Jas Sandhu
A counselor, an author, an academic and a community volunteer. Since graduating from Kwantlen in 1996 with a Diploma in Criminology, Jas Sandhu has been busy.
As a youth addictions counselor at Peace Arch Community Services, Jas works one-on-one with youth that have found themselves using drugs to escape from the realities and pressures of being a teen. He’s fantastic in the local high schools, where he is often asked to speak. He can engage students effortlessly with his remarkable sense of humour, his wit and candid honesty.
With his wife, Kwantlen instructor, Kamala Nayar, Jas co-authored “The Socially Involved Renunciate: Guru Nānak’s Discourse to the Nāth Yogis,” in 2007. The book is described as “an important work in this emerging field [of Sikh study in the English language],” by Pashaura Singh of the University of California at Riverside.
Jas was nominated for this award by Dean of Learner Resources at Kwantlen, Cathy MacDonald. As co-founder of the BC Foundation for the Study of Sikhism, Jas was instrumental in the recent donation of $10,000 to the library for the establishment of a collection dedicated to the study of Sikhism and the Punjab. Cathy, whose responsibilities include the libraries, was delighted to receive the donation from Jas and the Foundation. “We’re very grateful to Jas for everything he’s done for Kwantlen. I was inspired to nominate him for the Distinguished Alumni Award after discovering how much he does for his community.”
After graduating from Kwantlen, Jas went on to receive his BA from Simon Fraser University and his Masters in Education from UBC. He is an instructor at the Justice Institute of BC, has presented at numerous conferences and seminars and has published several articles.