Learning a matter for life say graduates
Christopher Ming Lee's love of literature is closely tied to his deep interest in Chinese-Canadian history. He became fascinated by how people express themselves and by their use of language after interviewing Chinese-Canadian World War II veterans for an oral history project.
Lee has completed an honours bachelor's degree in English, specializing in Asian-North American literature.
"English classes gave me ways to think about history, about the Chinese community and how we look at our identities through narratives," says Lee. "My studies have given me a way of thinking about things that is really useful. I have learned how to communicate the stories of my heritage."
The son of immigrants -- his mother is a Hong Kong native and his engineer father is from Macau -- Lee grew up in Gibson's on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast. The family later moved to West Vancouver where Lee went to high school.
Lee, a straight-A student, has won many scholarships, including the President's Entrance Scholarship, the British Columbia Odyssey of the Mind Scholarship and the Province of British Columbia Scholarship. The Hugh M. Brock Education Abroad Scholarship sent him to the University of California at Irvine for a year where he made the dean's honour list.
Lee is a youth co-ordinator with the Vancouver Chinese Cultural Centre and has worked with immigrant Chinese students about identity issues and the difficulty of switching from Cantonese or Mandarin to English. He also enjoys taking students on guided tours of Chinatown.
"Whenever I do a tour I like to tell the kids that Chinatown is a Canadian community," he says. "I talk about racism and the history of discrimination and how certain Chinese-Canadian histories are reflected in the buildings."
Lee is particularly proud of his involvement last year organizing the Chinese-Canadian Community Day at the Chinese Cultural Centre, which attracted 2,000 people.
"It was a great experience because we gained a sense of making a difference in the community," Lee says.
An accomplished musician, Lee holds a diploma from the London College of Music in Piano Teaching. He has composed a jazz work for Asian instruments and is currently completing a big-band jazz project.
Lee credits UBC with giving him an opportunity to be part of different communities from the English Dept. to the University Christian Ministry, on whose behalf he helped tutor inner city children in New Jersey.
Lee, who is pursuing a doctorate in literature and Asian-North American culture, would like to teach at the university level.
"I really admire teachers who try to bridge the gap between academic life and the outside world," Lee says.
It would seem that Christopher Lee is already well on his way to becoming the teacher of his ideals.