Past Wellness Champions

Dr. Passey is a dedicated, committed and approachable instructor from the Department of Psychology at the University of Alberta. Aside from the exceptional quality of her teaching, her deeply compassionate instructional style incorporates practices that improve the wellness of the students she teaches, including in many ways beyond the classroom. She integrates wellness-focused practices into her teaching, including movement breaks, multiple class accessibility options and flexible deadlines to ensure accessibility and inclusivity for all students. Dr. Passey fosters a culture of care by providing a welcoming, supportive environment with extensive office hours, and encourages and provides accommodations to her students to ease stress.

Her impact is not limited to her students. According to her colleagues, she goes above and beyond mentoring new instructors, sharing mental health best practices, and advocating for improved support systems for both instructors and students. Through Dr. Passey’s personal leadership, her unique efforts make a transformational impact on campus wellness by contributing to a compassionate, inclusive, and more accommodating environment.

Gil Anderson serves as the Indigenous Programs Coordinator at the University of Alberta’s School of Business, where his dedication to student success and well-being has made a profound impact. Beyond his formal role, Gil is a mentor, advocate, and community builder, ensuring Indigenous students feel valued, supported, and empowered throughout their academic journeys.

Gil has been a driving force in fostering wellness on campus. Through the mixers he organizes, he creates safe, inclusive spaces where Indigenous students can connect, share experiences, and build lifelong friendships. He demonstrates an incredible ability to unite people and actively helps students navigate challenges, offering compassion combined with practical solutions.

His workshops are one cornerstone of his impact, blending academic success strategies with Indigenous cultural teachings, reinforcing students' sense of identity and belonging. Additionally, Gil has worked tirelessly to educate faculty and staff on the unique challenges Indigenous students face, fostering greater understanding and supportive environments on our campus.

Through his committed support, mentorship, and advocacy, Gil makes students feel seen, heard, and empowered, ensuring indigenous students not only succeed academically but also thrive as individuals. Gil reminds people that they are never alone and inspires his students through his actions.

Dan Ripley is an English Language School Instructor at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Education, where his unique dedication to student wellness has profoundly impacted international students' experiences. Recognizing the challenges students face—such as over-reliance on screens, social isolation, and cultural adjustment—Dan has developed innovative initiatives that foster connection, resilience, and well-being.

A key contribution is his participation in the Guest Speaker Series, where he delivers presentations on managing culture shock, avoiding fraud and scams, and fostering positive mental health. His talks equip students with strategies to manage stress and transition smoothly into university life. These opportunities provide meaningful ways for international students to practice English in authentic and supportive environments.

Dan also introduced his Art Challenge, a creative initiative designed to encourage students to disconnect from technology, engage in self-expression, and practice mindfulness. Through guided workshops and weekly prompts, students cultivate emotional resilience and build a stronger sense of self.

Dan fosters inclusivity and connection, ensuring students feel a sense of belonging at U of A. His work embodies the university’s Culture of Care, where he goes above and beyond to support wellness everyday here on campus.

The U of A Black Students’ Association strives to empower and promote community interaction among all Black students at the university. With the goal of fostering student development, the UABSA’s objective is to create a network of supportive members who connect culturally and socially and contribute to one another’s success academically.

The UABSA social impact division collaborates with campus stakeholders to raise awareness of Black students’ experiences and connect them with resources to support them on campus.

In the community, they connect with a Black students association at a local high school, providing an opportunity for Black students to mentor and be mentored. They have also partnered with Africa Centre’s PARSSY program, a mentorship program that matches their members with high-risk youth in junior high and high school.

They hold events to help students build skills for success, including nutrition, study habits and cultural celebrations like the 2022 “A Night in Lagos,” promoting social connection and community.

Grimbly, a clinical associate professor of pediatrics, creates a supportive working and learning environment by embedding wellness activities in committee meetings, offering regular check-ins with colleagues and making them feel supported. Grimbly is known for spreading cheer, empathy and caring to those around her, encouraging her colleagues and the residents to take time to become aware and care for their wellbeing.

An assistant professor within the Faculty of Engineering, Pettit was nominated by his students a whopping 27 times for the Wellness Champions awards for promoting a supportive learning environment and creating connections among his class. His students feel supported, with the encouragement that “wellness is a priority” within the classroom through check-ins, connections and creating opportunities to attend professional development events for students.

Ahmed Youssouf, faculty service officer and coordinator of Campus Saint-Jean physics laboratories, introduced a strong equity, diversity and inclusivity component to the physics lab curriculum. She created a space for students to learn and acknowledge biases that are present in science to better create a safe and welcoming learning environment. By sharing her own stories as a woman of colour in a male-dominated discipline, she was able to enable essential reflections on the purpose and necessity of EDI in science.

Zelyck is an assistant professor and Ph.D. student from the Faculty of Nursing who promotes wellness to her peers, students and colleagues in a variety of ways. By creating space in the classroom for check-ins, she encourages student connections and engagement. She also plays an active role in the community of practice for instructors on campus, advocating for ways that wellness can be embedded in the learning environment.

Zelyck encourages connection through creative activities such as digital storytelling, sharing successes and achievements to promote a community of connection and encouragement with faculty and staff. Zelyck has been very active on campus, seeking ways to better support her faculty.

Hurley is president of the Growing with Grief student group, a space for students experiencing grief. The group provides peer support to each other as they go through their experience of grief. They also post tips and promote various resources to students to learn more about their grief and find coping mechanisms that would work for them. Sharing and connecting through grief builds empathy and community to those who are part of the group and, in turn, supports those around them experiencing grief as well.

Storm, a building services worker, is always making spaces more enjoyable to students and other occupants. She goes out of her way to create extra happiness around the student areas by hanging ribbons and ornaments, baking for colleagues and providing cheerful check-ins. Storm also goes above what is required for building maintenance, supporting the working and learning environments for our campus community.

Zuzana and Torie have worked hard to create a supportive environment for international students within our campus community. Together, they organized the Wellness Week at the Student Engagement Centre through the U of A Faculty of Extension's English Language School. Zuzana and Torie’s efforts not only helped support the students but they have also helped equip staff to better identify and address signs of distress in students.