Graduate honoured for inspiring future alumni

Posted: September 4, 2012 11:30 a.m.

Phoebe De Ciman Haugen's enthusiasm for community involvement sets an example for future alumni. Photo: U of R Photography

As a student at the University of Regina (Campion College), Phoebe De Ciman Haugen demonstrated a remarkable ability to be involved and excel on several fronts simultaneously, successfully combining athletics with student leadership and academics.

She has carried that enthusiasm for diverse experiences into a career in the Saskatchewan public service and ongoing involvement in the community, both locally and internationally.

De Ciman Haugen is the 2012 recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, which recognizes an alumnus under age 35 who is identifiable as an emerging leader through professional and/or voluntary accomplishments and who is setting an example for future young alumni to follow.

De Ciman Haugen, 31, graduated from the University of Regina with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2003 and Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science in 2005. She went on to earn a Master of Arts in human security and peacebuilding from Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia, in 2010.

In addition to her academic work, she played five seasons with the University of Regina Cougars basketball team and served two terms as president of the University of Regina Students' Union.

De Ciman Haugen's appetite for diverse experiences has served her well in her eight years in the Saskatchewan public service.

"My time at the U of R helped me with putting on different hats in different situations. It definitely helped me to be adaptable," she says.

De Ciman Haugen continues to be involved in basketball, volunteering as a coach for the U17 provincial girls' team and in the Basketball Saskatchewan program. She is also involved in the cultural and arts community in the city, as well as in the Regina United Way fundraising campaign.

While doing her master's program, she spent time doing research and volunteer work in Uganda and southern Sudan, and continues to work with some of the people she met at that time. She hopes to continue to be involved in international development work.

Whether overseas or at home in Saskatchewan, De Ciman Haugen says she finds community work most rewarding when it involves young people because they are usually enthusiastic, open-minded, appreciative, and willing to learn.

She says she sees receiving the Outstanding Young Alumnus award as a tribute to the many people who have worked with and supported her along the way. In turn, she hopes the award will show other students it's possible to pursue a variety of interests.

De Ciman Haugen will be one of five distinguished alumni recognized at the eighth Annual Alumni Crowning Achievement Awards Gala on September 27.

To purchase tickets and for more information visit: www.uregina.ca/alumni/acaa-event or call 1-877-779-4723.