The 2024 edition of Eye Witness magazine is now available, which features contributions from Providence alumni, updates from our faculty, a message from President Kenton Anderson, and perspectives from current students like Anabella Perez – our cover story this year.
To access the full issue online, CLICK HERE. Physical copies are in the mail for those who have subscribed to receive a copy, and can also be picked up directly from the Marketing Department. The magazine is available free of charge, and if you would like to receive upcoming publications of Eye Witness, sign up to our mailing list HERE.
Enjoy!
On and Off the Field
By Anabella Perez, 2nd-Year Student, BSc Environmental Science
OTTERBURNE, MB – Before graduating from high school, I knew I wanted to continue playing soccer, and that I wanted to study science. As for science, I had not known the specifics of what I wanted to study. With regards to soccer, I had a major setback when I tore both my ACL and meniscus in my left leg. I was pleasantly surprised when Tory Walker, Head Coach of Women’s Soccer at Providence, first reached out to me in Grade 11. After he knew I was injured, he was still interested in signing me because of my love for soccer, my experience playing, and my overall good vibes as a person.
In the beginning, I was unsure about attending Providence. I knew I wanted to play soccer but were the academics they had to offer what I wanted? I now know that the answer is “yes.” After visiting the campus, meeting my coach and seeing my future professors, I knew that Providence would be the place for me. Originally, I had planned on pursuing a Health Science degree so that I could move on to sport medicine, given my love for soccer and personal experience with a life-changing injury. But in Grade 12, my path switched when I won a scholarship to attend the Verna J. Kirkness Education Foundation program.
Instead, I chose to be placed at the Centre for Earth Observation Science (CEOS) at the University of Manitoba, to learn all about how the changing climate is affecting our Arctic marine environment. This was when I decided I wanted to major in Environmental Science. That summer, I continued at CEOS as a summer student helping in the labs, collecting samples, and doing many tasks that keep a research facility organized.
After learning that Providence had an Environmental Science program, I knew it would be the perfect place to start my journey in a career path I am so passionate about pursuing. Quickly, my Earth Science and Environmental Science classes became my favourites, and a big part of the reason is my professor Dr. Bruce Friesen-Pankratz. Another course I enjoyed was Biology with Dr. Rebecca Dielschneider, which is so connected to environmental science. I have spent my whole first year getting a quality education and building meaningful relationships with my professors.
A perfect example of how I have been supported by my two professors is through my project with the Canadian Council on Invasive Species’ Youth Nature Keepers program. I volunteered many hours working on a project to promote awareness on invasive species and their harm to the environment. My project was an aquarium display for people to enjoy on campus. The aquarium housed two goldfish, Darwin and Szobo, to educate on how goldfish are an invasive species and should not be released into nature.
In order to fund this project, I applied for a Healthy Habitats Microgrant through the Invasive Species Council of British Columbia. This experience came with many opportunities to learn and travel to various conferences, all rooted in the impacts of invasive species on the natural biodiversity of the environment and solutions to address that harm. I believe that we must take care of the Earth as much as it takes care of us, and right now, as humans, we are not fulfilling the amount of respect that the environment deserves.
As an Indigenous student, I feel a calling to educate my fellow peers on the heart-breaking history of my people and the unfair and unjust realities Indigenous people still face today. I feel as though many are oblivious to this, and knowledge is the first step to reconciliation. But as humans, I also believe we must reconcile our relationship with the Earth too, and the state that it is in, caused by our ways of life. I feel connected to the Earth and I want to do all I can to help it.
My career goals include advocating for the land and Indigenous people through research, field sampling, and community engagement. I want to work to conserve the natural biodiversity we have left and to find ways that we can live sustainably. Providence has given me the start, support, and resources I need on this journey.
Currently, I am working at CEOS, with a Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada Undergraduate Student Research Award, which will allow me to travel and do field work. Thanks to Providence, I am able to enjoy the path of learning environmental science for a cause that is so important to me – it is not just a career!