Going the extra mile: Sue Porter

Sue is passionate about creating a healthier and more equitable society through education.

She is focused on advancing Indigenous-centred initiatives at SFU and has generously supported the Temstl'i7 ta Sníchim Squamish Language Award through monthly giving since 2017.

Why do you support SFU?

Having worked at SFU for over a decade, I’ve become more sensitive to how challenging it can be for students trying to make it through their post-secondary education in the current environment—and how expensive it is to run a world-class university! I don’t think there is anyone who works at SFU who doesn’t wish we could do more for our students.

What specifically motivated you to support SFU?

The first gift I made to SFU was toward scholarships in the School for Contemporary Arts. As a theatre kid myself, this was something close to my heart. For the past few years, I’ve been giving regularly to support a Squamish Language Award and student health and counselling services. Reconciliation is very important to me, and this feels like one small way I can make a difference for our amazing and talented Indigenous students.

My contributions are incrementally small, paycheque after paycheque, but the fact that I have done it regularly and for so long means that I can now proudly say that my giving total has grown to an amount that is meaningful to me and that feels like it can make an impact.

Why do you believe it is important to support SFU? And more broadly—why support higher education in Canada?

Our universities work really hard to provide excellent education, but it’s not easy. And a lot of what makes universities more welcoming and accessible to a diversity of students is made possible because of additional funds raised for bursaries, scholarships, training programs and more, from ordinary people like me. We need government to step up more, but we also need people to step up to fill in the gaps. If each of us takes responsibility for doing what we can to lift others up, we help create the country and world we want to be a part of. It’s a win-win.