2020 McEwen Family Teacher Recognition Award announced
Andrew Wong, a mathematics teacher at Robert Cecil Palmer Secondary School in Richmond, has been awarded the 2020 McEwen Family Teacher Recognition Award by the UBC Faculty of Applied Science.
The annual award aims to "[celebrate] teachers who go above and beyond teaching the curriculum to ensure their students succeed" both academically and personally. The award also aims to encourage UBC Applied Science students, who nominate the teachers for consideration, to "reflect on the impact their teachers had on their success."
Wong was nominated by Andrew Xie, a first-year engineering student at the time of the nomination, who describes his former teacher and mentor as "an outstanding role model" who "put in countless hours to support and encourage the extracurricular activities" of Xie and other students at his school.
"Mr. Wong is an expert but humble example of effective communication, respect, compassion, integrity, and grit to all his students," Xie wrote in his nomination letter. "He genuinely cares about how his students are doing not only academically but personally. He would talk to me about my goals [and] future careers, and inquire about what I am struggling with. This combination of interest in STEM, personal guidance and skillset that he blessed me with played a large part in helping me decide to pursue applied science at the University of British Columbia."
A virtual event to celebrate Wong's award and achievements took place on Friday, October 23, where attendees included Wong and his wife, Xie, Palmer Secondary principal Navshina Savory, Richmond School District Assistant Superintendent Lynn Archer and members of the UBC Applied Science leadership team, including dean James Olson.
Also in attendance were James McEwen and his children, Jenn Alberts and Jeff McEwen. Known as the "grandfather" of the bioengineering industry in British Columbia, James McEwen is a UBC Engineering alumnus and adjunct professor of electrical and computer engineering who established the award with his family in 2011.
Wong will receive $5,000 to spend on school enrichment activities, programs or development, and $2,000 for his own professional development. He will also be asked to nominate a current high school student to receive a $5,000 scholarship to attend UBC. Xie will receive $1,000 in recognition of his efforts.
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