This blog is an archived post written by Aliya during her 3^rd year in the Environmental Management stream.

 

 

 

Going into university I was looking to learn more about all the aspects of the environment. Right off the bat in this program, I learned that the very first environments we come in contact with are the very bodies we inhabit. This really allowed me to ponder about the deeper meanings of the term ‘environment’ and left me eager to learn more. Learning about the social, economic, political aspects to the environment really helped me to understand the true depths to the environment as a whole. It also really validated my passion for learning about the natural environment and being outside doing hands-on activities. Throughout my journey in Environmental Studies, there are various people who have helped me attain my goals and have made up #MyCrewYU.

Professor Gail Fraser

Being in Gail's course, ENVS 1500: Intro to Environmental Science, I learned a lot about the natural environment and specifically tree species identification when as a class we had to go outside to one of York’s woodlots and identify different species of trees. I really loved this hands-on class exercise as it allowed me to go outside, enjoy nature, engage with my peers and learn something new. Taking this class is when I fully realized that I love being outside and learning about trees. Through Gail’s teachings in her lectures about the importance of environmental conservation, the imminent threats of climate change and how science plays a role in it all, I was moved to make a change within my community by spending more time outside. While all the other aspects of the environment such as political and social are interesting to me as well, Gail really helped me realize that I favor the physical environment much more.

Joseph Cesario

With this discovery of my preference for the physical environment, I started to take action by volunteering for the City of Toronto and became a tree planting captain! I found out about this opportunity through the Environmental Studies official postings that are sent out every day to students on opportunities regarding careers, volunteering, experiential learning and more. I also heard about this from the Student Resource Assistant at the time, Joseph Cesario. After hearing about this opportunity, I met with Joseph in person who helped me form my resume to look and sound more professional in order to apply for the position. Joseph also talked to me about internships, careers and other volunteer opportunities around my area of interest. This made me feel very supported because I knew there was someone like Joseph I could always go to for any kind of job search help and excited to see what else was out there! 

Planting trees for the City of Toronto reassured my interests of being outside with nature and doing hands-on experiments with the natural environment. I loved working with the City of Toronto staff; I felt like I had finally met people with the same interests and passion I had! The only difference is that the staff were much more experienced and that was what inspired me to keep going in the Environmental Management stream within the BES and to focus on forestry conservation. From leading tree planting events, I have become much more confident in my tree species identification, public speaking and it’s such a good stress reliever.  

Allison Hands

Moreover, having the work/study position of the Recruitment and Communications Assistant in FES has definitely helped guide me through my journey. From this experience, I was able to learn more about Environmental Studies from the inside: How it operates including all of the aspects to the program and how to use it to my full advantage. In 2018, I helped organize the Change Your World high school conference where hundreds of students from all over the province gathered to learn more about social and environmental issues in their community and how to go about solving them. From organizing this conference, I was able to gain transferable and valuable skills such as event planning, public speaking, and youth engagement. I also had the wonderful opportunity to network with various environmental organizations that are directly related to my field of interest. One of these organizations includes Forests Ontario, an NGO that I have had the privilege to volunteer for over the winter break in 2018. From this experience I got to know the amazing projects this organization is working towards, the awesome experiences from the staff as well as motivation to continue in my field of study and to even expand to more specific areas after graduating. I was specifically inspired by Allison Hands who is the Education Outreach Coordinator for the Forests Ontario. She was the one who connected me to other members of the organization, helped me get started in volunteering, and reminded me of the importance of studying in the environmental field. I was able to hear the stories from the other staff members and how they ended up where they are today. Hearing their success stories inspired me to continue focusing on forestry management and conservation. One interesting thing I learned was that there is a lack of women who pursue forestry-related careers and that forestry companies are seeking out new women who are interested in forestry.

Being an Environmental Studies student has definitely broadened my knowledge about the environment, given me useful and applicable skills, and validated my passion for the natural environment, conservation and changing the world. I am so happy to where this program has brought me to and thankful for the people of MyCrewYU who have helped guide me to where I am now, and can’t wait to see the other places I will go! (Cough, cough) Costa Rica.