Posted October 4, 2022 | Updated November 24, 2022
We are pleased to share that UBC Faculty of Education’s School of Kinesiology undergraduate Lynda Li is one of 25 winners selected in the 2022 Global Undergraduate Awards competition, which received over 2500 submissions worldwide.
Each year thousands of students from around the world submit their undergraduate research projects to the Global Undergraduate Awards (GUA), the world’s leading pan-discipline, undergraduate research awards program. Submissions are reviewed by more than 600 academics who volunteer as judges and select just 25 Global Winners, one from each category.
Lynda Li was named Global Winner of the Social Science: Sociology & Social Policy category for her work titled “From Victims to Visionaries: Representations of Older Asian Adults in Canadian News Media during COVID-19.”
I am deeply humbled and honoured to be representing UBC and the School of Kinesiology at the Global Undergraduate Awards in Dublin. Having my work recognized on a global level is certainly one of the highlights of my undergraduate career. I look forward to presenting my research at the summit and witnessing the remarkable work of undergraduate students worldwide.
— Lynda Li
Lynda presented her research at the Undergraduate Awards (UA) Global Summit held in Dublin, Ireland, November 6 to 9, 2022. The highlight of the three-day event is the Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony on November 8, when Lynda and the other 24 global winners received the Thomas Clarkson Gray Gold Medal for their work.
Long-time GUA Chairman Jim Barry, who presented the 25 Global Winners with their medals, said the honour was all his. “Being in the same room as these incredibly bright and ambitious young minds, you really have a sense that the world is heading in the right direction. It is my hope that by recognizing their outstanding research and rewarding them for their ingenuity, they are inspired to take that work out into the world to change it,” said Barry.
Lynda is in the final year of her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology. Her work focuses on the intersections of age, race, and health. Growing up in an immigrant family, Lynda is keen on using culturally responsive care to address the healthcare barriers experienced by racial and ethnic minorities.
As an aspiring clinician-researcher, Lynda seeks to combine evidence-based practice with community-based research to pave the way for more equitable healthcare practices in Canada and beyond.
Lynda is recognized for her research at the undergraduate level. In addition to being named a Global Winner at the 2022 Global Undergraduate Awards in Dublin, she earned second place for her presentation at the 2022 UBC Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference (MURC). She continues to make meaningful contributions to the academic community at UBC as a co-director of workshops and presentations for MURC 2023.
Lynda is publishing her first academic article as lead author with Dr. Laura Hurd. The paper, titled “From Victims to Visionaries: Representations of Older Asian Adults in Canadian News Media during COVID-19,” examines news media portrayals of older Asian adults during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She continues to work under Dr. Hurd as a research assistant in the UBC Gender, Aging, and Health Lab. Lynda’s commitment to advancing health equity is also reflected outside the classroom, where she founded Volentia Healthcare Translation, a non-profit organization providing free healthcare translation services for immigrants.
Please join us in congratulating Lynda Li on this achievement!
This story has been updated with information from The Global Undergraduate Awards ceremony in Dublin.
