| Name
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Role
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Department/Ministère
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Biography
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| Trinity Choiniere-Hamilton
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Co-Chair
|
CIRNAC
|
Hey there! My name is Trinity and I work as a student for the Centre of Abilities Management and Workplace Wellness with CIRNAC. I absolutely love my position and the team I work with. I do so many different things that is hard to summarize my position. Put simply, I provide mental health program support , generate data reports, and assist in the implementation of the 2021-2024 ISC and CIRNAC Workplace Well-Being and Mental Health Strategy.
I am also an undergraduate honours psychology student at Carleton University. I love anything to do with the brain, human behaviour, and statistics! I also have a DEC from Heritage College in Social Sciences and Humanities. Other than psychology, I am interested in Indigenous studies, the opioid crisis, and policing!
If there is anything I would encourage you to do during your work term it would be to join the YPN and to not be fearful of asking questions! The YPN is a great place to meet people and learn about applying yourself, roads in government, and learning from mentors. If this sounds interesting to you please send an email to rjp-ypn@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca and subscribe to the newsletter! As for asking questions, your learning and ability to succeed in your current position is reliant on being able to ask questions and be transparent. In addition, if you are ever in a crunch and need support, be sure to brainstorm some possible solutions before reaching out to co-workers or your supervisor. This will show that you are proactive and are offering support in finding solutions.
Most of all, make the most of your experience by connecting with your team and other students.
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| Sara Hill
|
Co-Chair
|
ISC
|
Hi! My name is Sara, the student program assistant with Economic Development in Alberta region of Indigenous Services Canada. I am also an undergraduate sociology student and research assistant at the University of Alberta. Although economic development and sociology are not necessarily natural pairs, I find a lot of crossover when considering social inequality and how economic activities play out for disadvantaged individuals. I am incredibly interested in understanding economic inequality and discrimination within the Canadian labour market. I believe that by expanding our understanding of the social circumstances which influence, are present within, and result from the labour market, we can respond more efficiently to the needs of our society.
For students, my advice is to get involved where you can and find opportunities to talk with other students. For the first piece, I have found by taking on new tasks or working with different people allows one to learn, practice skills, and maybe even find a new interest. As for networking with students, I have found this particularly beneficial working from home as somedays it is difficult to feel connected while working from home. I find communicating with other students is beneficial as an opportunity to ask questions and learn about other areas of work. The Young Professionals Network and Student Committee are both great opportunity to find these connections.
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| Chris Ulch
|
Co-Chair
|
ISC
|
Hello! My name is Chris and I am a program assistant for the lands unit at ISC. I'm an operations management major, which is a degree most aren't familiar with, but can be described as the crossroads of business, mathematics, statistics, and computer science.
In my role, I work on a variety of projects related to lands operations and typically work in Excel to organize information, streamline work flows, or expediate information access by building mini-applications using VBA in Excel. My second area of study, which is ironically probably my favorite, is psychology! I always attempt to apply these concepts in my work by building tools that are intuitive to use, aesthetically appealing, and enjoyable to work with.
My advice for students would be to offer help to as many people as you can. Each of us have a unique skill set that can help tie a project together, or a unique perspective that can help solve a problem. People will appreciate when you apply yourself, and it's a great way to build relationships! You'll likely find that those at ISC and CIRNAC value relationships more than many other departments or organizations, and we hope you'll come to value them to the same extent if you don't already.
|
| Nathan Donald
|
Member
|
CIRNAC
|
Hey everyone! My name is Nathan and I am a Land and Water Policy Researcher under the Natural Resources and Environment Branch of CIRNAC. It's a really cool position where I focus on land claims, water licensing, and many other topics in between. I am also the SIS coordinator for CIRNAC/ISC, so I host the weekly student meetings where we either hangout or listen to intriguing presenters!
At school, I am double majoring in Political Science and Geography, which actually have a lot more in common than I anticipated! Most of my research has focused on Climate Justice, Food Insecurity, Indigenous Reconciliation, Water Policy, and Social Movements!
My advice for onboarding students is do not feel afraid to ask questions. There is a lot of stuff that flies at you in the first couple weeks, and sometimes my supervisors would just throw a bunch of info at me and at the end say, "you get all that"? It is okay to say no, as it is so much better to be on the same page than to be guessing what you should do next. Everyone empathizes with the onboarding process so yeah, do not feel afraid to be honest :)
|
| Erica Mihalcheon
|
Member
|
ISC
|
Hello everybody! My name is Erica Mihalcheon. I am currently a Policy Analyst at ISC's Governance Capacity Directorate, where I have worked since April 2020.
I have a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of British Columbia's Okanagan campus, and have just recently finished the requirements for my Master of Arts in Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. My research has primarily focused on political polarization, US foreign policy, and Middle Eastern politics.
If I could offer some advice based on my student experience, I would say: be honest and communicative with your supervisors and ask lots of questions; take the time to get to know your team on a personal level; and most importantly… finding some sort of way to relax and manage stress is essential. There is a lot of uncertainty around being a student, and I found that learning to not let that uncertainty get to me was very important for my mental health. Try not to be too hard on yourself as you adjust to your position at work while studying on top of that.
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| Maya Smith
|
Member
|
ISC
|
Hi, I'm Maya Smith and I'm a Communications Assistant for ISC in the Alberta Region, based out of Calgary. I will graduate from Mount Royal University with a degree in PR in May. My main piece of advice for students is to attend as many events and networking sessions as you can and connect with lots of different people! This is the time to do it.
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| Jenny Marcoux
|
Member
|
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