Steven Morrison

afterwords

Steven Morrison

alumni UBC’s afterwords is a digital conversation series that shares the stories of some of UBC Okanagan’s extraordinary alumni.


Meet Steven Morrison

1. What education did you receive at UBC?

Bachelor of Management (Honours), 2011

2. What do you think makes UBC Okanagan great?

The community at UBC Okanagan and within the City of Kelowna and greater Okanagan region. The experience at UBC Okanagan is unlike any other, as we receive the highest standard of education in a unique growing region with so much to do and to offer. The people in the community including the professors, administrative members, students, and all at-large individuals truly are connected and are passionate about UBC’s education programs, the Heat athletics department, and the beautiful outdoor year-round playground that is the Okanagan Valley.

3. Were you a Heat (or Laker) Athlete and what was your involvement with Heat (Laker) Athletics?

Yes. I was involved with Men’s Basketball from 2008 to 2012.

4. What is your favorite Heat (Laker) memory?

Winning that ’09 Championship! Can’t beat it. Close second… taking the big charge in the semi-finals to get us to that Championship Final.

5. How did you find balance between your athletic commitments and your studies?

It was an ever-evolving experience. We, all student-athletes, learn within and grow from this experience, as we become more well-rounded and skill-equipped individuals with a greater sense of community and appreciation for giving back. It was not, and is not always easy, but it develops some of strongest, most connected and understanding post-secondary educated graduates.

6. If you could start University again, would you do anything differently?

Probably prevent D.M. from getting in that tractor weeks before Provincials in our 2010-11 season.

7. What was your first official job after graduation?

I went on to law school, then became a lawyer.

8. What is the best part of your current job?

Working with passionate people and businesses, and assisting people with some of the big moments in their personal lives and biggest business successes.

9. What are some of the challenges you have faced in your career?

Maintaining balance. Remembering to apply skills I learned as a student-athlete with stepping back to see the bigger picture and find my own personal balance rather than exerting all my energy on only the formal work.

10. What would you like to share with current students who will be graduating in the coming years who have concerns with the current work climate?

Know your personal values and core characteristics and ensure they are a driving force behind how you operate within your work and job, while ensuring you are always open to listening, understanding, and growing. Work hard and take everything you can in, sort through it all, and find what works for you to grow but not lose sight of who you are at the core and what you truly want in a balanced and fulfilling life.

11. Do you have a mentor? How have they influenced you?

I have many mentors, and I look to find mentorship formally or informally, from as many people as I can. Look to learn as much as you can from the successes and failures of others, and allow that to help influence your growth and creating your own path.

12. What is something you continually find yourself saying?

The word community. I probably say this word too much, but I truly believe you find balance, happiness, and purpose within a community, whether it be a large community or a smaller community that is part of something larger (whether you see it or not, it is).

13. Where do you volunteer or how do you give back to your community?

Board of Directors member for YMCA of Okanagan and United Way SIBC, member of alumniUBC advisory council, engaged Heat alumnus and co-organizer of the Heat/Laker Alumni Golf Tournament, lululemon ambassador, co-leader of November Project Kelowna, and other roles and involvement with non-profits and community groups.

14. Do you have any books that you would suggest are a must read?

Harry Potter. Seriously, the fact that some people have not read it is concerning. Life can be serious, and there are far more well-read individuals that can recommend personal-growth and business development books to you. So I recommend you find the imagination and pure joy again that you had when you were a child, no matter if that was before or after Harry Potter was written, and let yourself enjoy the magic again!

15. Who is one UBC Okanagan alumnus you would like to nominate for afterwords?

I can think of six amazing alumni worthy of profiling: Kwame Boateng, Roz Huber, Chris Spencer, Jeremy Luypen, Shaun Pilcher and Harvey Hubbal!