A warm welcome to new staff

The Equity & Inclusion Office recently concluded searches for an Administrative Coordinator and Equity Facilitator (formerly Equity Educator) positions for both the UBC Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. We are pleased to congratulate and welcome Leena Abdelrahim, Adeline Huynh (MSW), Jenica Frisque (MA, MSc), and Rachael Sullivan, Ph.D. Read about the background and experience Leena, Adeline, Jenica and Rachael bring to the work of the Office and to our campus communities.

Leena Abdelrahim, Administrative Coordinator, recently worked at the Immigrant Services Society of BC where she was responsible for the development of status reports on departmental operations, assisted in the development of skills assessment for Syrian refugees, and acted as an interpreter – she is fluent in English and Arabic. In Toronto, Leena was at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives first as an intern, then as a research assistant where she focused on the development of reports, data analysis and research for various strategic projects. Leena is a graduate of Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service with a focus on International Economics.

Jenica Frisque, Equity Facilitator, is a proactive and innovative educator dedicated to fostering an inclusive and equitable campus. She has served as an equity educator in the Equity & Inclusion Office – Okanagan since 2014. Jenica also worked in the STEPS Forward program, providing academic, employment and social support to students with developmental disabilities at UBCO. Jenica earned an MSc in international development from Lund University and an MA in sociology from Malmo University. She has travelled extensively and worked in the diversity and gender equity fields in Latin America, Canada and Sweden. In the Okanagan community, Jenica has served in leadership roles at the Central Okanagan Food Policy Council, and is a volunteer with the Radical Action with Migrants in Agriculture collective, and the Okanagan Refugee Coalition for Advocacy.

Adeline Huynh, Equity Facilitator, is a social work-educated community organizer and educator with over a decade of experience in project development, workshop facilitation and community engagement. She is also committed to promoting social change through creative dialogue and innovative programming. She completed her Masters of Social Work degree at UBC where she was actively involved with the school’s Equity Committee and the development of their Equity Action Plan. Adeline is a past member of the City of Vancouver LGBTQ Mayor’s Advisory Committee, Check Your Head former Board Member and founder of QMUNITY’s Routes to Roots project. She has also worked as a feminist trauma counsellor with survivors of sexualized violence and as a community health social worker in the field of HIV/AIDS.

Rachael E. Sullivan, Equity Facilitator, has been a member of the UBC community since 2005. In that time, Rachael has transitioned from being a graduate student to the role of sessional instructor, teaching courses that focus on gender, sexuality, and inequality. She received her PhD in 2012 from UBC. Rachael joined the Equity and Inclusion Office in the capacity of Equity Educator in 2014, and had no idea how much she would come to love the work she does within the Office and at UBC. She has utilized her extensive knowledge of community engagement, working in partnership and collaboration with key stakeholders and change-makers across campus to create and sustain more welcoming, respectful and inclusive spaces across the UBC Vancouver campus.

 

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