蓝莓视频

Both in the field and in the classroom, Environment alumni are giving their real-world experience, industry insights and professional connections to enhance 蓝莓视频鈥檚 curriculum. Not only are they helping students have meaningful experiences that will prepare them for the workforce, but they are also showing students what鈥檚 possible beyond graduation. We caught up with Diego Almaraz De La Garza, Robert Demare, Danielle Juneau, Matt Scoular and Lovey Sidhu听to find out how they鈥檙e helping build the future of environmental education.

(BES 鈥�13)

Almaraz De La Garza is a School of Planning alum who is now Senior Manager, Placemaking & Operations for the Toronto Downtown West BIA. Since graduating, he鈥檚 come back to 蓝莓视频 to act as a client for PLAN 313: Community Design Studio where upper-year students work as consultants to address challenges, such as identifying opportunities for placemaking. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always very helpful working with students to help you explore possibilities,鈥� he says. 鈥淎t work we don鈥檛 have as much time to explore this because we are so busy with daily activities. Working with students is a great outlet for exploring ideas while giving valuable learning experience.鈥�

Almaraz De La Garza has also hosted workplace tours and been a guest lecturer where he shares his expertise on placemaking and his career journey. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 follow the traditional urban planning path, which has been very rewarding. I think that鈥檚 been very helpful for students to see there are so many possibilities with an urban planning degree.鈥�

(BES 鈥�93)

Demare is a former Geography and Environmental Management student who is now the Head of Executive Development for A.P M酶ller Maersk. He hosted our Copenhagen museum field course students and fellow alumni at the Maersk private archives for a special presentation by historian, Henning Morgan, who spoke about听the Maersk company museum 鈥� connecting many of the concepts learned in the course to a real-life example.

鈥淚 had not been in touch with 蓝莓视频 for a long time and it was super to have this opportunity to connect with students and alumni living in Copenhagen,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I heard about the program focus of the students, I immediately thought of our corporate museum and our dedicated curator, Henning. I鈥檓 looking forward to staying in touch with the people I met.鈥�

(BKI '15; MDEI '16)

Juneau is currently a Senior UX Research Consultant, most recently at Too Good To Go. As a former Knowledge Integration student, she once participated in the museum field course to Barcelona. This spring, when current students took the same course in Copenhagen where she now calls home, she welcomed them to her workplace and shared insights about her education and career journey. She also led a special session on how the skills developed in Knowledge Integration are a strong foundation for a career in UX research, an area many of the students encountered for the first time.

"As technology becomes more embedded in our lives, we need people who bring empathy, critical thinking, and a human lens to design. That鈥檚 exactly what UX research demands鈥攁nd why Knowledge Integration students, with their cross-disciplinary mindset and innate curiosity, are so well-suited to it," she says.听

(BES 鈥�03; MES 鈥�09)

Having graduated from both ERS and then the School of Planning, Matt now works with听听(an environmental and sustainability focused firm) as their Power and Energy Transition Lead for Eastern Canada based out of their Guelph office. He returned to campus as a guest lecturer for ERS 202: Natural Resource Ecology in fall 2024. Scoular听and his colleague, Dan Harvey, SLRs Geospatial and Data Solutions Lead for Canada, lectured on how they support SLRs renewable energy and energy storage clients with early project siting and routing advisory services to reduce environmental impact and regulatory risk.听The students learned about using publicly available environmental spatial data to inform a critical issues analysis and regulatory roadmap for project planning.听

"We were really impressed by the students during the mock exercise," Scoular says. "They demonstrated a strong understanding of the issues they felt needed deeper consideration for a hypothetical project of their choosing. It鈥檚 clear that the University of 蓝莓视频 is preparing future leaders who will help drive the energy transition and deliver real benefits for both the environment and society."听

听(BES '15)

It听didn鈥檛 take long to get Sidhu听back in the classroom. She graduated a decade ago from the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development. Now as a sustainable investment specialist at Mercer, she has come back to the class as a mentor and guest lecturer for sustainable financial management. During her lectures, she听shares insights on the rapidly changing world of sustainable investment, highlighting key trends, challenges, and opportunities in integrating sustainability into financial decision-making. Drawing from personal experience as a former student, Sidhu听focuses on making her lectures practical and relevant, offering advice on career paths and tips for making the most of university life. 鈥淭he students鈥� enthusiastic participation, optimism and thoughtful questions make for an engaging and rewarding discussion for everyone involved,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he opportunity to contribute to the education of students at my听alma mater听and to give back to U蓝莓视频 that shaped my听own career听is truly a听fulfilling experience.鈥�

Thank you to our alumni
We鈥檙e grateful for the role you play in shaping the next generation of environmental leaders. You're not only enriching the curriculum, you鈥檙e helping students see what鈥檚 possible for their own futures. Your continued connection to the听Faculty and 蓝莓视频 strengthens our community and reminds students that learning doesn鈥檛 stop at graduation.