Sarah Yercich, PhD, is a recipient of the 2025 West Coast Teaching Excellence Award from the British Columbia Teaching and Learning Council (BCTLC). This award recognizes teacher leaders at publicly funded colleges, institutes, and universities in British Columbia and the Yukon.
Yercich is a respected faculty member in the Department of Sociology and Criminology and Department of Women’s and Gender Studies in CapU’s School of Social Sciences, and she has distinguished herself as a compassionate, innovative, and community-engaged educator with a deep commitment to learner success, Truth and Reconciliation, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“Sarah’s dedication to innovative and authentic learning experiences, as well as her commitment to the well-being of her students and the CapU and North Vancouver communities, fosters deep, genuine connections with her students and supports CapU’s vision of delivering a distinct university experience for all learners,” said Brit Paris, PhD, director, teaching and learning at Capilano University. Similarly, Sarah’s students have expressed that working with her is an “inspiring” and “transformative” experience that has profoundly changed their learning and lives.
The BCTLC awards celebrate instructors who demonstrate commitment to enhanced student engagement and learning, a reflective and intentional approach to teaching practices, and dedication to teaching improvement including successful implementation of any of the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, which Yercich embodies in her work inside the classroom and beyond.