I am a London local attending Ivey for the breadth of opportunities upon graduation and exceptional learning experience. I love sports and fitness, camping, and philanthropy. On an average day you can find me doing my schoolwork, working out, playing intramurals, and working with USC Charity to raise time and money for important causes throughout the Western community and beyond.  

What is your personal definition of sustainability? 

In its simplest form sustainability is about thinking about the consequences of things beyond the surface. Rather than simply looking at the immediate bottom line impacts of a company or consumer decision, we need to look at what impacts our actions will have on the Earth in the future. I would also say that while sustainability is most commonly looked at in an environmental context, I try to look at things as whether they are sustainable from a social perspective as well (ex. Are we working together with people or exploiting the masses for the profit of a few).  

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

To this day I have no clue where my career will take me, as I have aspirations in sustainable finance, sports and fitness, social impact, accessibility work with the government, etc. What I do know is I want to look at things with a sustainability lens no matter the industry I enter. Even if my organization’s primary mission is not sustainability, I want to make it a priority by bringing in whatever knowledge I have and looking externally if needed to ensure we are doing our part to implement and maintain sustainable practices. I also want to encourage my friends/network to take a similar approach because if you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem at this point.  

What sustainability projects have you been engaged in? 

Some experiences I’ve had are with O-Serves where we planted trees, which I was lucky enough to experience in first year and loved it so much that I made sure to join that trip again in second year as a soph. I have also attended multiple Western Student Energy events that worked to educate the student body regarding issues such as climate change and Western’s role in sustainability. As USC Charity Executive Assistant this year, we partnered with EnviroWestern and USC Public Arts Commission to host “sustain.ability”. I created a sustainability based TikTok sound to help people learn about ways to practice sustainability in their everyday lives. We also launched a website which plays host to a virtual gallery showcasing tips about sustainable living, student art and essays, giveaways, and eco-friendly businesses. Admittedly, I haven’t had extensive experience with sustainability projects, but I have spent a lot of time speaking with people involved in the space and try to practice sustainability in my everyday life as much as possible. I see this certificate as a great way to dive deeper into the space after having learned about it and wanting to become more hands-on.