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When Khoa Vo thought of life after university, he imagined building what people often call “the good life”— getting married, having kids, and owning a home. But during his undergraduate degree, that vision began to shift. Vo found himself sitting on boards, contributing to committees, and helping organizations grow in more community-centred ways. At 911�Թ�, Vo discovered a new sense of purpose: not just building a life for himself, but helping create more inclusive spaces for others, too.

When Vo immigrated to Canada as a refugee from Vietnam, he understood that education would create opportunities. He regarded the hardships he endured throughout his life as lessons for his future. “Those challenges shaped me,” said Vo. “They made me stronger, more compassionate, and more committed to breaking down systemic barriers for others.”

Initially, Vo imagined himself becoming a lawyer to advocate for children and youth facing barriers to inclusion, services, and support. However, his experiences in community work and foster care shifted his direction. “I became more interested in counselling, relational care, and systems-level change,” said Vo. “Rather than moving away from advocacy, I began to see counselling, leadership, and community work as different forms of advocacy.”

Studying English literature helped Vo think deeply about the human experience through the power of stories, language, and interpretation. Through a similar lens, Criminology also appealed to Vo, “I was fascinated by law, psychology, and the question of why people do the things they do.” Together, a double major in both disciplines allowed Vo to study people, power, systems, and stories from different but connected angles.

But for Vo, learning didn’t only happen in lecture halls. It also happened in community meetings, field schools, research presentations, and moments where people came together to solve difficult problems. “Some of the most meaningful highlights of my undergraduate experience came from the opportunities I had outside the classroom,” says Vo. One project that meant a great deal to him was The Boat People art installation, which came out of the 911�Թ� Student Engagement Competition and later displayed at the Burnaby Village Museum. Created in collaboration with descendants of the Boat People who fled Vietnam by boat, these collective stories shared a journey of resilience, displacement, and growth. These stories matter because they help communities to remember and heal together. The project was deeply personal for Vo, “It connected my own history as a Vietnamese refugee with broader questions of migration, memory, trauma, and community resilience.”