the new buildings.
“Stoja has worked at UBC for 31 years and still has a willingness to learn new things—this past winter, Stoja learned how to use the snow plow! “Most recently, new processes and equipment for waste handling have been introduced at tə šxʷhəleləm̓s tə k̓ʷaƛ̓kʷəʔaʔɬ. These are unique to the Saltwater building and also new to Stoja. She took on the tasks with the spirit of teamwork and a ‘can-do’ approach. She has worked closely with the team to implement these new practices and procedures, and has taken ownership to ensure smooth and safe operations.
“Everyone who works with Stoja benefits from her excellence, sense of humour and fun. She greatly contributes to the culture at Saltwater residence and SHCS.” — Jennifer Gunn, Building Services Manager, Facilities and Building Services
“Congratulations to Karina for receiving the Outstanding Contribution Award! Having worked as part of this team for a number of years, Karina is a great resource of information and pillar of support for her teammates as well as other SHCS colleagues. Karina is an extremely hard working and dedicated member of the assignment staff team.” — Natalie Tole, Associate Director, Admissions and Administration, Residence Life and Administration
Congratulations Karina; your work in SHCS is extraordinary!
From Karina's Nomination
“Karina always listens to what residents have to say regarding any sort of issue or request. She is always understanding and lenient with residents to the full extent she can be based on our housing policies. For example, Karina always ensures students with CFA recommendations receive housing that meets their needs in a timely manner and keeps them updated throughout the process. She is always willing to negotiate payment plans with residents who may be experiencing financial difficulties and does so in a compassionate manner.
“Karina has worked for SHCS for a decade and continuously shows how competent she is at her job and how dedicated she is to her work. She manages an extremely high work load whilst often training new staff at the same time—and excels at doing so. Karina often has to deal with very complex residence complaints and has a very high level of patience when responding. Karina is pro-active and is very efficient, but also thorough. She makes other staff feel welcome in the office and is a warm presence for everyone in the workplace.” — Krysta Mazure, Assignment Clerk, Residence Life and Administraion
Outstanding Contribution Award in Sustainability
Nominated by Brian Jones, Director, Parking
“Jose works tirelessly to reduce carbon emissions associated with commuting through multi-year initiates like the installation of over 80 electric vehicle charging stations on campus and removal of gates at parkades to eliminate vehicles idling to name a few projects with an environmental focus. Traffic accounts for 35% of carbon emissions in Metro Vancouver so his work is not only important for UBC it’s also providing real leadership off campus. Congratulations to Jose for this well deserved recognition” — Brian Jones, Director, Parking
Congratulations Jose; your work in SHCS is remarkable!
From Jose's Nomination
“Recent leading edge projects that Jose deserves credit for include the implementation of UBC’s renewable energy hub, EV fast charging stations, and adding hydrogen vehicles to the UBC Parking fleet. These projects advance the solutions that UBC deploys as an institution, but also shows what these solutions can offer when applied at scale—which means that these projects can easily have significant and positive environmental impacts on and off campus.
“When asked about Jose, the standard response from staff was a mix of “awesome guy”, “always happy to help’” and “super friendly”—a short list among many of the great comments and phrases used by colleagues.
“Jose rarely seeks limelight, kudos or gratitude, but the work he has accomplished around sustainability deserves to be acknowledged. Thank you for your continued dedication and good work, Jose.” — Brian Jones, Director, Parking
Outstanding Contribution Award in Community Leadership
“Jules is the straw that stirs our community drink! Always the first person to arrange the events and connections that bring us all together making SHCS a great place to work! Jules has also been the SHCS United Way Champion and our Sustainability champion for many years.” — Colin Moore, Director, Food Services
Congratulations Jules; your work in SHCS is incredible!
From Jules's Nomination
“Jules has impacted the community in many ways, but the most iconic example has to be the UBC Blueberry Festival. This festival has become a signature summer event at UBC that connects the entire campus and our off-campus community. Many SHCS departments get involved to make it a success. It is an opportunity showcase and partner with local berry farms and the UBC Farm. It also contributes back to the university as a profitable event. Jules engages many volunteers to help at Blueberry festival, which allows SHCS employees to connect with each other and serve the campus community.
“Jules also plays an integral role as an SHCS United Way Champion, Not Myself Today Wellbeing Advocate, and Social Sustainability leader. She cares deeply for the health of our planet and community, and regularly reminds folks about the 3R’s! “In her home community Jules supports neighbours and seniors, and is an active dragonboater.
“Jules has demonstrated long-term commitment in these areas. They define her as a community leader and help define the culture at SHCS. Thank you Jules!” — Colin Moore, Director, Food Services