I am an HBA3 student interested in pursuing a dual degree with International Relations. I am passionate about uniting the public and private sectors under the mission of sustainable development. I want to develop policies and legislation that improve commercial best practices and developing mechanisms for accountability. Lastly, I want my work to have a particular focus on empowering and improving outcomes for indigenous communities across the globes.

What is your personal definition of sustainability?

To me, sustainability is about aligning your personal values and actions with achieving a broader social good, regardless of its scale. On a personal level, this entails using purchasing power to support socially-conscious businesses and reduce carbon footprint. I also think using my career to promote sustainable values is highly important. When applied to business, sustainability is leveraging business success to perform a social good, and favouring long-term sustainable growth over short-term profits that come at the expense of people or the planet. Sustainable development is encapsulated in the triple bottom line for measuring business success: people, planet, and profit.

What role do you see sustainability playing in your professional career?

I want sustainability and socially-conscious values to be central to my career and success, and I want to contribute to lasting impacts in the space. My postgraduate career is ideally at the intersections of the public and private sector to promote the adoption of more sustainable forms of business that allow for desired growth without sacrificing social and incremental responsibility. I am also interested in working in environmental law, and working on legislation to entrench sustainable development and create tangible accountability mechanisms to ensure greater corporate compliance.

What sustainability projects have you been engaged in?

Through my own employment, I have worked extensively in my community on a variety of high-impact projects. I have worked on community beautification projects that increased municipal green spaces and developed accessible, inclusive camp programs that promote outdoor education and environmental stewardship.

I have also been heavily involved with Ivey’s Social Impact Club as a first year Section Representative, where I assisted in the organization of Ivey’s second Social Impact Conference. I also had the opportunity to work on other events and panels dedicated to informing Ivey students about the diverse opportunities in the social impact space. I am currently participating in SIC’s Impact Consulting Program, where I am developing a marketing evaluation framework and impact assessment for a local non-profit. These experiences have opened my eyes to a world of opportunity in the impact space and reaffirmed that I can marry sustainable values with a successful career in business.