2025 REACH awards

Gillian is one of the country’s leading voices on critical legal pedagogy and a multiple award-winning teacher. Taking seriously the reality that “the whole body thinks, not just the brain”, she has developed innovative exercises, practices and evaluation methods that are embodied and centre marginalization, oppression and social location. These methods enhance creativity, empathy and the ethical imagination. She has published and presented widely on her teaching innovations and on how experiential, embodied learning shapes the ethical and humane legal professionals the world urgently needs.

Erdem adopts a teaching style that positions himself as a motivator for students to reach their full potential. He creates culturally and psychologically safe classrooms, adapting to student feedback and flipped classroom learning to deepen critical thinking. Guided by curiosity, he incorporates GenAI in ways that push students beyond surface-level answers into higher-order analysis. Erdem also mentors students in research, professional growth and empathetic practice, as well as helping shape teaching policy through active faculty service.

Heather mentors graduate students in a consent-forward, systems approach to water treatment and green chemistry. Her scaffolded, growth-mindset mentorship philosophy fosters research leadership, written communication, international exchange, collaboration and career success. Her students author major funded research grants, top tier publications and conference presentations; mentor undergraduates and are well-supported champions for equity, diversity, and inclusion. A co-facilitator of ECS’s Engagement Circles for our Truth and Reconciliation Strategy, Heather is recognized for her graduate curriculum development and for supporting student leadership of UVic’s signing of the Beyond Benign Green Chemistry Commitment.

Leanne is the recipient of the Nəc̓əmaat kʷəns čeʔi ʔay̓ šqʷeləqʷən | ĆȺNEUEL OL ÍY, ŚḰÁLEȻEN | Work together with a good heart and mind Award for Decolonization and Indigenous Anti-Racism. A Metis/Cree nurse, originally from the Qu’appelle Valley in Saskatchewan, Leanne has dedicated her career to First Nations health. Her connection to cultural teachings guide her nursing practice and community-engaged approach to Indigenous wellness. She developed NURS 484: Understanding Indigenous Health and Wellbeing, now a core course, which follows the TRC calls to Action. Leanne played a significant role in co-creating the Indigenous Wellness graduate stream, integrating decolonial and anti-racist outcomes across theory and practice. Leanne also contributes through extensive committee service, partnerships with local Nations and her Indigenist teaching approach.

Bosco reimagines engineering education through experiential, project-based learning that integrates materials science with sustainability. His courses incorporate applied physical demonstrations, educational games, data driven design tools and guest lectures from industry and Indigenous community representatives. He developed an upper-year elective on materials selection and sustainability, in which students develop environmentally and socially responsible engineering proposals aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and present their innovative solutions at UVic’s Materials Sustainability Student Conference. Bosco’s inclusive, technology-driven teaching develops globally aware, socially conscious engineers ready to tackle real-world challenges.

Stephanie’s teaching philosophy is inspired by the Circle of Courage and the Four Local Teachings, grounding her relational approach with Indigenous pedagogies. She honours students’ goals and creates learning communities where they feel supported and seen. A co-teacher and curriculum designer, she contributed significantly to UVic’s Indigenous Storyteller in Residence program, the design of the English 103: Power, Literatures, and Culture course, and several community engaged learning opportunities across and beyond campus. Her ability to hold space for emotionally difficult material while inviting authentic discussion makes her a transformative presence, even in larger classrooms.

Ambreen is recognized for advancing innovative, learner-centred teaching and mentorship. She fosters creativity, dialogue and critical thinking through reflective writing, visual analysis and community-engaged learning. Grounded in equity, curiosity and compassion, she brings decolonial frameworks and experiential practices—such as personalized territorial acknowledgments—into culturally responsive classrooms. By mentoring peers and TAs, facilitating workshops and developing curricula, Ambreen strengthens teaching practices across the university and inspires students to engage deeply with art, culture and one another.

As a first-generation student, Jenna creates accessible and inclusive environments through Universal Design for Learning. She builds student confidence through structured inquiry, using thoughtful questions and targeted support to help learners make their own discoveries. Teaching across biology, computer science and business, Jenna integrates systems thinking and technology into experiential projects that connect theory with real-world challenges. Her contributions extend across the university through governance service, curriculum development and regenerative management research. Jenna aims for students to leave confidently curious, empowered to solve complex problems and inspired by the joy of learning.