UNBC Communications Officer Andrea Johnson has passed away.
She died suddenly on January 31st.
According to a news release, Andrea joined the university back in 2015 and used her background in journalism to tell the story of UNBC through her words and photographs.
Manager of Communications, Matt Wood worked with Andrea at the university since she was hired in 2015 and told MyPGNow.com her commitment to the school was second-to-none.
“Andrea was a beloved colleague of all of us here at UNBC. What strikes me about Andrea is that she was working on so many things and was so involved in the university community that oftentimes I didn’t know what she was working on until it came on to my desk. That is the level of her commitment to this place.”
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Alberta and a Diploma in Journalism from Mount Royal University.
Johnson also worked behind the scenes on many University events, projects, and initiatives, including Convocation, Green Day, and many others.
With great sadness, we share the news of the sudden passing of our friend and colleague Andrea Johnson.
Andrea worked as a Communications Officer at UNBC, sharing our story with the world through her words, photographs and social media posts.
/1 pic.twitter.com/ypGRnTRgBo— University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) (@UNBC) February 7, 2022
She also had a lifelong connection to rural Alberta, where she was born and raised on a farm near Consort.
Johnson developed deep roots in northern B.C., a region she called home for 16 years.
Before joining UNBC, Andrea worked as the editor at the Quesnel Cariboo Observer and reporter at the Prince George Citizen as well as the College of New Caledonia where she was also a Communications Officer.
Jason Peters became friends with Johnson in 2010 and was also the former Sports Editor (2014-2019) at the Citizen where she was employed.
He mentioned Andrea was very easy to be around.
“Andrea was one of those people who was easy to like. She always had a smile on her face, she was always unfailingly positive,pr and being around Andrea you just picked up on that vibe she had.”
“I will miss her tremendously. I am still having a hard time processing this as is my wife who was extremely close with Andrea. She was like a member of our family.”
Johnson was also involved with the Rotary Club of Prince George Nechako, including the annual Operation Red Nose designated driver service.
The UNBC flags are at half-mast today (Monday).