June 2025
In this issue: Celebrating a new class of graduates, an Olympian joins our alumni community, discover the latest alumni news, events, and exclusive benefits waiting for you.
HOW AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST BECAME AN ALUMNUS AT 54
"I think for my kids to see their mom go back to school in her fifties is great. Because we should all be lifelong learners. There’s no age limit."
You may know her as a two-time Olympic gold medallist, but at age 54, Catriona Le May Doan can now proudly call herself an SFU alumnus—she’s earned her Business Management Certificate from SFU Continuing Studies.
READ & RECONNECT—THE ALUMNI BOOK CLUB
Please join us in reading Pip William's New York Times bestselling debut novel The Dictionary of Lost Words—inspired by real events during the women’s suffrage movement in England during World War I. The reading period goes until July 25.
Our online book club is open to the entire SFU community—it’s free to join and participate!
A FULL-CIRCLE ROMANCE
"SFU didn’t just bring us together—it gave us the space to grow beside each other,” says Joshua. “Every challenge, every win, every community we’ve built along the way—it all became part of the blueprint that shaped our foundation.”
On May 6, Joshua Jackai (BA ’17) proposed to Yzobel Biron (BA ’20) on the West Mall Atrium patio where they first saw each other nine years ago as SFU students.
In case you missed it...
- A new student residence building and expanded child-care centre for SFU are a step closer to becoming reality, with construction now underway at SFU’s Burnaby campus. SFU story
- Sheila Roberts, retired senior lecturer in SFU’s Department of English, passed away in March. Dr. Roberts began teaching at SFU in 1977 and continued even after her retirement in 2002. SFU story
- Who is Hiro Kanagawa? Everything to know about the actor (SFU alumnus!) who plays Carlisle in The Last of Us
- Research on off-season berry production is bearing fruit at the SFU Biotech Greenhouse. A team led by biological sciences professor Jim Mattsson has successfully grown a crop of blueberries indoors during the winter. SFU article
- Capturing history before it disappears: Vancouver author-illustrator, and SFU alumnus, Donna Seto celebrates the Chinatown of her childhood in a new book.
We share news on our social channels and link to news articles featuring alumni in our 'alumni in the news' section of the website. Follow us to keep up-to-date on alumni and SFU news!
Events
- June 4 | (Vancouver)
- June 9-13 | Convocation (Burnaby)
- June 10 | (online)
- June 10 | (online)
- June 11 | (online)
- June 19 | (Tokyo)
- June 19 | (online)
- June 28 | (Manchester)
- July 4 | —performance (Vancouver)—waitlist
- Various dates | —talks (Vancouver)
Ongoing:
- SFU Reads, our online book club! Curious about what we have already read and what we're reading now? Visit SFU Reads to find out!
- Starry Nights Star Parties at SFU Burnaby happens every Friday night (weather dependent), with the last Friday of the month being an online-only event. Get the details!
Access your alumni benefits
Looking for home or tenant insurance? In need of health/dental or life insurance? A credit card with rewards? Learn about the many products our affinity partners offer SFU alumni.
Our partnerships provide high quality products and services for our alumni. In return, our partners contribute financially to SFU Alumni, which enables us to fund scholarships and bursaries, plan events, deliver programming and more.
Update your info
The SFU Alumni team is planning events across the globe this year. Don’t miss out on event invitations happening where you live:
- update your mailing address in 60 seconds
- add our email (alumni@sfu.ca) to your contacts
Connect with us online
We share news on our social channels. Follow us to keep up-to-date on alumni and SFU news!