“When Emma started her building services practicum at the West Coast suites in 1995, she never predicted that she was going to be a member of the UBC 25 Year club.

Emma enjoys sailing the waters of British Columbia with her husband in their boat, which they have owned for several years.

For the last 20 years during the summer time they sail for a few weeks, with family or friends on board, and this is the highlight of their year.

Passionate off-road drivers as well, Emma and her husband hit the logging roads to take their 3-year-old granddaughter fishing, camping, and sightseeing.

Emma cannot wait for life to go back to normal, so she can once again host weekly poker nights at their place for friends and coworkers.”

— Raul Fortiz

“Evereth started working for UBC on September 12, 1995, and he remembers that he was assigned to Walter Gage. His manager at the time was Harry Fox. Since then, Evereth has spent most of his 25 years at Gage, except for a couple of years at Totem and Place Vanier.
When Evereth isn’t working he loves to go fishing and sing Karaoke. I have been told by many that he does an amazing rendition of Open Arms by Journey. Keep fishing and singing Evereth!”

— Sandra Yallop

Shaen Golden is a very familiar face at the residence front desks. He has dedicated his working life to supporting students in residence and has literally worked around the clock doing it. Always willing to lend a hand, Shaen has often given of his time outside of work hours to help out residents with their musical productions or programs.

Outside of work, Shaen is the proud father to three very active boys. He is a committed leader in the Scouts Canada organization and, in his spare time, does home repairs and renovations. Shaen is a knowledgeable and friendly presence with the residents, staff, and guests who interact with the front desks.

— Carol Young

“Kim is a wonderful human being, always ready to help, whether at work or in the community. She is very optimistic, gentle, and diplomatic, bringing positive energy and plenty of ideas to Lilliput every day, whether taking the children gardening, playing, or on walks.

Patient and laid back when mentoring others, she makes everybody feel safe and comfortable, and her gifted nature with children can be seen through her sensitivity to their well-being and belief that everybody, adult or child, has potential. She is incredibly dedicated, often bringing in supplies and tools from home, and is known to put in extra time and effort regularly.

We thank Kim for inspiring her team to do their best and to stand together during all the ups and downs and for sharing her positive attitude that inspires them to do their best.

Congratulations on dedicating 25 amazing years of work to UBCCCS; we hope to continue to hold this strong professional and personal bond for another 20 years to come.”

— Jieun Shin

“Glenn started working at UBC on February 13, a significant time of year because within the first week he was here, he helped out with snow clearing after one of the few snow days we have here on the coast. He had just moved to BC from Winnipeg, Manitoba, so he just saw this as an ordinary winter day. His first time in BC was in 1988 when he was part of the Olympic trials for the Canadian Road Racing Team. In 1989 he decided to make Vancouver his home.

The best thing that has happened to him was meeting his wife Pauline who started working with us in 1999. Happily married since 2005, he is forever grateful she was hired.

Outside of work Glenn enjoys spending time with his wife, in particular their summer camping trips. His latest activity is gold panning in the back woods and streams. It gives him lots of time to dream what life would be like after finding a gold nugget!”

— Mahara Silva

“Sveto has been employed in many departments during his time at UBC. He started with UBC Security, and then moved to Building Operations where he was both a Utility Worker and a Painter. He has been a Utility Worker with Student Housing since July 2008. When away from UBC, Sveto is likely found surrounded by his family and playing guitar. His favourite songs are Serbian rock ballads, and he loves Michael Jackson!”

— Karen Woodford

“In working with Chris, you get to experience firsthand an individual who is keenly focused on providing the best possible service for UBC’s students. An independent thinker, Chris is known for implementing creative technological solutions that focus on the needs of students, while also juggling the complexities of an organization as large and diverse as UBC. As a leader, he instills in his team that same level of passion and dedication for service to students.

Thank you, Chris, for your 25 years of dedication and service. Your ingenuity and tireless efforts have undoubtedly had a positive impact on many students’ experiences at UBC over the years.

— Stephen Lamb

“Garth grew up in Alberta and graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor’s degree in Archaeology from the University of Calgary. In 1995 he moved to Vancouver. A few months after arriving, Garth joined the UBC Bookstore’s warehouse team, where he has not stopped impressing us with his dedication and problem solving skills — making Garth a very key member of the UBC Bookstore team. His interests include learning about wine, reading, gardening, and photography.”

— Rodolfo Calero

“John is incredibly generous with his time, his UBC experience, and his knowledge of how to get things done at UBC. He really should author a book called “UBC for Dummies.” There aren’t many things that John doesn’t know about, having come up through the ranks with the Access Technicians, and now also working with the Locksmiths. Not only a sharp dresser, John is also sharp-witted: his knowledge of obscure Simpsons’ quotes (Troy McLure’s “lead paint: delicious but deadly” is a particular favourite) is only surpassed by his mind-bending knowledge and love of music, from his time as a drummer. While not quite John Bonham, John is a star in his own right and we wouldn’t be the same department without him.”

— Brian Jones

“Sanjiv is a key part of Parking and Access Services, where he has worked for 25 years. He gets things done, often finding solutions where they do not immediately and obviously exist. He doesn’t suffer fools, but that’s OK: his broad smile and no-nonsense attitude endear him to the team on so many levels, and it is his discipline that has served him well with his stock market picks, one of his great interests. Down to earth, what you see is what you get with Sanjiv, and that’s why we’re so happy to have him working with us.”

— Brian Jones

“Originally from the Philippines, Rudy completed a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree with a major in Accounting and a Philippine CPA (Charterer Professional Accountant) license. Rudy then worked as Chief Accountant in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 1984 to 1991, as an Income Auditor/Accountant at SAS Portman Hotel in London UK from 1991 to 1994, and then immigrated to Canada in July 1994 with his wife and child. In 1995, he began working at UBC Bookstore, and he is currently the Bookstore Section Head in Accounts Payable.

Rudy has a very jolly personality and loves to sing karaoke with his family and friends. He enjoys organizing the Accounting Department’s potluck for birthdays and special events. Dedicated to his work at the Bookstore, he is always open to taking on new tasks when operational help is needed. Rudy is definitely an asset to the Bookstore!”

— Jenny Fuentes

“Teo Basas was born in Bontoc Southern Leyte in the Philippines. In August 1994, he emigrated to Canada (Vancouver), with his parents, two sisters, and brother. In 2000, he married his wife Celceli and  they have  two beautiful children, Kailan and Mia. Teo likes to spend quality time with his family doing fun things like travelling, camping, and fishing, and also enjoying a good game of basketball.

Teo and his family get together socially, about once a month, with other coworkers and their children.

Teo really enjoys his job at UBC as a Utility Worker because he can help the residents with their maintenance requests and make repairs to help make life here that much better.”

— Randy Gvora

“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 in these crazy COVID days 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