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, anda high school teacher of his, Ms.Anderson,planted the seed.Now,in hisundergradat the University of ݮƵ, he has been named a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society(RCGS), a greathonourfor any geographer.
TheSocietyisa non-profit dedicated to “making Canada better known to Canadians and the world”.They do this through educational programs, workshops,high schoolcompetitionsand expedition funding.A notable fellowincludesthe famousJeopardyhost Alex Trebek.
It was through competitionslike the International Geography Olympiadand theCanadianGeographicChallengethat Matthew was first introduced to the RCGS.He found success placing in the bronze medal range in grade 11and the gold medal range in grade 12.As hegreatly enjoyedthese experiences, he wanted togiveback.So,Matthew tookinitiative.
He reached out to his two coachesPaulVanZantand JanetRuestwho 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 theSociety.As he continued with his involvement, creatingeducationalworkshops foryoungstudentsentering the competition, he earned his fellowship.
This November, Matthew attendedhosted 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 wasSophie GregoireTrudeau’skeynote address about youthmental health and reconnecting with naturethat stood out to him.Her wordsresonated,and hewas excited bythe opportunity to speak with her afterward.
Now hisroleasa fellowis to continue educating the next generation.More specifically, he has plans to re-vamp a workshop series that was filmedduring COVID-19, improving the methods used to educate young learnersor anyone with an interest in the topics.
“I genuinely think we need good people in geography to tackle some reallypressingissues 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 isdriving transformative change for people andplanet.Congratulations, Matthew, on this amazing accolade. Welook forwardto followinghow youcontinuemakinga difference and influencingthe next generation of young geographers.
