This spring we caught up with three recent winners of the Edna Dharmaratne award – Chelsea Jang (2021 winner), Nandita Suresh (2022 winner), Dlorah Agama (2024 winner) – to hear about their past, present and future volunteering, and what the Award has meant to them.
Q1: During your time with the UBC Linguistics department, what service or volunteer experience had the greatest impact on you?
Nandita: “I really enjoyed volunteering with Writers’ Exchange at an elementary school here in Vancouver. I was part of an amazing team of volunteers, and together, we ran an after-school literacy program designed to support kids who don’t always have access to the resources or help they needed for reading and writing. Every week, we did a different fun literacy activity with the kids, read with them, and helped them with their homework. Seeing the kids get into reading and writing while having fun was extremely gratifying and I had fun playing with them.”
Chelsea: “I enjoyed being part of the Speech and Linguistics Students Association (SALSA). I began as an executive assistant and later served as the Undergraduate Representative. I connected with students, faculty and staff within the Linguistics department and the Faculty of Arts, which created a sense of community, which was important amidst COVID-19 and virtual classes. I also got to plan events that brought students together. I co-led the first “Getting Involved in Undergraduate Research” event where different Linguistics labs presented their areas of research and discussed ways students could become involved.” [This event, now called “Labs of Ling”, continues annually and was a smashing success this year, so thanks, SALSA! –Ed]
Nandita Suresh, on UBC campus
Q2: How did the Edna award (including, but not only, the bursary) help support you as a student?
Nandita: “I am an international student and I really appreciate any awards and scholarships I receive because they allow me to help me parents. I used my award money to help pay my tuition and although it was a small portion of the total, it makes a big difference for my family.”
Dlorah: “While volunteering has always been my passion, the award helped alleviate financial pressures such as covering my rent, allowing me to focus more on what I love doing. By easing my worries about finances, it made volunteering even more fulfilling and enjoyable. The award also serves as a reminder of my accomplishments, and drives me to continue doing what I love without sacrificing too much to do so.”
Dlorah Agama (green pants), UBC Cancer Association event
Chelsea: “The award provided me with the financial support to continue to make an impact on my community through service, as opposed to increasing hours at work. Beyond the financial support, the award was meaningful to me because it validated the time and effort I was devoting to my studies, work and service.”
Q3: Since winning the award, what volunteer or job opportunity have you started that gives you new ways to contribute to your community?
Chelsea: “I volunteer with a project that aims to help healthcare students communicate effectively with communicatively-vulnerable clients. This initiative will train healthcare students to become trainers themselves, and then train other healthcare students in communication skills and effective patient-provider communication – essential components of education for healthcare professionals. This type of role has furthered my commitment to service and reinforced my passion for promoting accessibility in healthcare.
Chelsea Jang, “keywording” books about aphasia
Nandita: “I recently started volunteering at South Granville Park Lodge (SGP), a nursing home in Vancouver. They’re short on staff and depend on volunteers to help run events like Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners for the residents. I also spend time with the residents, chatting, reading together, and joining in activities at the lodge like arts and crafts or exercise sessions. This is my first-time volunteering with vulnerable adults and I’m really enjoying it!”
Dlorah: “The award has been instrumental in showcasing my skills to the professors I connected with during my search for a graduate school supervisor, when discussing how my linguistics background could contribute to their multidisciplinary teams. This has ultimately led Dr. Shannon Kolind, a UBC Neuroscience professor who specializes in brain imaging and advocates for accessibility in healthcare, to agree to be my supervisor. We are exploring potential projects focused on linguistic processing and brain disorders, an area I find incredibly exciting!”
