Spartans making a difference when it matters the most
We are proud of the many contributions our STS alumni made to communities and neighbours, near and far, during the global COVID-19 pandemic. These are a few stories, we know there are many more, and we salute you for living our values – demonstrating integrity, kindness, respect, responsibility, safety, and service.
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” - Nelson Mandela
Helping the global community
(Photo of Hanif Gilani ’02 helping those affected by the floods in West Kenya)
STS Alumni join together to support communities in Western Kenya—The communities of Western Kenya not only have to worry about COVID-19, but recent changes in weather patterns have left thousands of families displaced due to flooding from rivers that have burst their banks and the overflowing of Lake Victoria. Joining hands with the Kenyan Red Cross, local businesses, and well wishers from around the world, these STS Alumni are helping those most affected: Latif Jamani '01, Hanif Gilani 02, Oisin O'Keane '02, Fatimah Gilani '03, Naheed Jivraj '08 and Ashiana Jivraj ’11
Generosity of Service
- The Sprung family from STS and their amazing team at Sprung Instant Structures have donated a temporary structure to the Peter Lougheed Centre, adding 6,000 square feet of treatment space to the hospital.
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STS Alumni family, Bruce and Cindy Urban and son Brandon ’13, of Western RV Country, donate trailers to health-care workers needing to self-isolate away from families.
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Rajen Ruparell '01 and executive chairman and co-founder of Endy, donated mattresses to front line workers at BC Hospitals.
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Sheena Lambert ’97 is playing a part in the large effort by helping an Alberta group of volunteers working with community and industry partners to source life-saving Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for front line healthcare workers in Alberta during the COVID-19 pandemic. -
Tynan Stack '13 and fellow UBC engineering graduates have developed a simple, low-cost COVID-19 ventilator that may very well save lives.
STS Alumni frontline workers saving lives
Imaan Kherani '16 and a fellow U of T medical student have organized a group of classmates to help front-line health-care workers with child care, groceries, and other errands during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alex Aspinall ‘86, MD, PhD, FRCPC, Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology and Hepatology— "I have been privileged to have been a part of this team of courageous medical professionals. The bravery of the patients is also inspirational. Some are fighting for their very lives. I will never forget their eyes. This simple non-verbal communication conveys equal parts fear and gratitude. To see so many people so unwell puts life’s more trivial issues in perspective."
Catherine Andrews ’85 currently works as a registered nurse in Richmond, BC as an advanced practice palliative care nurse. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been supporting her colleagues and front-line nurses in Home and Community Care to prepare families to have difficult conversations about end-of-life planning and the impact that COVID-19 could have on their loved ones who are already living with life-limiting illnesses.
Shazia Samanani '10 Internal Medicine doctor in Toronto who while helping patients, contracted the COVID-19 virus. Shazia wrote a passionate piece asking others to stay home and follow social distancing to keep everyone safe especially health care workers who are putting their lives online to help sick people.
Teaching Moments
Radha Ruparell '97 shares a powerful and personal story of living with COVID-19 and encourages people to stay safe and stay strong in these unprecedented times. The article is available to read on www.medium.com and is called “What No One Tells You About Having COVID-19.”
Sandra Engstrom ’98, Lecturer at University of Stirling in Scotland wrote an article called “Community resilience in the time of COVID-19” in hopes to provide a better understanding of how to get through this pandemic.
Link to article: HTTPS://www.communitiesprepared.org.uk/2020/03/community-resilience-in-the-time-of-Covid-19