Charlene Smith

A natural community leader 

Growing up in a small community on the Sunshine Coast, Charlene Smith saw too many friends turning down dark roads and thought there was a need for better education about drugs and alcohol. She confided in her mother, who gave her usual response: “Don’t just complain about it, do something about it!”. So Charlene raised $10,000 in grants and organized school and community presentations for over 1,000 youth. She was 16 years old.

Charlene continued to prove herself as a community leader while a student in Gustavson’s Bachelor of Commerce program. She organized events for the Young Women in Business program and the Commerce Students Society, and took part in the JDC West business case competition. Seeing her passion for inspiring positive change, her peers nominated her for the Kyle McMillan Award.

Honouring Kyle’s memory

Kyle McMillan died from a rare and aggressive form of cancer at age 22 while studying at UVic. The university awarded his BComm degree posthumously. Kyle had a warm and positive spirit. He was also a natural community leader who excelled at athletics, academics and public speaking. His family set up the Kyle McMillan Award to help keep his memory alive at UVic and celebrate that friendly, community spirit in other students. Charlene was selected as the 2016 recipient.

After receiving the award, Charlene set about thanking Kyle’s family, but found she had writer’s block.

“I wrote multiple drafts of that thank you letter,” she says. “I found it hard to explain how humbling and personal this award was to me. I was so grateful for the chance to honour their son’s memory and just hoped I would do the award justice.”

Completing the program of her dreams

Charlene says many of her classmates display the qualities celebrated by the award, because those qualities are nurtured through the values and activities of the Gustavson School of Business. She adds that it increased her motivation and desire to engage in her community, and influenced her decision to pursue a career in the non-profit sector. Charlene graduated in August and is now working as a donor relations and engagement officer for the Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island. 

“My entire post-secondary education relied on financial support from generous donors, and I would not have completed the program of my dreams without them!” she says. She remembers this daily in her current job. “My favourite times are when I’m out in the community telling donors how they are creating impact.”