Beyond Skills: Supporting Student Identity Work in WIL with CARES

Event Information

Event Starts: December 3, 2026 at 1:00 pm
Event Ends: December 3, 2026 at 3:00 pm
Registration Details: If you plan to attend a viewing party, you still NEED TO REGISTER FOR THE EVENT. More information on the viewing parties coming soon.
Register by: Noon, December 1, 2026
Cost: Free

Venue Name: Zoom + Regional viewing parties hosted at various post-secondary institutions across BC. If joining via Zoom, please take note of the Zoom link that will be provided with confirmation of registration.
Organizer Information: ACE-WIL Professional Development (PD) Committee, Linda Gully at linda.gully@ubc.ca
Audience: ACE-WIL Members

Topic

Join Siyi Cheng and Amy Smith for an engaging session exploring WIL as an identity workspace, where students navigate professional expectations, belonging, and what it means to be seen as competent and credible in their chosen fields. 

For equity-deserving students, including first-generation and racialized learners, this process often involves additional, invisible identity work that can be mistaken for skill gaps. This session introduces CARES, a practical framework for identity-informed advising that helps practitioners better understand students’ lived experiences, recognize their strengths, and support their professional growth through safe discomfort and collaboration. 

Participants will leave with practical advising questions to better recognize and support the identity work shaping students’ professional journeys. 

Presenters

Siyi Cheng (she/her), Ph.D. Candidate 
Co-operative Education Faculty, College of Engineering, Northeastern University Vancouver 

Siyi’s work bridges student development and human flourishing, with research interests in adult learning, identity, and migration. She supports cooperative education through employer partnerships, curriculum development, and student advising. 

Amy Smith (she/her) 
Career Strategist, Graduate Careers, UBC Sauder School of Business 

With over 13 years in post-secondary education, including nine in Career Services, Amy brings experience in WIL programming, career development curriculum, and individualized career coaching

Regional Viewing Parties