Students empowered by Algonquin experience

Originally published by Waterloo News and written by Chantal Vallis, Faculty of Environment.

This spring, five Environment students were awarded spots to attend a five-day overnight field experience in Algonquin Park hosted by FREED (Field Research in Ecology and Evolution Diversified); a grassroots organization that increases access to field research, outdoor and naturalist experiences and career mentorship for Indigenous, Black, and/or Racialized students.

Field experience is a cornerstone of success for Environment undergraduate students, but the cost of these crucial opportunities is often prohibitive and the lack of diversity in the field makes it hard for students to envision themselves pursuing this type of work. With the support of the Faculty of Environment, students were able to attend this unique student-centered field experience.

This was the first time University of Waterloo students participated in the program alongside other students from across Ontario. Given a small field notebook, the students recorded their observations and experiences as they worked with bees, practiced aquatic sampling techniques and learned from expert instructors.

“I was not expecting to write as much as we did,” Oluwdamilare (Dami) Awoleye, an upper-year student in the School of Planning, explains with a laugh. “I keep looking back to it too because it was so cool.”

As an aspiring planner, Awoleye joined the program to prepare himself for collaborating with colleagues in the future. “Because I am so interested in ecosystem services, I know that these are the type of people that I will be having a lot of conversations with. So, I wanted to learn what they do.”

Awoleye was fascinated by the big and small things he learned; from discovering that male bees don’t sting to why it’s important to balance multiple ways of knowing. “When we do this work, Western knowledge focuses a lot on the scientific method, which is 100 per cent useful. But we must not just look at the natural environment as a resource but as a relationship and understand how you use and work with the land, which brings an added dimension that makes your work better. This is because you make smarter decisions when you're not looking at it simply as a resource or a subject to be studied.”

For Banujah Theivendrarajah, a student studying in the Environment and Business program, the experience was empowering. “FREED instilled in me the importance of self-advocacy in the field. Previously, I pushed myself to my limits, especially in settings where I felt pressured to prove myself as a minority. The program encouraged a healthier approach, emphasizing the importance of taking breaks, requesting necessary equipment, and speaking up for my needs. This shift to now knowing how to stand up for myself will help me sustain my well-being during my career.”

She also notes that cultivating a community of peers and mentors has been a game changer. “FREED provided a sense of belonging. We had engaging discussions about being BIPOC in the field. I was able to build friendships in my field with people who shared my experiences, something I had found missing in my own academic studies,” she says.

Now that the program has wrapped up, students and faculty alike are keen to ensure future students can have the same opportunities next year. Awoleye and Theivendrarajah, alongside Dr. Chantel Markle, are pursuing internal funding opportunities to enable FREED to be offered to students in 2025 and beyond. The hope is to continue creating space for equity-deserving groups in this field and ultimately change the status quo in field research.

“FREED leadership really put in as much energy as they could to help other people. I want to do the same because it's only better for all of us when we have more people from diverse backgrounds, whether it be race, religion or sexuality. It allows us to keep each other safe and know someone made it and other people can make it too,” Awoleye says.

A special thank you to Faculty of Environment’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Justice initiative, the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, and the Department of Geography and Environmental Management who offered their support for five outstanding candidates.

Thanks also to Chantel Markle for leading the initiative at Waterloo and to Maya Basdeo, SERS graduate student, for her instrumental support.