Graduate Studies News

For Rebecca Wakelin, the path to becoming an educator, and ultimately a leader in higher education development, began unexpectedly. Raised in Northern Ontario, Wakelin’s childhood dream was to become a lawyer. However, while applying to universities, she included Nipissing University’s Bachelor of Education program as a fourth choice, influenced by her roommates pursuing teaching.

Jason Maitland’s interest in sustainability has grown throughout the years and the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the climate emergency have brought the impact of human actions into sharp focus. Currently pursuing a Master of Environmental Studies at Nipissing University, Jason recently travelled to Lapland, Finland, as part of a field course where he spent a week in Pyhä-Luosto National Park with other graduate students exploring the potential need to rethink how we communicate tourism in the era of climate emergency and in the aftermath of the COVID19 pandemic, specifically when it comes to engaging with northern, nature-based tourism destinations.

Growing up in Northern Ontario, Tegan McWhirter developed a passion for the outdoors. While pursuing her Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Environmental Science at Queen’s University, Tegan worked for the Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES) division of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry as a Wildland Fire Fighter on the Type I (initial attack) crew.