ISA Salute
ISA Salute is an appreciation title awarded to an individual(s)/group(s) to acknowledge the remarkable work they do for international students and the ISA. Every year, the International Students' Association (ISA) awards this title after critically examining the contribution of the nominees. The ISA Salute awardee is featured on the ISA website permanently as a recognition of their contribution to the international students' community at the UofA.
ISA Salute 2021
International Students' Association (ISA) gladly announces
Kumarie Achaibar-Morrison, Associate Director, International Student Services,
&
Joel Agarwal, UASU president 2020-2021, as the recipients of the 2021 ISA Salute.
Kumarie Achaibar-Morrison
Associate Director,
International Student Services
Joel Agarwal
University of Alberta Students' Union (UASU)
President 2020-2021
Kumarie Achaibar-Morrison
Associate Director, International Student Services
Kumarie Achaibar-Morrison is the Associate Director of the International Students Services (ISS). She has been serving international students for decades in her role and is one of the most dedicated and compassionate individuals in the University Administration, who strive to put all their effort to support students and help them shine in their university journey.
In the past year, Kumarie Achaibar-Morrison has been the advisor of the ISA, and guided the ISA Executives in their role to advocate for international students during the challenging year. She has met with ISA past her office hours as she did not want ISA Execs to make any compromises on their academic front. Kumarie Achaibar-Morrison as the ISA advisor, played a crucial role in the inclusion of international students in the Ride Transit Program, by meeting with the ETS along with the ISA and UASU Execs. She has always been considerate about international students’ needs and has stood by them whenever they needed her,especially during the pandemic.
Kumarie Achaibar-Morrison as the ISS Director has spent numerous years working for the international students. The ISS team is extremely dedicated and passionate to work for international students and thus, it holds a very special place in the hearts of international students. Kumarie’s service for all these years and her hard work has enabled the University of Alberta International (UAI) in creating a unit that meets the essential needs of every international student.
The ISA is proud to acknowledge the motherly figure Kumarie Achaibar-Morrison for thousands of international students and award her with its highest annual recognition, the ISA Salute 2021.
Listen to what others say about her,
Kumarie, congratulations on being named a 2021 ISA Salute recipient. For every U of A student, there are many staff members who make their journey possible. Your contributions to the welfare of International Students have been outstanding. While our international students are far from home, your efforts to welcome them and ensure they are well-represented on campus make us all proud. Thank you for advising the ISA over the years and their efforts to gain access to the Ride Transit Program for their members. On behalf of the entire University community, please accept my heartfelt thanks for all you do to support U of A!
Bill Flanagan
President and Vice-Chancellor of the
University of Alberta
Congratulations, Kumarie, on being named a 2021 ISA Salute recipient. Your constant support and guidance to the International Students’ Association throughout this especially difficult year is a model for outstanding and compassionate service. Your tireless efforts with the City of Edmonton resulted not only in international students being included in the Ride Transit Program, it also opened the eyes of many Edmontonians to the reality of the lives of so many of our international students. International students are vital to our university and add to the richness of our community. You should feel proud of the wonderful work you do, and we at the university, are grateful for your dedication.
Peggy Garritty
Chancellor of the University of AlbertaChair of the University of Alberta Senate
Congratulations Kumarie on the recognition and appreciation the ISA has conferred to you with the ISA Salute Award. While the highest level of appreciation and most meaningful comes from our students, let me add my thanks to the mentorship you provide ISA leaders and most importantly to the service you and your team provide to international students. We are enriched by the participation of our international students. Supporting students to fully engage in their communities and achieve their goals requires knowledgeable, caring and dedicated staff. Thank you for the example you set and the service you provide to ensure that we reach our full potential as a truly international university.
Steven Dew
Provost and Vice-President (Academic)
Congratulations Kumarie. I am so pleased to see you recognized by the ISA. I value the insight you provide on issues facing international students and your leadership of the team supporting them. Pivoting instantly to online services, including drop-in advising, has provided students located around the world with the critical services they needed this year. Assisting students to safely travel to Canada and supporting them through quarantine requirements is another example of the important initiatives you stewarded this year. We have an amazing team at UAI and I am so proud of the contributions you have made to our community. Thank you.
Cen Huang
Vice-Provost & Associate Vice-President (International)
I congratulate both Joel Agarwal and Kumarie Achaibar-Morrison for their well deserved awards. I am not surprised to see their names among the recipients. They are both valued partners of the Dean of Students office in supporting international students. Kumarie is incredibly dedicated to student success and wellness. Joel has been a highly effective leader for the SU and a critical partner for my office on a number of important initiatives over the past year.
Again, I congratulate both, and I wish them the best.
Andre Costopoulos
Vice-Provost and Dean of Students
Congratulations Kumarie on being selected for the ISA Salute award! There is no doubt that Kumarie is so deserving of this honor. She has been a passionate advocate for international students for many years and has always acted in support of students' best interests. She is one of the most dedicated and knowledgeable student service professionals I have ever had the privilege to work with. Kumarie always strives to make the U of A a welcoming place for students and their families and it is clear that supporting international students is a calling for Kumarie. There are countless students that have benefitted from her thoughtful approach. The University is lucky to have Kumarie to help steward our wonderful community of international students through their diverse educational journeys.
Melissa Padfield
Vice-Provost & University Registrar
Congratulations Kumarie on being recognized for your outstanding service to international students. You have a distinguished career with many achievements and the past year again shows your dedication, creativity and insight to enhancing the experience of international students. Knowing that you find your greatest reward from your daily interactions with students, I can imagine that this award will be particularly meaningful to you. Thank you for ensuring our community is a rich and welcoming place for all our learners.
Doug Weir
Executive Director, Student Programs and Services,
University of Alberta International
Congratulations Kumarie for being awarded the ISA Salute 2021. I am glad to have worked with you during this challenging year. I remember all the countless meetings at 7 pm that we had outside of your office hours, as you were always concerned about my studies and co-op. You are truly the most amazing individual that I have met in the University administration. I am glad that thousands of international students have you as the Director of ISS and we at ISA honour the work you put into being the advisor of ISA. Your wisdom and guidance has played a huge role in building the ISA that the university sees today. Thank you for everything Kumarie!
Chanpreet Singh
President of the International Students' Association
Joel Agarwal
University of Alberta Students' Union (UASU)
President 2020-2021
Joel Agarwal led the University of Alberta Students’ Union during one of the most challenging terms (2020-2021). He did an excellent job to safeguard the interests of international students during the unprecedented time of COVID-19. He helped the International Students’ Association at each step towards becoming a Student Representative Association (SRA) enabling it to officially represent all the undergraduate international students at the University of Alberta. Joel Agarwal stayed in constant touch with the ISA throughout the year and worked beyond his office hours to ensure that the voices of international students were being heard and they were efficiently being represented.
With classes being conducted online, international students in different time zones were badly impacted,struggling to focus on their studies and maintaining good health. In such hardship,Joel Agarwal made this issue a top priority for the UASU and jointly advocated with the ISA to push the university to hold discussions to resolve the issue. He is a passionate leader who is very humble and goes an extra mile to improve the lives of others around him. The strong ISA that we see today wouldn't have existed without the efforts and support of Joel Agarwal.
Joel Agarwal led many other initiatives that helped international students as well as domestic students during his term. Some of his initiatives include his work on academic restructuring - making sure that students’ interests were taken into consideration during the process along with his work towards launching the ‘wellness 101’ course to provide support for students’ mental health and wellness.
The ISA is gratified to acknowledge all the efforts put forward by Joel Agarwal in his term for international students and award him with its highest annual recognition, the 2021 ISA Salute.
Listen to what others say about him,
Congratulations, Joel, on receiving the ISA Salute for 2021. You have been an outstanding champion for International Students this year. You proactively highlighted the many pandemic-related challenges facing our International Students, and you worked towards concrete solutions. Under your leadership, the UASU also recognized the ISA as an official Student Representative Association, helping to pave the way for ongoing and direct advocacy by and for international students. We are all in your debt for your many contributions to the U of A!
Bill Flanagan
President and Vice-Chancellor of the
University of Alberta
Congratulations, Joel, on being named a 2021 ISA Salute recipient. I can’t think of a better way to recognize and celebrate your tireless efforts on behalf of international students - and all students - at the University of Alberta. This has been a particularly challenging year and throughout, you have demonstrated passionate leadership, empathy and understanding of the unique situations and struggles facing so many of our international students. It has been an honour to work with you over the past year and to see your advocacy make a real and positive difference to so many of our international students. Congratulations again Joel, and best wishes for the future.
Peggy Garritty
Chancellor of the University of Alberta
Chair of the University of Alberta Senate
Congratulations Joel on your well deserved recognition from the International Students Association. It is no understatement to say that 2020-21 will be a year we will not soon forget, but I hope that when we do think back on it we will recall it for how we came together to support all members of our community. Joel, you have been a strong advocate for solutions that addressed the needs of all of our learners, including our international students learning from homes around the world. The challenges of remote learning from different time zones have been significant and I appreciate your ability to bring those experiences and voices to campus discussions. We have learnt this year what it means to be a global university. I appreciate your contributions and thoughtfulness as we considered how best to address the challenges caused by the pandemic. Thank you.
Steven Dew
Provost and Vice-President (Academic)
[U of A International, office of the associate vice-president]
Congratulations Joel on the recognition of your significant contributions to our community. I have been so impressed over the past year to see how our student community has come together to support all of our students. You have done a great job of representing international students during a very challenging year and I am very happy to see the ISA acknowledging you for your leadership.
Cen Huang
Vice-Provost & Associate Vice-President (International)
I congratulate both Joel Agarwal and Kumarie Achaibar-Morrison for their well deserved awards. I am not surprised to see their names among the recipients. They are both valued partners of the Dean of Students office in supporting international students. Kumarie is incredibly dedicated to student success and wellness. Joel has been a highly effective leader for the SU and a critical partner for my office on a number of important initiatives over the past year.
Again, I congratulate both, and I wish them the best.
Andre Costopoulos
Vice-Provost and Dean of Students
Congratulations Joel on this well deserved award! I have had the pleasure of working with Joel over the last two years he has sat on the UASU Executive, and I have always been impressed by the thoughtfulness and passion he has brought to his positions. He is a tireless advocate for students and takes seriously his role in representing their needs. In particular he has been a champion of international students and the work of the ISA. It is clear to me that Joel believes in the importance of our international students and the way in which they enrich our community at the University of Alberta. To that end he has made special effort to ensure the representation of international students and the ISA in many forums, so that all perspectives are heard. Joel has worked throughout this exceptional year and in the face of significant obstacles to keep putting students first. I am so pleased to see him honored with the ISA Salute award.
Melissa Padfield
Vice-Provost & University Registrar
Congratulations Joel for being awarded the ISA Salute 2021. I can confidently say that the UASU couldn't have had a better leader this tough year. I highly appreciate the numerous meetings we had over weekends, and even a few at 9 pm. The simplest thing of going on a call every time we saw things impacting international students, went a long way in building a relationship between the ISA and the UASU. You have constantly been there along with the ISA the whole year, especially during advocacies regarding the UPass, residence, fee increase, need based funding, and most importantly online learning. You’ll be missed here, in student governance and I am glad to have had the opportunity to work with you this whole year.
Chanpreet Singh
President of the International Students' Association
Joel has been a strong leader for the Students' Union, and a fierce friend. His passion to ensure student voices are heard is second to none. Joel's charisma and authenticity make it almost impossible to dislike him and inspires those around him to do what they can to help him achieve wherever he sets out to do.
In no way shape or form has this year been an easy one. We have faced more challenges as a team than probably any other UASU executive team in the past, but we have also risen to the occasion to achieve goals that may not have seemed possible before us. I can say confidently that as a team much of our success is owed to the leadership, support, and camaraderie of our president.
For me, Joel shall always be known as a tireless advocate, a passionate leader and an unrelenting friend. He will remain forever, Joel THE goal, a man who we all can strive to be a bit more like.
David Draper
UASU VP Academic
In a very challenging year when it would have been easy to give up, Joel chose to fight day and night to make this campus a better place for students. His character has inspired me to be a better leader. He was gracious under pressure, compassionate to everyone, and went out of his way to remind everyone that they are welcome and belong in the Students' Union. He never signed up to be the President in such a challenging year, but he rose to the occasion. I'm so happy to see him receive this year's ISA Salute.
Rowan Ley
UASU VP External
Joel's advocacy and work reflect his deeply caring personality. He is a kind and thoughtful leader to his team and to all undergraduate students at the University of Alberta. His work on tuition advocacy, and throughout all the changes at the University, have demonstrated his compassion for his fellow students. We have been so fortunate to have him as our representative for all these years.
Alana Krahn
UASU VP Operations & Finance
Kumarie Achaibar-Morrison
Associate Director,
International Student Services
ISA Salute 2021
Akanksha Bhatnagar
Awardee for
ISA Salute 2020
UASU President 2019-2020
