Day in the Life: Stella Chan

Longstanding convocation volunteer honoured to carry the mace

Stella Chan is relieved to know that UVic’s ceremonial mace isn’t quite as heavy as it looks. The petite recent-retiree’s eyes sparkle as she considers the task ahead of her—serving as mace-bearer at convocation on the morning of June 14.

“It looks like a great, awkward thing, doesn’t it?” she says. “I was worried it would be hard to carry properly. But it’s actually quite light and easy to handle, so I think I can manage!”

Chan is no stranger to the pomp and ceremony of convocation. She’s volunteered at the event every year since the early 1990s—beginning as a robing assistant and moving on to marshalling. For the last several years, she’s done both jobs during Spring and Fall ceremonies.

After almost 32 years working at UVic, Chan officially retired on May 1 and, in recognition of her many years volunteering at Convocation, the team at Ceremonies and Events asked her if she would carry the mace.

“We’ve been very lucky to have such a dedicated and constant volunteer at convocation for so many years,” says Jeanie Gunn, manager of convocation and events. “Stella is so calm and steadfast, she puts the students at ease and helps them enjoy their special day. So it was just a natural fit to ask her to carry the mace for one of the ceremonies.”

Chan was honoured by the request—and surprised. “I don’t have a university degree, so I didn’t think I was eligible for this,” she says. “I’ve helped robe and marshal thousands of students, but I never thought I’d be wearing the robes and mortarboard myself. It’s thrilling!”

Chan was born in China and grew up in Hong Kong where, as a young woman, her fluency in English, Cantonese and Mandarin helped her land a job with the government. But knowing that Hong Kong would be reverting to Chinese rule, Chan, her mother and sister decided their future might be more promising elsewhere. With relatives all over the world, including BC, the trio headed to Vancouver, and shortly afterwards made the hop over to Victoria where, in 1984, Chan landed her first job at UVic—as a part-time secretary with the biology department’s Strickland project. After a year and a half, she moved to the geography department, spending the next two years as the full-time secretary for the co-op and graduate program.

In 1988, Chan moved to the Centre for Asia Pacific Initiatives (CAPI) where she became a much-loved fixture for the next 20 years. As the sole admin person in the office, Chan did it all—event and conference planning, budgeting, travel arrangements, translations, helping with visas, and everything in between. And for the thousands of students, staff, chairs and visiting researchers who passed through the centre, Chan was the helping hand, the cheerful advisor and the reassuring, friendly face.

In 2009, Chan moved to psychology, where she spent her remaining UVic career helping undergrads with registration and course selections. No matter what her job, she always made time for volunteering at campus events such as Experience UVic, student orientations, Connect U and, especially, every convocation. She has many fond memories of the excited students and the proud parents.

“We’re organizing hundreds of students at every ceremony, but I’m always aware that, for each of them and their family, this is a very special day,” she says. “It’s a memory they will have their whole lives, and I want to help make it a happy one.”

“Stella has been remarkable in her willingness to take on multiple roles at each Convocation, and help us with anything we needed,” says Morgan Slavkin, events officer with Ceremonies and Events. “She’s an absolute joy to work with, and we hope she’ll continue to volunteer with us, even as she moves into the next chapter of her life.”

As for that next chapter, Chan has already been on a trip to Italy to visit relatives, and says she is looking forward to a lot more travelling. But she also hopes to keep busy with part-time work at UVic, while pursuing her passion for helping others through the Oak Bay Volunteer Services Society. It seems she has no plans to slow down and take life easy—at least not anytime soon.