On Arrival and Belonging — with Sobhana Jaya-Madhavan

Born in Malaysia and raised in India, Sobhana has an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and a postgraduate degree in Social Work. Sobhana immigrated to Canada in 1995 and completed her doctoral coursework and candidacy exams in Child and Youth Care from the University of Victoria (UVic) and also taught the undergraduate Child Welfare Specialization Course at UVic. Sobhana worked with the Government of British Columbia serving in various front line and senior management positions for almost two decades. Sobhana worked with federal and provincial governments to address complex social issues, including poverty, child abuse and domestic violence. In 2017, Sobhana joined Simon Fraser University (SFU) as Associate Vice President, External Relations. Sobhana engages with all levels of government and diverse organizations and communities to strengthen relationships and partnerships. In addition, Sobhana is very involved with EDI and reconciliation initiatives at SFU. In 2019, Sobhana was the recipient of the Women Economic Forum’s ‘Woman of the Decade Award’ for championing education. Sobhana is passionate about the pursuit of peace in all spheres of life.