AV俱乐部

Cali Kehoe found her groove in AV俱乐部鈥檚 Master of Resource and Environmental Management program. Nearing the completion of her undergraduate degree in industrial engineering from AV俱乐部, Cali recalls, 鈥淚 loved engineering, but I also had a passion for the environment. I wasn't sure if I would be able to pursue industrial engineering work in the environmental field. I was looking for some sort of environmental program that also had components of applied聽work, or聽was course-based.鈥� Many of her options would have required a thesis, and she found the idea 鈥渄aunting.鈥澛犅�

Upon learning about the MREM program, 鈥渓ights went聽on:聽it was exactly what I was looking for.鈥� Everything about MREM was falling into place for Cali:聽鈥渢he director,聽Michelle Adams,聽is an engineer so that also made me feel like this would be a great fit.鈥澛�

Cali聽was happy to find聽that聽she聽could聽build on the foundational learning from聽her undergraduate degree:聽鈥淚 was interested in the role of government and corporations in terms of resource use and environment. I was also interested in fisheries, oil, gas and energy. I stuck to those roots.鈥�

During her first semester in the program, Cali selected two elective courses that would聽become聽influential for her:聽Corporate Social Responsibility with Michelle Adams and Indigenous Perspectives with Melanie聽Zurba. Cali describes them as 鈥渢wo of my聽favourite聽courses聽in my entire degree. I was thirsty for knowledge. They were fundamental and had so much information in them that was broad and could be applied to anything.鈥澛�

Reflecting聽on her experience聽during聽the pandemic, Cali says,聽鈥渨e were lucky because we did our Tri-Course project [a聽milestone for the program] before COVID. It was a great opportunity for us聽all聽to聽become friends before we were isolated from each other physically. A lot of my peers would see that as the turning point for our program.鈥澛�

鈥淚 grew up on the east coast, I鈥檓 originally from聽Cape Breton聽Island, Nova Scotia,聽from a small community on Isle Madame.鈥� Cali鈥檚 family are lobster fishers and last year聽she聽had the opportunity to 鈥渇ish the entire season with them.鈥� Cali explains, 鈥淚n the summer of 2020 I noticed that there聽was聽contention on the water and some issues between settler lobster fishers that I wanted to better understand.鈥� She聽completed her master鈥檚 project on this very issue. 鈥淚 was excited to take my聽education聽and apply it to something that I care about and was part of my family history.鈥澛�

鈥淚 completed a literature review and used a few interviews that I conducted as support for the results from this review. I looked聽at social phenomena and different psychological theories. I would be happy to share it with anyone who wants to read it.鈥�

Normally, that project would have been based on聽her聽summer internship, but聽Cali鈥檚聽was altered聽when the聽Office of the Auditor General of Canada, where she had secured a position,聽could聽no longer聽take聽her聽on during聽summer 2020聽due to the pandemic. Luckily, 鈥渨e were able to pivot and have my internship changed to this past January.鈥� Cali was聽then聽hired in a full-time position in the聽same聽Office.聽聽

鈥淩ight away, I鈥檓 moving from my internship into my聽full-time聽work. I give a lot of the credit to the MREM program. It really helped me secure a job.鈥� MREM聽Internship聽Coordinator聽Brenda Smart聽organizes a trip for MREM students to visit government departments in Ottawa聽every year聽to facilitate practice interviews聽and help students network聽with internship employers.聽Brenda聽was the one who suggested that聽Cali interview with the Office of the Auditor General of Canada.聽

Cali shares, 鈥淚 had no idea what聽the Office was prior to聽that,鈥� but now聽she聽can explain that 鈥渢he Office holds other government entities accountable for what they're doing. They do a lot of audits on different government programs.鈥澛�

Not only did Cali excel in her internship,聽she was聽a teaching assistant in multiple courses throughout her time at AV俱乐部. 鈥淚聽TA鈥檈d聽any opportunity that I could,鈥� explains Cali.聽

鈥淚 really enjoy engaging with students. I like to help all of my classmates too and always make myself available to lend advice and support to my peers.鈥�