Andrew Blair and Puneet Rangi are December’s recipients of the Eagle Spirit Award for contribution to KPU Spirit and Pride and both awards are very well-deserved.
Andrew Blair became President of the Human Resource Management (HRMT) Student Club in August 2013, and since then has dramatically grown the club and infused new energy and structure. He created job descriptions for all club positions, and created a club constitution which outlined policies and procedures for the club. This covered succession planning, disputes, recruitment, and budgeting. Once the constitution and job descriptions were completed, he began recruiting using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. In an 8 week span he grew the amount of club volunteers from 6 to 30 and the total members from 85 to 162. They held their first very successful event, an Interview workshop, in October, and had 8 HR professional lead roundtables to educate students on interviewing tips. Over 75 students from all programs attended.
Recently, he applied for 4 HR Co-op positions, and was offered 3 jobs within a 24 hour period. He has chosen to complete his first HR Co-op work term this Jan 2014 at Glentel, and was the successful candidate chosen from students at all Lower Mainland schools (UVIC, UBC, SFU). This is the first time Glentel has hired a HR Co-op student and Andrew will do a fantastic job representing KPU
Stemming from a class discussion on poverty in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Puneet Rangi encouraged her instructor Tom Allen and co-students in her 'Crime, Criminal Justice and the Media' class to work together and give back to the community. She organized the Downtown Eastside Food Project during which she divided tasks between students, and convinced her professor to provide incentive to the skeptics. The food project was a great success, with sandwiches, cookies and other such goodies prepared in special lunch bags for those less fortunate (approximately 200 lunch bags made). This food project yielded great positive feedback from those who participated in the act of good will, and from those who appreciated the intricate care and consideration on behalf of the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Students. It served as an opportunity to be exposed to the reality of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, rather than relying on the depictions portrayed within the media. This food project served as a significant and relevant teaching for the class, and as an act of grace and giving for those in need.
Puneet Rangi, a 21-year old published author of an important and revealing contribution to knowledge and literature, "The Things I've left Unsaid" and BA Criminology student, is also a member of Acting-Together CURA project, a Kwantlen based research project on the prevention of youth gang-violence. In participation, she aids in knowledge dissemination through conferences and forum presentations.
Puneet participated in the Nov 2013 1st Annual Research & Knowledge Mobilization Conference at KPU, the RCMP-Sikh Community Leadership Conference at the PRTC RCMP facility (June 2013) and at the KPU Conference Centre (July 2013), and the Chris Mohan Memorial Event (May 2012).
Puneet demonstrates strong leadership, passion and respect for KPU and its many initiatives. As an actively involved and ultimately engaged student, she is deserving of the Eagle Spirit Award.