Julia Halipchuk
Hometown: Princeton, B.C.
5th year Engineering, UBC’s Okanagan campus
Peer Mentor; UBC Concrete Toboggan Team; Student Planning Committee
Kevin Zhang
Hometown: Vancouver, B.C.
5th year Kinesiology, UBC’s Vancouver campus
President, Chinese Varsity Club
“Everyone is comfortable in their niche with people from the same background, speaking the same languages. But these days, students want to step outside of our comfort zones. In the CVC, we’ve realized that we are not just an Asian club. People with similar interests have different backgrounds and we try to cater to everyone. UBC is a big school but by joining a club, you make the campus a bit smaller. This isn’t a bad thing because it allows our students to make genuine and meaningful intercultural connections that last throughout their university experience and beyond.”
Harsev Oshan
Hometown: Mombasa, Kenya
3rd year Political Science, UBC Vancouver
President, Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS); International Student Association; Harvard World Model UN Conference 2012
Nishat Tasnim
Hometown: Dhaka, Bangladesh
2nd year Biology, UBC’s Okanagan campus
Peer Mentor; Research Assistant; Global Fest; International Mother Language Day and the Bengali Language; Coordinated activities over winter break with International Programs and Services
Conor Clarance
Hometown: Whistler, B.C.
5th year Commerce, Sauder School of Business, UBC Vancouver
UBC Rugby player; Sauder representative for the Marshall International Case Competition
Elisabeth Williams
Hometown: Abbotsford, B.C.
Master’s of Arts, Dept. of Language and Literacy Education, UBC’s Vancouver campus
Coordinator, UBC Tandem Language Exchange; Professional Development Committee, Global Lounge; LLED Film Discussion Group
“I am the Coordinator of the Tandem UBC Language Exchange and as a participant of the program I meet with a student on exchange through the UBC-Ritsumeikan program. By taking the roles of both student and expert, my partner and I aid each other’s language progress in a collaborative and supportive environment. I also believe our close relationship has helped us expand our perceptions of life in both Canada and Japan.”
