About Me
After I graduated with my B.Sc. in Geography - Environmental Studies I worked at the Rural Development Institute at Brandon University as a Research Assistant. I contributed to community research and ultimately the creation of the Manitoba Community Adjustment Handbook, a toolkit created to help communities positively respond to economic, environmental and demographic change. Later, I accepted a position with the Brandon and Area Planning District as the Planning Technician. I worked closely with the City of Brandon, RM of Cornwallis, RM of Elton, Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation, numerous government and private agencies and the public, juggling many different development plan, subdivision, conditional use and variation projects simultaneously. I represented the City of Brandon and the Planning District on the Assiniboine Delta Aquifer Round Table; part of the Province of Manitoba's watershed district program. This was a meaningful contribution to me as environmental management and protection are something I care deeply about.
When I moved to Portage la Prairie in 2006 I made the easy decision to stay home to raise my children. While in Portage I volunteered for a Crime Prevention Through Environment Design (CPTED) project with the city, something which I had done with the Planning District in Brandon. I value life long learning, and during this time I completed several relevant courses through Niagara College I found interesting. When I moved back to Brandon in 2011, I worked at the Paw Resort and Wellness Centre teaching K-9 obedience training, which is something I loved to do with my own dogs. I valued the chance to teach in an adult setting for a wonderful 6 years, and enjoyed every moment of it. During this time, I also worked with Ducks Unlimited Canada to coordinate their sealed bid art auction fundraiser, and I appreciated being able to further community involvement to support conservation initiatives. These jobs allowed me the opportunity to continue to stay home with my children during the day, yet continue to contribute to my community, something which I am very grateful for.
In 2013 I accepted a seasonal position with Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures (known as Manitoba Conservation at the time) in the Forestry division and absolutely loved being outside working in nature again. Another of my pastimes, photography, became a career path and I ran my own photography business, specializing in real estate, editorial, portrait and landscape photography. I am proud to say I wrote and had articles and photos published in 'Our Canada' magazine, a national magazine about Canadians and life in Canada and in a local publication called Design Your Home magazine. Although I discontinued this, photography remains a love of mine and I still have a website to this day. A special collection taken from across Canada at cultural and historical sites and in the wilderness are free for to educators to use.
As my children grew I discovered how much I loved volunteering with playgroups and nursery school, 4H, coaching Spring Sports, and volunteering at the school with Parent Council and the lunch program. I made the decision to go back to school and completed my B.Ed. in 2019 and became a classroom teacher. This career has been extremely rewarding, and I have been able learn and refine so many different skills beyond teaching academics.
In addition to my professional experience, my recent volunteer work as a website developer, foster, and trainer for animal rescue organizations has reinforced my project management capabilities, content development expertise, and ability to engage with diverse audiences in person and online.
I am now studying with the University of Toronto towards my Advanced Environmental Management Certificate. Environmental education is a key component of my role as an educator and I infuse science in all other subjects. I am dedicated to inspiring students to live sustainable lives, and to understand that small actions make a big difference.
I am excited to see what the next chapter holds for me!
When I moved to Portage la Prairie in 2006 I made the easy decision to stay home to raise my children. While in Portage I volunteered for a Crime Prevention Through Environment Design (CPTED) project with the city, something which I had done with the Planning District in Brandon. I value life long learning, and during this time I completed several relevant courses through Niagara College I found interesting. When I moved back to Brandon in 2011, I worked at the Paw Resort and Wellness Centre teaching K-9 obedience training, which is something I loved to do with my own dogs. I valued the chance to teach in an adult setting for a wonderful 6 years, and enjoyed every moment of it. During this time, I also worked with Ducks Unlimited Canada to coordinate their sealed bid art auction fundraiser, and I appreciated being able to further community involvement to support conservation initiatives. These jobs allowed me the opportunity to continue to stay home with my children during the day, yet continue to contribute to my community, something which I am very grateful for.
In 2013 I accepted a seasonal position with Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures (known as Manitoba Conservation at the time) in the Forestry division and absolutely loved being outside working in nature again. Another of my pastimes, photography, became a career path and I ran my own photography business, specializing in real estate, editorial, portrait and landscape photography. I am proud to say I wrote and had articles and photos published in 'Our Canada' magazine, a national magazine about Canadians and life in Canada and in a local publication called Design Your Home magazine. Although I discontinued this, photography remains a love of mine and I still have a website to this day. A special collection taken from across Canada at cultural and historical sites and in the wilderness are free for to educators to use.
As my children grew I discovered how much I loved volunteering with playgroups and nursery school, 4H, coaching Spring Sports, and volunteering at the school with Parent Council and the lunch program. I made the decision to go back to school and completed my B.Ed. in 2019 and became a classroom teacher. This career has been extremely rewarding, and I have been able learn and refine so many different skills beyond teaching academics.
In addition to my professional experience, my recent volunteer work as a website developer, foster, and trainer for animal rescue organizations has reinforced my project management capabilities, content development expertise, and ability to engage with diverse audiences in person and online.
I am now studying with the University of Toronto towards my Advanced Environmental Management Certificate. Environmental education is a key component of my role as an educator and I infuse science in all other subjects. I am dedicated to inspiring students to live sustainable lives, and to understand that small actions make a big difference.
I am excited to see what the next chapter holds for me!
I'm a proud mom of two now young adult children learning to make their way in the world. Over the years nearly all of our family holidays and outings involved getting outside to learn about science, history and nature. If one does not value the environment, they will not work to protect it, so I wanted to instill a love of the natural world in my children through experiential learning opportunities.