Hi! I’m Joy, an HBA1 student planning on pursuing a Dual Degree with Computer Science. I’ve always enjoyed being in nature and partaking in various outdoor activities, such as hiking, swimming, volleyball, rock climbing, kayaking, and skiing, which have strengthened my connection with the environment. Growing up in an eco-conscious household, I actively embed sustainable practices in my daily life and approach challenges and decisions with consideration of their sustainability implications. The increasing urgency of addressing climate change has given me fulfillment to continuously learn about environmental issues and solutions, which I hope to further explore in business contexts.

What is your personal definition of sustainability? 

To me, sustainability revolves around optimally using natural resources and reducing waste to ensure future generations inherit a self-sustaining environment. It involves transitioning to a circular economy, focusing on minimizing product production and consumption to prolong the lifecycle of products. Additionally, regeneration plays a crucial role in the restoration and revitalization of natural systems at a larger scale. Ultimately, sustainability is rooted in creating a balanced ecosystem that supports both human needs and environmental preservation, on top of improving business resilience for long-term growth.

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

Impact is one of my core considerations in any professional work that I do. Although I plan on pursuing a career in software engineering, I hope to narrow down my opportunities with those driven towards creating a more sustainable world. This may entail joining companies that have a sustainability-driven mission, working on emerging technologies that are pivotal towards tracking or reducing carbon emissions, or finding avenues to advocate for and integrate sustainable practices within large corporations. I can also envision leveraging data and analytics to help companies use their resources more efficiently, reduce waste in their supply chains, and work towards their sustainability goals.  

Beyond my profession, I can see myself being involved with sustainability through side hustles. I would like to work with non-profit organizations to drive change in my local community and see a more tangible impact on a day-to-day basis. Building projects with an ESG-focus or contributing to open-source is another way that I can leverage my technical background to reach a larger, global audience. Regardless of how my career unfolds, I hope to continuously broaden my knowledge on sustainability, spearhead eco-conscious initiatives, and spread awareness in the workplace. 

What sustainability projects have you been engaged in?

My journey towards being a sustainability advocate started in high school when I joined the Youth Environmental Network of York Region, a non-profit organization that aims to spread awareness and motivate our community to take action toward improving the environment. As a Marketing Coordinator, I created and posted over 60 graphics on our social media to encourage youth to live a more sustainable lifestyle and draw attention to pressing environmental issues, reaching 800 individuals each week. The following year, I became the Co-President to further grow the organization’s presence in my community and led a team of 12 changemakers to run impactful virtual events, including sustainability challenges, media contests, and an environmental career webinar, creating an engaging experience for them amid the pandemic.  

Throughout university, I’ve worked on various environmental-related projects from both business and technological fronts. For a hackathon, I built a sustainability web app called ECOuture that helps consumers make informed clothing purchases by web scraping from the product link and evaluating its sustainability based on its materials and the company’s practices. Recently, I also had the opportunity to explore the issue of product returns from a systems thinking lens through Innovation North’s Systems Innovation Challenge.

Please list any sustainability-related interests you want to explore during the certificate. 

• Climate tech
• Agriculture and supply chain management
• Sustainable cities and transportation