Doctor of Education Graduate Philipp Reichert

Philipp was born in Wasserburg am Inn, Germany in the south of Germany - near Austria. His father is Canadian and his mother was German/Canadian. He grew up moving around a lot - approximately 18 times before he was 22! After high school he moved back to Germany, then California for University, then UBC to finish his Bachelor's. He completed his Master's in the Netherlands and then started at UBC where he completed his doctorate. He currently lives in the beautiful Okanagan on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Sylix Okanagan nation. He is married with three boys under 6 which keeps him and his wife very busy. Philipp currently holds the positon of Director of Global Engagement at UBC Okanagan.

What first got you interested in a career in education? 

In many ways, I fell into my career in international education. All of my previous education was actually in political science/history and I was looking to work more in the political/consulting field, but through a series of events ends up finding a great opportunity to work at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and then the rest fell into place. More generally, my upbringing, both of my parents were invested in their education (my dad was a graduate student in California when I was a growing up) and the international aspect specifically had to do with my experiences of growing up moving around a lot and often being the new student in class. 

What made you want to study at the Werklund School of Education? 

The combination of flexibility with online learning options, yet still providing options to connect with colleagues in person at various points throughout the program was great. It provided a good balance and was essential in forming long lasting and deep connections with colleagues in my program. 

What was your favourite part about Werklund? What is your most memorable Werklund experience

Definitely the two summer time residencies, that opportunity to be in person with colleagues for an extended period of time, on campus and engaging outside the classroom was very helpful. 

Who is someone who had an important influence on your experience at Werklund? Tell us about their impact. 

I can't emphasize enough the work of my supervisor Dr. Roswita Dressler! She was my second supervisor as my previous one retired (I was on a year leave for family reasons) and she was a major force in getting me back on track after returning. I lost my brother in a car crash in 2017, I was encouraged to take a leave of absence (had a newborn at the time as well), which ended up being the best choice. I returned to my studies midway 2018, Roswita was brought in as my supervisor due to retirement of my previous supervisor. Throughout the following 18 months she was instrumental in getting me back on track and I ended up finishing by the end of 2019, which I attribute to her willingness to work with me and understanding the balance of challenging and understanding. I have been truly lucky to learn from her and am grateful to continue to be in touch with her through various areas where our work overlaps. 

What is the most important lesson you learned during your time with Werklund? 

Connecting with colleagues and faculty in the program outside of the academic aspects - this will be different for different levels of studies, but at the doctoral level this has been invaluable. The connections that have been formed as part of the program have been instrumental in many activities in my current and previous roles. Sharing your challenges and recognizing that many of the issues and challenges you are facing are likely shared by other colleagues and institutions and the potential solutions often start to emerge from these discussions/connections. 

What did you go on to do after you completed your degree?

Since completing my degree I have continued in my work at UBC. Since starting at Werklund, I moved from an advisor role, to Manager, to now the Director of Global Engagement, UBC Okanagan, where I oversee the amalgamated international unit (2021). 

Outside of my work with UBC, I am also Senior Advisor, Learning and Development with the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and a 2022/23 AIEA Presidential Fellow. I am also involved in advocacy work as the immediate past Co-Chair of the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) Immigration Advisory Committee, where I served the past 2.5 years during (throughout the pandemic which was quite intense with all of the ongoing IRCC changes). I have just recently been appointed as a Board Member for the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) and an active member of the Okanagan Local Immigration Partnership Committee. I'm a frequent presenter, workshop facilitator, and SME consultant in the area of immigration law, internationalization, and international education policy. I have recently also just joined the advisory board of ISEMPOWER a startup company that is focused on addressing the employability needs of international students in Canada. 

Since completing my studies I have been privileged to co-publish a book chapter related to my dissertation and received awards related to my academic and professional work. In 2020, I published a chapter in the book Multidisciplinary Perspectives on International Student Experience in Canadian Higher Education, providing an overview of internationalization efforts and the impact of substantial immigration policy shifts to support, recruit, and retain international students in Canada. Furthermore, it examine how higher educational institutions, and other key stakeholders, play a role in supporting career exploration as well as the factors that influence international students' ability to stay in Canada post-graduation. 

In 2020 I was fortunate to receive the UBC Staff Award of Excellence for Global Citizenship, in 2021 the Harold Josephson Award from the Association of International Education Administrators, (AIEA) for my doctoral research and other related work, BDO Canada/Kelowna Chamber 2022 Top 40 und 40, and was just awarded a 2022/23 Presidential Fellowhip from the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA). 

What advice would you give to those about to begin their journey with Werklund?

Engage with your faculty, and connect with your colleagues. So much of what I learned was outside of the formal assignments or readings. Connecting with colleagues that you can continue to connect with outside of classes and in areas that overlap into our professional lives was essential and adds to the value of the program.