Behrouz (Bruce) Danesh and Will Hanlon will represent UNBC’s graduating class of 2024.
According to the university, Danesh, a Bachelor of Health Sciences graduate, moved from Iran to Toronto in 2017 before deciding to move once again to Prince George in 2018.
“Prince George seemed like the ideal place – full of opportunities – and I wasn’t wrong,” he says. “I have loved the small class sizes at UNBC and have been touched by the strong sense of community.”
While he was a student, UNBC said Danesh volunteered as a mentor, worked as an RA in the dorms, created the UNBC Iranian Student Association, and built supports to address gaps in UNBC’s system.
“UNBC and the Prince George community have been my foundation, supporting me from the early days when I was a newcomer to Canada,” said Danesh. “Today, I find joy in giving back, helping students and newcomers as they start their journeys.”
He will be the Valedictorian for UNBC’s first ceremony.
You can read more about Dansesh here.
Hanlon was born and raised in Prince George, graduating from CHSS in 2020.
He is leaving UNBC with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Political Science and will be attending the Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in Toronto this fall.
“Many of us did not start our University education in ideal conditions with the pandemic hitting four years ago, but we are resilient,” Hanlon said. “It took hard work and I hope everyone can feel pride in that accomplishment.”
In his third year, Hanlon teamed up with Political Science Professor Dr. Gary Wilson to co-author a paper on Brexit that is now published in a peer-reviewed journal.
“I had never presented in that sort of setting before,” says Hanlon. “So, I found it incredibly fulfilling to share our research with this engaged audience — to answer their questions, listen to their responses and take that exchange away with me as we continued our work.
Hanlon was also involved with the school’s History Club’s Executive Committee and served as the undergraduate representative for the Faculty of Indigenous Studies, Social Sciences and Humanities’ Faculty Council.
He will be the Valedictorian in the school’s second grad ceremony.
You can read more about Hanlon here.
Both of UNBC’s grad ceremonies will take place on May 31st.
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