The Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC is pleased to announce a generous donation from Harjit (Harj) S. Sangra (LLB 1984) to renew the Sangra Memorial Entrance Award.
This $200,000 gift will support one incoming JD student per year over the next ten years with an award valued at $20,000 per student. This award was originally established by Mr. Sangra with a $150,000 gift in 2013, in honour of his mother, Gurbax Sangra, who was an ardent believer in higher education and the opportunities it provides – despite never having had the opportunity for post-secondary schooling herself. In renewing his award with a $200,000 gift, Mr. Sangra has increased the value of the award for each student by $5,000 per year to $20,000, making it the highest value award for JD students in the law school.
The Sangra Memorial Entrance Award is for a student entering the JD program who has achieved academic excellence, demonstrated athletic achievement and community involvement, and attended and graduated high school in British Columbia. This award will provide substantial financial relief for one student each year, while aiding the law school in its recruitment efforts by demonstrating the competitive student financial aid that is available to Allard Law students.
Harj Sangra is a founding partner of Sangra Moller LLP. He is widely recognized for his work in the corporate law and natural resource law categories. He is also a highly dedicated member of the law school’s alumni community, having previously volunteered his time and expertise on the Dean’s Advisory Council and the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the Centre for Business Law. He has also been an adjunct faculty member since 2012, teaching advanced corporate law. In 2022, he was recognized for his contributions to the university with a UBC Alumni Builder Award.
“We are deeply grateful to Harj Sangra for his generosity in renewing the Sangra Memorial Entrance Award,” says Dean Ngai Pindell. "This gift is particularly inspiring because it enables the law school to provide what is now our highest-value award available to JD students, meaning significant financial relief will go to a deserving student. Mr. Sangra is an exemplary alum who has provided strong, multi-dimensional support to the law school for many years, and we are so pleased that he has chosen to honour his parents’ legacy in such a meaningful way."
When asked what impact he hopes this gift will have on the future of the legal profession, Sangra shared this message: "The principal beliefs that higher education provides opportunity and those who are able should try to give back were taught and instilled by my mother and father (Gurbux and Bakshish). The law school at UBC provided the opportunity to pass on my parent’s legacy and try to help new students a little along their path.”
