From campus to the Canadian Geographic stage
Congratulations to Geography student Matthew Woodward, whose passion for geography has led to a prestigious fellowship with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
Estimated reading time: 1:35 | By Calum Heimbecker
Matthew Woodward’s interest in geography was sparked in his early high school days. Both his brother, Ben Woodward, and a high school teacher of his, Ms. Anderson, planted the seed. Now, in his undergrad at the University of Waterloo, he has been named a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS), a great honour for any geographer.
The Society is a non-profit dedicated to “making Canada better known to Canadians and the world”. They do this through educational programs, workshops, high school competitions and expedition funding. A notable fellow includes the famous Jeopardy host Alex Trebek.
It was through competitions like the International Geography Olympiad and the Canadian Geographic Challenge that Matthew was first introduced to the RCGS. He found success placing in the bronze medal range in grade 11 and the gold medal range in grade 12. As he greatly enjoyed these experiences, he wanted to give back. So, Matthew took initiative.
He reached out to his two coaches Paul VanZant and Janet Ruest who offered to let him help coach the new teams. He also had the opportunity to write questions for upcoming competitions. It was clear that his efforts did not go unnoticed by the Society. As he continued with his involvement, creating educational workshops for young students entering the competition, he earned his fellowship.
This November, Matthew attended the 96th annual Geographica Gala hosted by the RCGS at their Ottawa headquarters. Here he was surrounded by Canadian icons, such as actor Hayden Christensen and broadcaster George Stroumboulopoulos. However, it was Sophie Gregoire Trudeau’s keynote address about youth mental health and reconnecting with nature that stood out to him. Her words resonated, and he was excited by the opportunity to speak with her afterward.
Now his role as a fellow is to continue educating the next generation. More specifically, he has plans to re-vamp a workshop series that was filmed during COVID-19, improving the methods used to educate young learners or anyone with an interest in the topics.
“I genuinely think we need good people in geography to tackle some really pressing issues that we have in our society today, like climate change,” he says. “Geography really is the answer to solve a lot of the wicked problems of today.”
Working with the world, for the world, Matthew is driving transformative change for people and planet. Congratulations, Matthew, on this amazing accolade. We look forward to following how you continue making a difference and influencing the next generation of young geographers.
