Sofia Knopf, left, and Emily Bogusz co-founded a student club at UBC Okanagan to help their peers navigate grief, support one another and build resilience.
When Sofia Knopf was a child, her mother would read books about death to help her daughter understand that loss is a normal part of life.
The frank discussions were necessary, because Knopf was seven when her mother died.
While difficult, those early lessons shaped how the psychology student at UBC Okanagan views grief and the role she can play for others facing it.
It’s why Knopf and Emily Bogusz, a graduate of UBC Okanagan’s microbiology program, spearheaded the Palliative Care Club at UBC Okanagan.
“Responding to grief is difficult. We often overthink our words, which can lead to saying nothing, relying on clichés, or offering empty sympathy instead of meaningful support,” Knopf says.
“Being there for someone in a time of loss can be messy, but the greatest support we can offer is simply showing up—to listen, hold space and be present in those raw, vulnerable moments.”
Students from the Palliative Care Club at UBC Okanagan show off care kits.
Honest conversations about grief
Knopf and Bogusz met through a shared professor after asking to learn more about end-of-life care. They also discovered they shared a desire to help their peers move beyond the discomfort and clichés that often hover over grief.
They decided that the best way to address those issues was by founding the Palliative Care Club. Palliative care is typically associated with those on their death beds, but the club encompasses more.
The Palliative Care Club not only prepares students to volunteer in hospice settings, but helps when students find themselves grieving, be it from academic struggles to the loss of a relationship, financial pressures or just the jarring transitions of young adulthood.
“Grief can look like failing your first year or being homesick or watching the world shift under your feet,” Bogusz says.
“We wanted to create a space where people can learn to navigate those feelings in themselves and support others doing the same.”
Understanding the role of compassion
Dr. Barb Pesut, a nursing professor with a background in end-of-life care, introduced the students when they approached her asking about undergraduate research opportunities.
Over the years, Dr. Pesut says she’s watched many students struggle to balance their own anxieties with life’s demands and was thrilled to learn about the club. Dr. Pesut says a peer group that focuses on grief is invaluable in improving the student experience.
“Students can be fearless, but they need guidance,” she says. “They’re stepping into territory many adults avoid. What’s inspiring is their willingness to face these subjects head-on, to say ‘Yes, this is uncomfortable, and we’re going to do it anyway.’”
Not all students pursue palliative care training. Not everyone can invest the training hours, and not everyone’s ready to enter a room with someone in their final days.
The club respects that, offering different levels of involvement. Some write notes to hospice patients or prepare care packages that don’t require face-to-face interaction. The idea was popular from the beginning. Dozens of students have joined the club at various levels and events.
Alongside the grief kits, students also have access to a Guide to Grief for Students, now available through UBCO’s wellness services at wellbeing.ubc.ca/griefguide. While Knopf and Bogusz helped develop and now distribute the guide through the club’s activities, the resource itself was created through a separate, university-supported process.
The guide was developed by students mentored by Dr. Helen Sharp and the Compassionate Campus Community Workgroup, with funding secured by Dr. Barb Pesut through UBC’s Strategic Wellbeing Initiative. The collaboration highlights how student leadership is strengthened through faculty mentorship and institutional support, ensuring the guide reflects both lived experience and evidence-informed practice.
“This isn’t about scaring people or making them sad,” Knopf says. “It’s about saying: You’re going to lose things in life—people, dreams, certain visions of your future—and that’s grief, too. Learning how to acknowledge that fact, and still show up for others, makes you a stronger, more compassionate human being.”
Grief kits prepared by student volunteers include snacks, comfort items and practical resources to support students through difficult moments. A companion grief guide is also available through UBCO’s wellness services.
Turning student empathy into action
What the students realized is university is fertile ground for difficult lessons. While higher education encourages intellectual curiosity, rarely does it nudge young adults to wrestle with mortality.
“We’re not telling people death is pretty, or that grief is easy,” Bogusz says. “We’re saying it’s real, and we can learn to be present for each other through that reality. Whether it’s a friend who’s lost a parent or someone facing their own mortality, we don’t have to turn away.”
In this frank, unfiltered atmosphere, students find a different kind of university experience—one that asks them to consider the dignity of an ending, the complexity of loss and their own capacity to offer comfort.
“We’re here to normalize grief and empower the community with knowledge to support themselves and others,” says Knopf.
“Discussions about mental health, loss, and death shouldn’t be reserved for professionals alone. These are universal experiences, and the more we talk about them and prioritize everyone’s dignity, the less fear we’ll carry. This openness helps us find courage to be present and fosters a more compassionate community.”
