It's been 25 years since St. John's College started welcoming international graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to its leafy brick residence – a home-away-from-home on the UBC Vancouver campus. With the motto, "the world around our table," St. John's is home to 165 students from 40 countries. It has housed 2,300 residents over the years. It's also a very tightknit community, which even managed to celebrate together and find joy during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic campus lockdown. To mark the milestone, St. John's hosted a 25th Anniversary Garden Party on June 25, an outdoor tea party for alumni with an international twist. Eight resident teams showcased delicacies representing their cultures, a la Malaysian kaya toast, grandma's gingerbread cake, Persian kashke badenjoon, mango lassi from India and Chinese banquet-style spiced beef shank. Adding to the festive spirit, St. John's residents and alumni showcased their poetry, piano, vocal and cello skills.
St. John's College Principal Henry Yu welcomes alumni, students, faculty fellows, staff and guests to the college's 25th anniversary celebration (photo: St. John's College/Edward Chang Photography)
St. John's residents and alumni (photo: St. John's College/Edward Chang Photography)
The weather cooperated for St. John's 25th outdoor celebration (photo: St. John's College/Edward Chang Photography)
St. John's residents prepared and served some of their favourite dishes from their countries (photo: St. John's College/Edward Chang Photography)
Celebrating 25 years in 2022: St. John's College on the UBC campus (photo: Szu Shen, St. John's College Alumna and UBC staff person)
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Find out about St. John's College popular Hot Lunch series: regular midday networking gatherings for UBC staff designed to encourage connection and meaningful conversation around delicious food.