Helen Cheung

Helen Cheung, ‘13 MA

Member at Large 

Believing in lifelong learning, Helen pursued further education after retirement and received her Master of Arts degree in East Asian Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Alberta in 2013. Her graduate studies led her down the road of studying the history of Chinese in Canada. She successfully curated an exhibition “Painted Faces on the Prairies” with an accompanying publication on the history of the Edmonton Chinese community through the lens of Cantonese opera. The exhibition is presented by Bruce Peel Special Collections in 2014. An exhibition entitled Mercantile Mobility: Chinese Merchants in Western Canada that she curates for Bruce Peel Special Collections recounts the history of Chinese merchants in Western Canada based on her years of research, family interviews and a collection of archival materials. The exhibition with an accompanying publication runs from May 24, 2023 to November 30, 2023. 

Helen has a diverse professional background in social services, personnel, and inter-governmental relations in various provincial and federal government departments.  She has served as a community volunteer for close to three decades and in various leadership capacities on many community and business Boards in Edmonton. She received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, the Governor General’s Caring Canadian award in 2003, and the University of Alberta Alumni Centenary Award in 2015 for her contributions to Canada and to the University.