KPU accounting instructor named one of BC Business Magazine’s 30 Under 30

It’s a proud achievement for Sabrina Rai. She’s been named one of BC Business Magazine’s 30 Under 30.

“It is a profound honour to be recognized among the exceptional young individuals in this vibrant province. I am humbled to be counted among a group of exceptional young individuals who are pushing boundaries and reshaping the future of our province,” says Sabrina, a KPU accounting instructor.

She attributes her success to her upbringing, where her parents ingrained the value of education at an early age. She grew up in Prince George, B.C. where her grandparents immigrated and shaped her perspective on education and the value of opportunity. She then moved to Abbotsford, B.C. where she graduated from high school. Sabrina graduated with a bachelor of commerce degree specializing in accounting and human resources and then went on to complete her CPA designation and a master of professional accounting.

Amid a global pandemic, Sabrina started teaching at KPU in 2020 and has since created a new course, Data Analytics for Accountants. She also teaches Introduction to Financial Accounting and Audit and Assurance.

“Sabrina’s passion to meet the needs of students demonstrated by her willingness to travel extensively is inspiring. We are extremely proud of her accomplishments,” says Heather Harrison, dean in the Melville School of Business.

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Her latest accomplishment is receiving the Shastri Faculty Training in Applied Education (SFTAE) award this past year. The award is a part of Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI) Canada's Short-term Outbound Mobility Program, Canadian Scholars to India (CSI), and supported by Global Affairs Canada and the Government of Canada, to enhance and diversify academic mobility for Canadian scholars to India. Through the award, Sabrina was able to teach emerging technology to 150 MBA students at Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam University, a women’s university in South India.

“The experience was both humbling and eye-opening. These women are not only eager to learn and have an insatiable appetite for knowledge, but they are also facing challenges that I couldn't fully comprehend. Many of them are the first in their families to attend university, and some have faced social and cultural barriers that have made it difficult for them to pursue their dreams,” says Sabrina.

She says the 30 Under 30 award has energized her to keep pushing those boundaries and making a difference in the community here and beyond. See the full list of winners here.