Distinguished Alumni Award

Janet Kwantes (BA Psychology ’10) was born in High River, Alberta, to Dutch immigrant parents.  She grew up and went to school there; after graduating from high school she attended Kings College (back when it was located on 97th street), graduating in 1983. After a subsequent graduation from NAIT as a registered medical laboratory technologist she worked for a time at Allin clinic laboratory then moved overseas with her veterinary husband, where they lived for four year in the Middle East.

Coming back to Canada in the 90’s she was active with her three children and in her church community; once the children were in school she took up her education in the somatic field, staring with a certification in Laban movement analysis. For the past 25 years she has been studying and teaching somatic movement, working as an educator with individuals and in class settings. Based on her educational and work history, she was recently recognized as a Master Somatic Educator and Therapist and she continues her work helping others with passion, integrity, and excellence.

With a heart of generosity and servitude, Colin has taken many opportunities in his career to teach, educate, instruct, and volunteer in the periodontal field. After receiving his Doctorate of Dental surgery from the University of Alberta he spent a summer volunteering at the Patan Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. Since then has been to over 30 countries and volunteered as a dentist in Ecuador, Nepal, China, Nicaragua, and Ethiopia. Colin continues to pursue his career with fervor, continuously researching and participating in ongoing periodontics projects across the world.

Angela Santiago, CEO and co-founder of The Little Potato Company, was the 2021 Distinguished Alumni award recipient.

Angela co-founded The Little Potato Company in 1996 with her father Jacob Vander Schaaf, a Dutch immigrant who longed for the tasty little potatoes of his youth. What began as a tiny operation on the outskirts of Edmonton selling at farmers’ markets, is now an international, multi-million dollar company employing more than 400 people; many of whom are newcomers to Canada.

Angela leads with a positive example, gives back to her community, and is a sought-after public speaker. Read more about Angela and The Little Potato Company.

Jennifer Berkenbosch and James Vriend (B.A. Social Science ’06) received this award for their impactful and inspirational accomplishments, both internationally and locally. The best place to look for evidence of their ‘distinctiveness’ as alumni is on their vegetable farm, Sundog Organic Farm, which James and Jennifer started more than 10 years and ago and which has since developed into a significant contribution to Edmonton’s local food economy. Their venture is about sustainability, not profit; quality rather than quantity; effectiveness rather than efficiency; and local economic and ecological units rather than industrialized agriculture.

With a passion to address the disparities in the world, James spent time serving as an instructor in a school in Honduras. As an artist, Jennifer has gone on to exhibit her art both regionally and internationally. Her work is held in public collections across North America. Together, their contributions to the local and global community, through art, education, and care for the land, embody The King’s University’s mission to bring renewal and reconciliation to every walk of life.

Robert Greidanus attended the King’s College (as it was then called) from 1987-1989 achieving the Gold Medal award for top academic achievement for both years. Following these 2 years, he was admitted to medical school at the University of Alberta. Rob is married to Alisa who also attended King’s. They have seven children, the youngest two having been adopted in Africa when Rob and Alisa were living there as medical missionaries. In 1992, during medical school, Rob did a 2 month elective in the Dominican Republic alongside Family Physicians. The experience instilled in him a passion for medical missions as well as pursuing a career in Family Medicine. For 20 years Rob has served the rural community of Peace River, Alberta, as well as the surrounding First Nation communities as a family physician/surgeon. He is also a Clinical Lecturer in the Department of Family Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Alberta.

Robert has not only committed his life to serving the underserved and underprivileged in Canada, he has also served overseas; most notably, in Africa, where he lived with his family from  2005- 2012, serving as a medical missionary in Kenya and Namibia with Africa Inland Mission.

In Namibia, Rob worked in state hospitals where he spent most of his time providing care for women and babies, culturally overlooked and neglected.