Prince Rupert, BC -- Jules knew where their journey in the sciences would take them and saw that Coast Mountain College (CMTN) was the perfect fit to enhance those experiences. An outdoor educator and guide with over three years of experience spanning countless trips in the backcountry of Northwest Territories, the Rocky Mountains, and even Montana in the United States, Jules found they needed to learn more about the natural world and how it works.
“I've led many backcountry trips and spent a lot of time working in small remote areas, doing stuff like hiking and canoeing. I wanted to deepen my understanding of the natural world and figure out why the river is running this way,” says Jules. “I've seen the recreational side of it, and maybe the economical side, but now I want to dive deeper into the ecological and biological impacts.”
Jules came to Prince Rupert to build a steady balance between their personal and professional path as they settled into the routine of student life. After travelling from Ontario and arriving a day before campus orientation, Jules felt a sense of relief and excitement for this next step.
“I wanted to be somewhere settled for a bit and get some stuff sorted out. [As an outdoor educator and guide], it can be a hard life when you're living somewhere for [only a few months at a time].”
Jules came to CMTN for the Associate Degree in Sciences program, which offers the perfect blend of direct experience, focused reflection, and skills development for real-world scenarios.
“I feel applying will help me be more informed, be able to point out different things... and it will help provide me with more of a background if I want to further my education.” They exclaimed that a bonus from being at CMTN is having access to a vast wealth of outdoor education books and academic papers that answer their curiosity about the subject.
Jules shares their desire to affect change in education delivery, especially when encouraging outdoor participation.
“I think it's most important that you show kids and youth, especially persons struggling in a traditional education setting, that they can be successful and that there are other options to life [and work] than just sitting at a desk.”
Jules has been encouraged by their experience so far at the college, which offers them opportunities in and outside the classroom. “Traditional environment doesn't work for everyone… when you get out there, you can often see improvement [in those skills] very fast, and it's a very direct result.” They see their path ahead as continuing in the outdoor education field, but now with the added benefit of an expansive background in the sciences.
“My observation is that it can be a challenge for people to get outdoors. Some of them don't do it often. Some of them are fine… Camping and outdoor education is very much Canadian culture,” they say. Jules ends by being encouraged by the future to continue their work to make outdoor education more accessible to everyone and develop programmes that promote getting everyone outside.
This is an ongoing series showing the many faces, stories, and histories of the women following their passion for the sciences. Let’s celebrate them.