Champions On the Field and Off

Decades ago, when Jeri Krogseth first began her career as an advisor and educational planner at Capilano University, the words “Scholar Athlete” were perceived as mutually exclusive.

Every day, she saw how these unfair beliefs hurt students and every day, her determination to help them grew stronger.

In her advising role then – and today as a veteran philanthropist – Jeri Krogseth had a compassionate insight into the physical and mental challenge that CapU students took on to excel in their studies while they met the demands of a high-calibre athletics program.

Jeri established the Scholar Athlete Award to reflect the value of her own experience working with student athletes, and her recognition that skills learned on the pitch, field or court transfer seamlessly to academic success. “You must be self-disciplined. When you’re on a team, there’s camaraderie and support and you are dependent upon the others and they’re dependent on you.”

2023 Scholar Athlete Award winner

This year’s female Scholar Athlete Award winner, CapU business major and Blues soccer player Alanah Dulong, says it’s discipline fostered through sports that sustains her in every aspect of her life.

Alanah has taught herself to organize her time, using strict monthly and weekly timetables and to-do lists that help her balance work, soccer, and academics.

This is the fourth year in a row Alanah’s been named the Capilano Blues Female Scholar Athlete of the Year.

She’s also a four-time Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association National Scholar and three-time Pacific Western Athletic Association soccer conference provincial gold medal winner. In the off-season, she plays with North Vancouver’s Altitude FC, a women’s semi-professional soccer team.

“Throughout my university experience, I have learned how to manage the external and internal pressures involved with excelling in the classroom and on the field,” she says.

The teamwork and cooperation she’s learned on the pitch translate directly into the classroom, she adds. “I am constantly tasked with group projects and working with others, and the soft skills I have developed through sports have helped immensely.”

Building a team to support CapU athletes

Growing up in Kelowna, Jeri Krogseth was an avid competitive swimmer and badminton player. “I was never an outstanding athlete. But I was encouraged to do my best.”

Her mother, a member of the women’s basketball team and a graduate from UBC in 1924, was a trailblazer in her own right, and a role model who encouraged her to pursue schooling. After studying at UBC, Jeri taught high school in northern BC and then Coquitlam for 23 years. After moving to West Vancouver in 1983 and commuting for two years, she decided to take on her advising role at Capilano College.

“At the time, the coaches were focused on doing the best they could for their athletes, but there was very little in the way of money for any of them,” she recalls.

Along with Joseph Iacobellis (former CapU director of athletics) and David O’Leary (former CapU academic advisor), Jeri spearheaded the creation of the Scholar Athlete and Athletic Entrance Endowment Funds that now annually support a number of student athletes.

It was a joint effort.

The athletic scholarship reflects the values Jeri shared with her husband Don, and the strength of their partnership in philanthropy, she says.

“Giving back, sharing, and providing opportunities for others is just a part of my life’s belief.”

Since its launch in 2000 and 1999 respectively, $115,300.00 has been disbursed in 160 student awards through the Scholar Athlete Scholarship and Athletic Entrance Award.