Volunteer Spotlight: Dr. Sock Teo-Koh, '83 BPE, '86 MSc
Dr. Sock Teo-Koh, ’83 BPE, ’86 MSc, is a retired professor, Singapore Alumni Chapter member and an active volunteer for the Singapore National Paralympic Council (SNPC), the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) and Special Olympics Singapore (SOSG), for which she has won public service awards from the Singapore government. When Sock first arrived in Edmonton, she didn’t know anyone and she didn’t know where to go. She also had limited financial resources. She was able to find a community and be successful at her studies due to the kindness of the people in the U of A community and beyond.
When Sock returned to Singapore in 1986 after completing two degrees at the U of A, she was contacted by an employee of the Alumni Relations office who was hoping to start a Singapore chapter for alumni living there. Sock was given a list of alumni names and had to call them, one by one, to encourage them to join the chapter. As new members have joined over the years, they have been able to do a variety of activities in Singapore, such as welcoming new alumni to the area, attending education fairs to speak about the U of A, setting up a fund for study abroad students going to Singapore and meeting with U of A presidents. In 2014, the Singapore chapter was able to organize a gathering that included alumni from Malaysia and Indonesia, which is a particularly fond memory for Sock. She is grateful for the support of the Singapore alumni and credits a core group who serves alongside her to maintain the alumni links to promote the U of A in Singapore.
Sock also credits her involvement with disability sports to her time as a student. She took a class called Adapted Physical Education, which is how she first learned about different disabilities and how disabled people can participate in, and enjoy, sports. She completed a PhD in disability sports at Oregon State University and was a volunteer coach in wheelchair athletics and paraswimming. From there, she got more involved in the Paralympic movement and Special Olympics. She is currently President of the SNPC, SDSC and SOSG. She is also a Justice of the Peace in Singapore.
As we can see, volunteering is a huge part of Sock’s life and she has no doubt made a big impact on many people. She loves meeting other people and building connections in the community. Sock would encourage everyone to volunteer if they have a chance to give back and uplift their communities.
Interested in joining a regional chapter? Find out more.
