A passion for learning and helping others inspired Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) student Taylor Sayer to pursue a career in nursing.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing student is being recognized with a KPU Student Leadership Award for her outstanding contributions to the university and her wider community.
“I realized I wanted to be a nurse when I was in high school,” she says. “I really love the work because I feel like I'm able to make a positive difference in my community and in other people's lives, even if it’s something small.”
Outside of class lectures and clinical learning opportunities, Sayer spends her time volunteering with the Salvation Army and working with the Learning Centres at KPU to provide tutoring support for students. She has also worked as a student assistant with KPU’s Orientation and Transition team and has helped organize Science Rendezvous, an interactive science festival held annually at KPU Langley.
“I really believe students get a lot out of coming in to the Learning Centre,” she says. “Everyone's capable of passing a course, but sometimes you're missing the small pieces that tie all the information together. We lift as we climb.”
Dr. Nick Inglis, a biology instructor at KPU, says Sayer’s positive energy is felt across the university.
“Taylor has been my student for a couple of courses, and I’ve also collaborated with her in her tutoring endeavours,” says Dr. Inglis. “She brings a unique, positive energy to everything she does. This energy palpably lifts everyone around her — her peers, her instructors and the KPU community at large. We are very lucky to have Taylor here.”
KPU Student Leadership Awards are presented annually to students who have demonstrated an outstanding contribution to KPU or an external community, while also maintaining a good academic standard.