For Elizabeth MacDonald, BEd ’26, home is more than where the heart is — it’s where her purpose, passion and identity has taken shape. She was born and raised in the Okanagan on the unceded and traditional territory of the Syilx Okanagan people, and as an individual with mixed settler-Indigenous ancestry, she has spent the last five years reconnecting with that part of herself.
For as long as she can remember, she wanted to pursue a career in education as she was inspired not only by meaningful experiences in the classroom, but by the moments where something fell short, and she imagined how it could be different. That drive deepened through coaching fencing for nearly seven years, and through teaching summer camps at the Kelowna Art Gallery, where she discovered how much she thrived in the company of students.
“I love building connections with students and guiding them to those “aha” moments,” she says. “I am inspired to create safe spaces for my students, and foster their creativity and learnings similar to how my past teachers did for me.”
After high-school, she decided to stay in the Okanagan and completed both her Bachelor of Arts and her Bachelor of Education at UBC Okanagan.
“I chose to stay within the Okanagan to stay close to my family, who mean the world to me, but also because I feel at home in this beautiful valley,” she says.
In her free time, she fills her hours with as many crafts and skills as she can learn, from sewing to beading.
“I think the best things are worth waiting for, and the best skills are worth practicing for,” she says. “Learning skills like sewing and beading gives me a deeper appreciation for the things I have.”
It’s a value she wanted her students to discover for themselves. During her internship, she designed a project with a simple premise: identify something you care about, take action, and reflect.
“Their goal was to make a positive impact on the community around them, be it the school community, the land or the surrounding areas,” she says. “I wanted students to feel empowered, and as though they can make a difference, because I truly believe they can.”
The project was left to be broad so that students could choose something they would be motivated by. After exploring ideas together and watching videos about sustainability and the effects of pollution, most students turned their attention to recycling and cleaning the schoolyard. For four students, they were staggered by one of the statistics shared, that enough clothing already exists to clothe the planet for the next ten generations. Their answer was a clothing drive, donating items to Mamas for Mamas, a locally run charity supporting impoverished families, timed to make a difference heading into the holiday season.
“Even after I explained all the work that would be involved to complete this project, that would extend beyond the time they would be given in class, their motivation didn’t waver,” she says. “I was amazed at the dedication of these students, and I was there to support them every step of the way ensuring to clear everything with both the school and the charity.”
The students took clothing items home over the weekend to repair small holes, inspected every item to ensure that they were good-quality, and spent hours sorting, folding and organizing the donations.
“They were excited to be given an opportunity to make a positive impact and it spread so much positivity throughout the school,” she says. “I was amazed at how much good students can do if given the support and encouragement to do so.”
In recognition of her work, Elizabeth was one of this year’s recipients as of the Maxwell Cameron Award. A recognition, she notes, as particularly meaningful as it supports the effort she has put into her teaching practice and the values she holds.
“I believe that it is essential for youth to feel empowered to make a difference and to create positive change in the world that they are stepping into,” says Elizabeth. “To inspire students to do so, we must show them our own passion for creating change. It’s easy to identify a problem, the challenge lies within taking action and finding ways to make a positive change. I am extremely grateful to the Okanagan School of Education and the BCTF for this award.”
As she prepares to cross the stage this year, Elizabeth reflects on her time at the Okanagan School of Education, not as a series of milestones, but as a full transformative journey.
“I wouldn’t say that it was just one moment that was transformative, but the collection of moments and the growth I saw not only in myself as an educator, but within my peers as well throughout the whole of the program,” she says.
She speaks warmly of the time spent studying, pondering and debating with classmates, and of the professors and mentors who met her with equal parts compassion and challenge.
“I am thankful for my professors, advisors and mentors who showed me great compassion, but who also challenged me to become the educator that I am today,” she says.
About the Maxwell Cameron Award
The Maxwell A. Cameron Award is given annually by the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) to students completing the final year of the Bachelor of Education degree in elementary and secondary school teaching. The recipients of the award are those students who are considered to be outstanding students in the graduating class who have initiated, worked, or participated in a project that created positive change globally or in their local community, and or, been actively involved in issues related to poverty, LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, antiracism, peace, global or environmental issues.
The award is named after Maxwell Cameron who headed the Department of Education at UBC in the mid-1940s. Prior to that, he was on staff as an associate professor and director of UBC’s summer school.