Volunteer Spotlight: Kalissa Bliek, '14 BSc, and Jame Vy, '14 BSc

Volunteer Spotlight for Kalissa Bliek and Jame Vy

Kalissa Bliek, '14 BSc, and Jame Vy, '14 BSc, met at Augustana, where they both studied biology. Jame served as student president in his last year and Kalissa was one of the first student volunteers in the alumni office, so they've always been involved with campus life. After graduation, they moved to Calgary, but still wanted to stay connected to the campus where they made their memories.

Kalissa and Jame volunteer every year at Augustana Move-In Day, Convocation and recruitment events. They like to offer guidance and reassurance to new students, and their parents, who are considering Augustana Campus or being dropped off on their first day. Kalissa and Jame had some of their best days as students on campus and they appreciate the opportunity to share their story.

It was at a Preview Day where they got engaged. With the help of Trina, Alumni Engagement Coordinator at Augustana, Jame waited until their volunteer shift was over and suggested they go for a walk outside. Despite Kalissa's protests of it being freezing outside, they walked over to Founders' Hall, where Trina had arranged a photographer to capture the special moment. It was there that Jame got down on one knee and proposed. And Kalissa said yes!

Kalissa and Jame now live in Calgary with their two cats, are planning to get married next year and will continue making the drive to Camrose to volunteer at Augustana. As Jame said when asked about volunteering with Augustana, "you should try to give back more than you take."

If you would like to know more about volunteering at Augustana, reach out to Trina Harrison, trina.harrison@ualberta.ca