Marcelino Secaira
Written By: Emma MacFarlane – March 2015
Marcelino Secaira left a very rural area in the mountains of Guatemala to attend UBC. “There’s one problem here,” he says- “there are so many things to get involved with that it’s overwhelming.” Not to say he isn’t tackling this head-on. Marcelino is thoroughly involved in many facets of UBC and Vancouver life. A notable example of this is his involvement with UBC Common Energy. “We’re working towards tangible solutions,” Marcelino explains, describing an inter-faculty and inter-club film fest that will be held on March 30 to foster a union between clubs who are starting to become more aware about issues of sustainability.
Marcelino has reached past the UBC community and into the communities of greater Vancouver. Murality is an initiative that creates murals that are meant to unite the community and provide a happy atmosphere to make people feel comfortable and to help local businesses. “I had the opportunity to volunteer with them alongside other international students. We incorporated little kids and youth from Vancouver to create the mural, including kids from Union Gospel Mission’s special program,” Marcelino explains. These children created paintings in response to a series of empowering questions that explored the idea of superheroes.
Another group of youth, from an organization called Pathways, had the opportunity to visit UBC and to do a similar workshop. “They have lived thirteen years in Vancouver and never visited UBC,” Marcelino says, “and they were so amazed by it.” In the future, he sees himself possibly leading events, continuing his involvement in Common Energy, and promoting environmental sustainability through education. “I’ve realized I like interacting with kids. That’s how we make changes- they are like sponges, starting to learn, and it’s so important in that phase of their lives. The things they learn there will stick with them.”
Jacques Forest & Alex Trithart
Written By: Emma MacFarlane – March 2015
Jacques Forest and Alex Trithart might not be center stage, but they still have something to prove. Jacques provides a bassline as the stars belt out their songs. As someone who juggles two rehearsals per day for UBC Jazz Band, UBC Orchestra, a city wide jazz band and a jazz-duo-going-on-trio, he is not shy to commitment, and the musical is a big one. Alex is the musical’s sound technician. Considering his budding rap career, he is familiar with mixing, and his contribution is a vital one. Together they provide a skilled musical backdrop.
Jacques notes that time management is a crucial thing to learn when working on a musical. “I learned how to prioritize certain things and work things out. It was also educational because I am working with a different realm of musicians than I am familiar with – not as classical, not as jazzy.”
The challenges of working on a musical are unique. To Alex this means being thrust into a high-paced environment without preliminary preparation. “You just have to be focused and aware. In the musical environment everybody has a specific and crucial role, so you have to be accepting and tolerant and hardworking so it can remain a well-oiled machine,” he explains.
Both Jacques and Alex say that, if given the opportunity, they would like to continue to be involved in musicals. All the hard work truly pays off into an incredibly rewarding experience. “Everybody working and performing has been incredibly dedicated and has risen to the occasion. Watching the rehearsals and the head committee giving feedback to the cast and the band, and seeing how fast they respond and how hard they work, is really inspiring.”
Anna Kim
Written By: Emma MacFarlane – Feb. 2015
Aside from being a residence advisor, Anna Kim is part of the Global Citizenship and Equity Committee in Vanier. She shows up at my door with a big smile to tell me about the Vancouver Smile Initiative. “Our focus for this term is to get our residents involved in issues that are beyond the immediate community of UBC,” she explains.
The charity aims to shift focus away from common and immediate issues such as food provision, to a more holistic health view. The Vancouver Smile Initiative aims to help the homeless and underprivileged with oral healthcare- not just in terms of provision, but in terms of education, so that healthcare issues can be prevented.
Anna explains that she used to volunteer a lot with her Global Equality Club in high school. Coming to UBC, she found it challenging at first to make an impact. “I want to give back to the greater community and hopefully inspire and invite residents to join,” she explains. The Vancouver Smile Initiative is a great opportunity for residents to gain meaningful volunteer experience.
The committee plans to begin by fundraising money to wholesale buy toothbrushes, to provide oral healthcare resources to underprivileged people in Vancouver, and eventually to expand their impact, little by little, to have an international impact with similar initiatives. “We want to influence other people to think beyond food, as important as it is; to provide people who can’t afford it with access to other things that are very important as well.” Now that’s something to smile about.
Karn Santikarn
Written By: Emma MacFarlane – Jan. 2015
Karn Santikarn lives in Hamber House, which he describes as a close-knit community in Vanier – but he has his sights set on the global community. Karn is from Thailand, and went to school in Australia. When he was in high school, he started a project called Thai Charity, through which $6000 was raised to microfinance businesses in Thailand. He plans to continue his charity now that he is at UBC, under the new name of the Community Development Group.
The Community Development Group is a newly constituted charity that raises funds for microfinancing in Thailand. “Some farmers are stuck in the poverty cycle and have no money or skills to break out,” Karn explains. The Community Development Group aims to partner with a larger Thai organization called the Population Development Association.
Wealth inequity is a major issue in Thailand; those who live in rural areas do not have insurance to borrow money from banks to do business, so they are forced to borrow money from illegal moneylenders who charge upwards of 20% per month.
The Population Development Association works with larger corporations in order to teach basic business skills to those who live in rural areas, so that they may break the cycle of poverty. “The charity we’re working with actually goes into the village and sees whether they are interested in a partnership with us, so they are briefed and taught basic business skills before starting their microfinancing projects.” 15,000 volunteers in Thailand teach people skills such as basket weaving, and provide access to finances.
After expanding at UBC, Karn plans to turn to other universities across Canada and Europe. “My vice-president is now at Yale,” Karn says – the opportunities for expansion and awareness are boundless. “With a little effort and a bit of time, you can change so many people’s lives.”
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