About My Students - SFU Professor Anil Hira's Online Hub

MY FORMER STUDENTS

STUDENT TESTIMONALS

-A graduate student who received a provincial policy analyst job offer upon completion in 2021 sent the following message:

I appreciate your support throughout my undergraduate and graduate journeys at SFU. You helped to improve my skills with your courses and advice. The content you teach is very relevant and up-to-date. I'll apply your teachings to my professional and personal life.

-A former student who is a Client Executive at a leading local IT firm sent me an e-mail on July 19, 2021, stating:

Your lessons were instrumental for me in the way I learned to approached analysing complex issues and conducting in depth research for tangible real world issues. I would highly recommend anyone to take one of his classes regardless of you’re major or minor, you will have positive takeaways you can apply in the working world.

On Sept. 15, 2020, a former student wrote to me, saying:

Hello Dr. Hira!

How are things going for you?

I wanted to sincerely thank you again for your reference and the incredible education that you provided to me.

Since November 2019, I am an Economic Policy Analyst in the federal government for XXX on a full-time permanent basis! I absolutely love this job, and I have the ability to make astounding and fundamental changes to Canadian society.

My team of 4 (including myself) are responsible for creating a new xxxx mandating framework for all First Nations across Canada. Everyday, we have deep policy discussions within our team based on comprehensive research that we take part in and analyze. My work is directly sent up our executive management eventually reaching the audience of the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, who will after their approval, send our work to the Deputy Minister and ultimately a treasury board and federal cabinet submission!

I am currently already in the process of applying to a more senior policy advisor position as I have now been in government for over 3 years and have sufficient experience.

I would like to emphasize again that you have been instrumental to my success, as even getting the position I am in now required me to send a writing sample (I sent my MA project as well as my geothermal Policy Brief) and they clearly liked it!

I received an e-mail on Oct. 10, 2019, stating:

Hi Dr. Hira,

I hope this email finds you well. I’m an SFU alum and recently stumbled upon some of my old coursework. I took multiple classes with you around 2013-2015. I particularly remember classes like Energy Policy, where you spent a majority of the course teaching us how to research, analyze data, and how to craft sound, evidence based arguments while at the same time addressing data gaps, flaws and counterarguments. After SFU, I moved onto the University of Saskatchewan to complete my law degree. I used the knowledge and techniques you taught me throughout law school, especially with respect to legal research and writing. I’m now back in Vancouver, and have started my legal career at a large corporate commercial firm,...

An e-mail received on July 31, 2019, states:

A while ago you wrote me a reference letter that helped me get accepted into the SFU GDBA program (I completed that program and got accepted into the MOT MBA).

I am just writing this e-mail to let you know that today I got confirmation from the SFU MOT MBA committee that my final applied project had been approved and I am officially done my MOT MBA.

I want to personally thank-you for everything you have done for me. I have not said this to you before, but you have had a profound impact on my academic career. Your emphasis on essay writing and research played a significant role in me getting through the MOT MBA. You changed my work ethic completely and for that I am forever grateful.

An e-mail I received on July 4, 2019 from a student now working at a tech start-up stated:

Andy, your classes were the most applicable thing for the real world that I studied during my undergrad, so having you design this new program is ideal for future students

An e-mail I received on July 28, 2016 from a former student summarizes what you will learn from my courses:

I was a student of yours years ago (2007), my last class with you was Latin Studies. I remember you emphasized in your classes how to properly research and write. You stressed that we (as students) may or may not continue in a career or field of Political Science, but to research and prepare for a thesis or report will go far to enhance your career. That really resonated with me and you steered us in the correct path to achieve this. I’m not really in the political field in terms of a career, albeit I watch and follow politics religiously; I’m working for a local government (building permits) ever since I graduated in 2007. The methodology, research, writing, and statistical “digging”, if you will, that you taught me really and considerably puts me ahead of everyone within my department. Again, just wanted to say I really appreciate what you’ve done for me. Please pass this on to your students and department chair.

An e-mail I received on October 31, 2016 from a former student now studying law at the University of Sussex in the UK is as follows:

Hope all is well back home. I just wanted to touch base with you as I am now submerged in cases and textbooks over at University of Sussex. I wanted to again thank you for everything you did for me at SFU. From taking time out to help me with my future, actually teaching useful skills, and finally for pushing me like no other professor has. I am grateful for taking those classes with you. I only regret not taking more classes with you. I have come to the conclusion that coming to SFU, an institution that emphasizes research, and meeting you has set me up to be successful here in law school. Again, thank you.