There’s this theme that comes up a lot in environmental policy: ‘If we knew then what we know now, we would’ve done things differently.’ As climate change becomes a central point in our life, we need policy that is adaptable to future unknowns and social systems that can pivot quickly. I’m exploring this at SPIA. Previously, I worked in Alberta on sustainability challenges in the oil/gas industry. That may seem like a contradiction, but I wanted to make change from the inside. I learned it takes a special set of values to manage that contradiction. I appreciated my work because we built, from the ground up, partnerships with local and Indigenous groups. But I felt frustrated by the short timeline for projects.

I wanted to step outside and propose new ideas. From an early age, I’ve seen how policy affects society. I have a younger sister with autism, and that transformed our family. We were always involved in fighting for inclusion. In 2016, my family partnered with a Syrian refugee family to help them get situated in Canadian society. That spurred my interest in how climate change is changing migration patterns. As an undergrad, I studied biomedical engineering/international relations at the University of Southern California, and I applied my science and policy interests through an internship on environmental policy at the Canadian Consulate. It eventually led me to a master’s in energy systems from the University of Calgary. This makes it easy to collaborate across disciplines. We learn from pioneers in the field like Michael Oppenheimer and Simon Levin, and also from a fantastic, diverse cohort of classmates. It's an invigorating environment where you can explore new ideas for challenging problems. It was clear to me early on that this was a special place, and I still feel that every day.