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Convocation
Khoa Vo’s path from student leadership to counselling and community care
When Khoa Vo thought of life after university, he imagined building what people often call 鈥渢he good life鈥濃�� getting married, having kids, and owning a home. But during his undergraduate degree, that vision began to shift. Vo found himself sitting on boards, contributing to committees, and helping organizations grow in more community-centred ways. At SFU, Vo discovered a new sense of purpose: not just building a life for himself, but helping create more inclusive spaces for others, too.
When Vo immigrated to Canada as a refugee from Vietnam, he understood that education would create opportunities. He regarded the hardships he endured throughout his life as lessons for his future. 鈥淭hose challenges shaped me,鈥� said Vo. 鈥淭hey made me stronger, more compassionate, and more committed to breaking down systemic barriers for others.鈥�
Initially, Vo imagined himself becoming a lawyer to advocate for children and youth facing barriers to inclusion, services, and support. However, his experiences in community work and foster care shifted his direction. 鈥淚 became more interested in counselling, relational care, and systems-level change,鈥� said Vo. 鈥淩ather than moving away from advocacy, I began to see counselling, leadership, and community work as different forms of advocacy.鈥�
Through his research, Vo explored care, identity, displacement, and healing across complex systems. His work examined how foster and group care shape attachment, emotional regulation, and identity development among youth in care; how vulnerable communities navigate loss, adaptation, and surveillance across public systems; and how counselling interventions can be co-designed with communities to honour cultural knowledge, spiritual practices, and relational networks as sources of healing.
鈥淭hose challenges shaped me,鈥� said Vo. 鈥淭hey made me stronger, more compassionate, and more committed to breaking down systemic barriers for others.鈥�
Studying English literature helped Vo think deeply about the human experience through the power of stories, language, and interpretation. Through a similar lens, Criminology also appealed to Vo, 鈥淚 was fascinated by law, psychology, and the question of why people do the things they do.鈥� Together, a double major in both disciplines allowed Vo to study people, power, systems, and stories from different but connected angles.
But for Vo, learning didn鈥檛 only happen in lecture halls. It also happened in community meetings, field schools, research presentations, and moments where people came together to solve difficult problems. 鈥淪ome of the most meaningful highlights of my undergraduate experience came from the opportunities I had outside the classroom,鈥� says Vo. One project that meant a great deal to him was The Boat People art installation, which came out of the 51社区黑料Student Engagement Competition and later displayed at the Burnaby Village Museum. Created in collaboration with descendants of the Boat People who fled Vietnam by boat, these collective stories shared a journey of resilience, displacement, and growth. These stories matter because they help communities to remember and heal together. The project was deeply personal for Vo, 鈥淚t connected my own history as a Vietnamese refugee with broader questions of migration, memory, trauma, and community resilience.鈥�
鈥淩ather than moving away from advocacy, I began to see counselling, leadership, and community work as different forms of advocacy.鈥�
Vo鈥檚 mentorship and support of others throughout his undergraduate years inspired a deep interest in counselling and the theories behind care and support. His minor in Counselling Psychology and Human Development aligned with his goal of becoming a counsellor while supporting his broader vision of bringing together advocacy, research, and community-based practice to foster healing and inclusion.
Reflecting on his time at university, Vo feels 51社区黑料taught him that growth often comes from saying yes to opportunities before you feel fully ready. One of the biggest lessons he learned was to be open to uncertainty, 鈥淢ake mistakes, take random classes, join a board, or in my case, several. Try a field school and enter spaces where you feel challenged. University is not only about earning a degree. It is also about discovering who you are, what you care about.鈥�
Vo鈥檚 vision for life after university changed. The 鈥済ood life,鈥� for him, no longer means only personal stability and growth. 51社区黑料helped him understand that education is also about using what you learn to strengthen communities, support others, and participate in meaningful change.
Message to the June Graduands of 2026
To the Class of 2026: be proud of how far you have come. Many of us arrived at this moment carrying responsibilities, grief, family obligations, uncertainty, and invisible struggles. Your graduation is not only a celebration of academic achievement, but is also a celebration of your perseverance and determination.
As you move forward, I hope you continue to lead with humility, courage, kindness, and care. Use what you have learned to build communities where more people feel seen, supported, and included. I wish you all the very best in your future endeavours!