We would like to extend a big welcome to Lakshmi Sangaranarayanan, who joined SHCS as the new Director, Student Residence on August 8, 2022.
Lakshmi comes to UBC via the University of Calgary (UCalgary), where she was most recently the Associate Director of Residence Services. Prior to UCalgary, she worked in student housing and residence life at several American universities, including Illinois State University, where she got her start in 2001 as an Assistant Residence Hall Coordinator. In August 2022, she joined UBC as the Director, Student Residence.
During her career, she has spearheaded numerous strategic initiatives, including the opening of several new residence halls, implementing a wellness-in-residence program, and developing a graduate residential college. However, she is most proud of coaching and mentoring her staff over the years and seeing them reach new professional heights at institutions across North America.
The youngest sibling of four, Lakshmi grew up in Madurai, a small temple city in southern India. After acquiring her BSc and MSc in horticulture from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, she took her first flight ever to Chicago to begin her MBA at Illinois State University. As you might expect of someone with two degrees in horticulture, Lakshmi loves to garden (and cook tasty meals from the harvest). She also enjoys reading fiction – with favourite authors including Alka Joshi and Elif Shafaq – walking, cycling and swimming.
