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About Student Chapter

Become a Student Chapter Member!

Connecting Environmentally-Focused Students with Professionals in the Environmental Sector

The MEIA Student Chapter is designed for university and college students who wish to enhance their knowledge of the environmental industry and to network with potential future employers. Students from all disciplines can join! Architecture, law, engineering, environmental sciences and more.

The MEIA recognizes the uncertainty the pandemic has brought for students. That is why the annual Student Chapter membership has been reduced to $30, half the rate from previous years.

Student Chapter membership begins September 1st and ends August 31st. Membership is available to all post-secondary students in Manitoba. Recent graduates are eligible for Student Chapter membership for up to 2 years after graduation or until they have found full-time employment in the energy, natural resource, or environmental sectors, whichever comes first.

Membership in the Student Chapter comes with many benefits!

  • Receive job opportunities sent directly to your inbox
  • Access to networking opportunities such as the Student Chapter’s biannual Speed Mentoring events where you can connect one-on-one with professionals in the environmental sector;
  • Participate in training seminars offering Student Chapter members the opportunity to develop elevator pitch skills, share ideas, projects and opportunities;
  • Discounted rates on MEIA professional development learning sessions, workshops and conferences 
  • Scholarship opportunities for members
  • Opportunity to sit on the Emerging Issues Conference Planning Committee

To renew or to become a member of the MEIA’s Student Chapter, fill out the Member Application Form, or contact MEIA at (204) 783-7090.

Thinking about a career in environmental sector? Click here for an inventory of nearly 130 environmental career profiles.

MEIA Student Chapter Board 2024-25

Joyce Ji, Chair

Klara Gagnon, Vice Chair

Shekhar Dasgupta, Treasurer

Anika Hatherly, Past Chair

Elizabeth Kaggwa, Event Coordinator

Sophie Frankenhauser, Event Coordinator

Sakshi Chavda, Event Coordinator

Kateesha Wai, Student Engagement Director

Dylan Peters, Sponsorship Coordinator

Kyara To, Social Media Manager 

Cassidy McGarry, Creative Marketing Coordinator 

Aditya Gandhi, External Relations Coordinator

Abby Flather, Faculty Liaison

Owen McDonald, Riddell Faculty Rep

Student Chapter Alumni

I completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science at the University of Manitoba, minoring in soil science. During my undergraduate degree I became a member of MEIA’s student chapter, which gave me the opportunity to attend different conferences and mingle with established professionals in the industry. It was a great way to see the side of environmental consulting that you can’t really fully understand until you are working in that field. Plus, it was a great way to socialize with others while gaining insight as to where employment opportunities may exist once entering the workforce as a new graduate. Afterall, hands on involvement is the best way to explore employment opportunities as opposed to simply having the relevant education! MEIA’s Student Chapter was a great way for more introverted students like myself to get engaged – which set me up for great success once I was ready to start working.

I am now employed by SNC-Lavalin where I work as a project scientist. Having a background in soil science has given me the opportunity to work more in reclamation projects and have progressed from being in a junior role to an intermediate role with the opportunity to partake in project management.
A typical day in the field is coordinating with subcontractors and providing direction on whichever site we are visiting, starting off with tailgate meetings (HSE), providing information on scope, and then supervising the work taking place to ensure it meets the expectations of the qualified environmental professional on site.
I joined the MEIA student chapter in 2015, the first year of my Environmental Studies undergraduate degree at the University of Manitoba. I thought it would be a great way to connect with professionals in the industry, and it was! It was great to see all of the different directions an environmental degree could take you. Given my interests in public policy, I pursued a minor in political science and combined my knowledge of environmental issues to write an honours essay on the politics surrounding climate migrants.

I am continuing my education at the University of Ottawa, where I am in the last year of a Master of Public and International Affairs. Professionally, I am currently working in my desired field as an intern policy and research analyst for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Here, I get to represent the interests of thousands of small and medium-sized businesses across the country in legislatures, as well as conduct pertinent research designed to better advocate for our members. Environmental issues are more prevalent than ever, especially as provinces commit to carbon-neutral pacts and green industries. This creates a great opportunity for me to combine my environment and policy background with my prairie upbringing to advocate for the individuals who support our provinces. I plan to graduate in 2022 and continue working as a policy analyst, advancing policies that improve our country’s environment and economy.
MEIA’s Student Chapter helped me prepare for entry to the workforce by exposing me to the environmental industry as I pursued an undergraduate degree in environmental sciences. Being a member of the MEIA student chapter helped me get started with my career by introducing me to the professional world where I attended my first conference. I have mainly focused on studying the Earth’s environmental processes; however, I have also been able to apply that knowledge to other planets within our solar system through my planetary research. Providing students with networking opportunities with those already in the workforce will surely guide them in the right direction.
During my time as an Environmental Studies Coop student at the University of Manitoba I was actively involved with the MEIA Student Chapter. I was on the committee for three years as the Event Coordinator and then as the Chair. Through my volunteering with MEIA and Co-op positions, I was able to grow my network which was how I was introduced to my current employer at Miller. Being a part of the Student Chapter are some of my favourite memories from when I was a student, especially the tours. They’re an easy ice breaker to meet people and you get to learn the type of environmental initiatives local industries are working on. I learned how to network – 3 out of my 4 student positions were obtained through networking and 2 out of the 4 student positions were a direct result of being a Student Chapter committee member. It also connected me directly with peers and industry professionals that provided a reference or hired me.
 
As far as being on the committee, it gave me the opportunity to participate in and run events that helped build my skills: project management, event planning, soil and water sampling, and public speaking. Creating the Student Chapter Discovery Night was the most challenging and rewarding moment I had as a student. Now that I’ve graduated and am working in the industry, I get to give back to the organization that helped me to get where I am today by participating in events as a mentor to the next generation of students.
 
A little bit about where I am now: I was hired by Miller Environmental Corporation after graduation as the Regulatory Administrator providing support to the Regulatory Department. I was promoted to the Compliance Coordinator in 2020 to provide further technical support to the environmental, health and safety programs.
I graduated with a Bachelor of Environmental Science from the University of Manitoba. In my third year of university, I joined the MEIA Student Chapter as an Events Coordinator for a year, and then took on the position of Co-chair for the next two years. One beneficial thing about being part of the Student Chapter executive was how much easier it made networking with professionals in the environmental industries. As Events Coordinator, I helped to reach out to mentors to invite them to events such as Speed Networking and Discovery Night. Having already connected with these mentors made that first in-person conversation much less daunting in an already easy-going environment.
 
Being a Student Chapter member made the decision to take the Groundwater and Soil Sampling course offered by MEIA much easier due to the significantly reduced costs for Student Chapter members. After less than a year of working at Golder Associates, a company of WSP, as an Environmental Scientist on their Contaminated Sites team, I have already used all the skills taught in that course many times.
 
I was very lucky to have the opportunity to be on a panel of Student Chapter members who spoke at the 2019 Emerging Issues Conference. This is a new addition to the benefits of being on the Student Chapter. We were able to discuss what the student experience is like in the environmental industries.
 
If you are interested in getting involved with the Student Chapter, please reach out to them. It is very important to have a variety of voices involved seeing as how the environmental sector includes a wide range jobs and interests. If you don’t see your interests represented at Student Chapter events, you would be the perfect person to join and help bring in those mentors in the future.
I was a student at the University of Winnipeg when the Student Chapter first started. I went to the first meeting as the liaison for University of Winnipeg and signed up to volunteer and organize a career fair. The following year the career fair was hosted at the University of Winnipeg. I ran the committee, organized funding through the University of Winnipeg, we also had the University of Manitoba, Brandon University and Red River College all involved – almost 50 booths, 30 breakout sessions running at the same time. Every breakout session focused on a different career in the environmental sector and students could ask questions after. We even had a program published with all the speakers and breakout sessions, a map, advertisements. In subsequent years, I mentored the next students to take on the committee and run the next career fairs. The most memorable part was pushing through my nerves and speaking to the crowd of over 100 people as a panelist!

I signed up for the co-op program at the University of Winnipeg and was selected to be a co-op student as the Environmental Coordinator at Lafarge for the summer. I was able to keep that position while I finished my degree and became Manager of Environment and Public Affairs at Lafarge once I graduated. While there I started volunteering as a mentor for MEIA and as a board member for Sustainable Building Manitoba. I’m now at Magellan as the Environmental Operations Specialist, improving their systems. Changing industries is a big learning curve, I enjoy that aspect of constantly learning something new. Working for a corporation has always been an interest of mine – their environmental footprints are a really big focus for environmental issues.

Through my involvement in the MEIA Student Chapter I learned how to network; and the activity of running career fairs taught me about where I could go and look for a job and honed my project management skills. I actively sought out conversations with people I met to learn more about what I wanted to do and I am grateful for all the mentors along the way that took the time to answer a few questions or have a conversation over the phone or a cup of coffee.  I got a lot of great ideas and inspiration from that. Now as a mentor, my door’s always open.
When I attended my first Emerging Issues conference in 2007, I approached MEIA and asked about the Student Chapter, which I had seen mentioned on the MEIA website. I learned that the student group was not active, and that opened the door to create what the new Student Chapter could be. I was paired with two mentors and that first year we were able to have a couple events.  The following year, the number of opportunities for students grew, as did student participation. It was exciting to see the number of people who got involved with the Student Chapter and when students from other schools signed up.  I remember when I would hear from MEIA about Student Chapter members who got a job through the job board, or a networking event, or the career fair, the pride and excitement of the Student Chapter was evident. 

One of the most memorable experiences was helping to organize the first Environmental Career Fair in 2010. The process of organizing, planning, and executing the event and working in partnership with other educational organizations taught me a lot lessons and created some amazing relationships in my life. The skills I learned as being part of the Student Chapter including leadership, organization and public speaking, allowed me to gain confidence and experience. I was fortunate to network with amazing mentors in the industry, be part of committees and find ways to support my fellow students in our professional development journeys. These connections supported my university courses, placements and opportunities to be involved in the MEIA community.

Today I work for the Government of Alberta as an Occupational Health and Safety Officer. I enforce the OHS Legislation and work with employers to ensure they meet the legislative requirements.
Many of my classmates and I joined the student chapter in 2010, when we invited to a brainstorming session with Rosemary and Deb, to help them lay the groundwork on what the student chapter would become. It has highlighted to me the many challenges students have during classes and entering the workforce. Networking and mentorship are powerful tools that I wouldn’t have experienced and developed without the Student Chapter.

I was able to attend the Emerging Issues Conference in 2010, where I was paired with an industry professional to shadow and network with for the day. Years later after graduation, I received a random phone call from the same gentleman I shadowed, and was offered a job!

Now I work at Pinchin Ltd as a Project Technologist, where I assessed various buildings throughout their life-cycles all of over Canada.
I first heard about the MEIA Student Chapter from a previous member and Chair with whom I was working with at the time. She told me about all the exciting things the Student Chapter does and how its such a great way to get involved at school and invited me to their Recruitment Night. I joined as an Event Coordinator in 2018. The following two years I was a Co-Chair, and then I took over as Chair for my final semester of university.

Being part of the Student Chapter gave me the confidence to not only join other groups and committees in university, but to also apply for that job that sounded out my league or say yes to opportunities that sounded daunting and scary. The more Speed Mentoring events I participated in, the easier it was to talk to industry professionals in a casual way including being a better interviewee. It helped me turn my ‘fake it till you make it’ mentality to one more along the lines of ‘I deserve to be here’. I was also able to invite professionals that worked in industries I was interested in, and begin to build a relationship with them.

My most memorable part of being on the Student Chapter was getting the opportunity to be a panelist on the Student Chapter portion of the Emerging Issues Conference in 2020. After the panel, industry professionals told me about how interested they were in me and my fellow panelists’ answers! A few even said it was their favourite part of the whole event. Another memorable part is when I would meet new people and they would say that they know who I am because of my involvement with the Student Chapter. It really opened my eyes to the reach I had and the impressions I was making.

I am currently a Research Manager at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. We are a remote research field station and, as Research Manager, I lead contracted subarctic research projects and experiments as well as assist visiting researchers in any way to provide them with the tools necessary to conduct field work safely and effectively. I enjoy getting my hands dirty in a wide variety of research projects while also gaining a deeper understanding of Manitoba’s North.
I first head about the MEIA Student Chapter through Red River College Instructor Dave Woytowich, who encouraged me to join a speed mentoring event. It was through a speed mentoring night that I was introduced to representatives from Magellan Aerospace. I applied for a student position at Magellan and stayed on as the Environmental Operations Specialist following graduation from the Joint Applied Environmental Science program.

Since graduating, I have had the opportunity to participate with the Student Chapter as a mentor, including presenting an Environmental and Emergency Management mini workshop and as a mentor for speed mentoring events.

I am currently employed by Price Industries, an innovative and industry leading commercial HVAC company, as the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Specialist. I specialize in environmental management systems and regulatory compliance. My core activities focus on supporting the continual improvement of Price’s environmental program and working towards ISO 14001:2015 certification. I work closely with an amazing group of safety professionals; together we work to improve and maintain Price’s Safe Work Certification.  My job allows me the opportunity to work with many different people on various environmental and safety projects. My favorite part of my job is meeting with manufacturing Associates and their leadership to discuss their concerns, solutions and opportunities. I love the brainstorming, discussions and working together to put the plans into action.
I joined the Student Chapter and was involved for 2 years while in university. Connecting and networking has been great! Learning about new organizations, grants, and volunteer opportunities has been helpful to build my portfolio of skills. I first heard about the MEIA Student Chapter from a co-worker I was working with at Lake Winnipeg Foundation. We were both university students at the time and were looking to build our careers in the environmental industry.

I always enjoy going the annual MEIA conference and learning about current environmental issues occurring in Manitoba. Great opportunity to look at sustainability through several lenses and learn about the work each organization is working on.

I am currently the Marketing Coordinator in the CBCRA department at Reclay StewardEdge which works on the Recycle Everywhere program. My main duties include supervising the events and bin delivery staff and working on our Recycle Everywhere app. I enjoy working on communications regarding proper recycling habits and how businesses, organizations and the public can work together to be more sustainable when it comes to beverage containers. Reclay StewardEdge has been a fantastic company to work for. I am able to utilize my skills coming from a STEM background whist developing industry specific marketing skills for my position. I am excited to keep developing my career here!
I first heard about the MEIA Student Chapter through university instructors and classmates. Participating in Student Chapter events helped me in my career path by providing networking opportunities where I was able to meet people in the environmental industry and connect with professionals.
As an undergrad student, being able to introduce myself to people working in the industry and hear about their careers and ask them my questions was invaluable. Participating in the MEIA Student Chapter provides mentorship and professional experience while helping to expand the network of new professionals just getting started in the environmental industry.

I am an Associate and the Environmental Services Team Lead for Northern Canada at Stantec Consulting Ltd. In addition to coordinating environmental impact assessments and assisting clients with permitting requirements, I lead a team of environmental professionals located North of 60, primarily based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
I was a Student Chapter Member for two or three years back when I was attending the University of Manitoba. I attended a couple of conferences at discounted rates and got to have peer advisors at those conferences. Two people I met at one MEIA conference I ended up working for later!
 
The most memorable part of being on the Student Chapter was probably having the opportunity to connect with potential employers and colleagues in the field! Interacting and meeting other people definitely boosted my skills and my confidence.
 
I am now working as an Environmental Planner at Narratives Inc. I’ve been here for just over three years. I do a lot in this role, but appreciate that Narratives actively works to dismantle the effects of colonization and makes space for Indigenous expression. As an Andean-Indigenous woman, this is very important to me. I also appreciate the vast range of projects I work on at Narratives. One of my focuses has been the integration of trauma-informed practice in to the planning and impact assessment areas of my job. I do a lot of writing, qualitative data analysis, interviewing and engagement, etc. It’s a pretty great gig!
I attended MEIA conferences and events for 4 years during my Masters Program. MEIA events were one of the few opportunities I had to speak to professionals from the wide range of environmental industries/consulting firms and helped me understand some of the potential career paths I could take post university.  In retrospect, these events were impactful in building my confidence as I was learning to more effectively network and communicate. I definitely took those experiences forward with me into my career when attending conferences, facilitating partnerships and meeting with environmental professionals.
 
One learning moment I can speak to happened in one of the first times I attended a MEIA event and was paired with a mentor from industry. We did not mesh very well. I was interested in social impacts, community engagement and environmental politics and he was approaching issues from a more technical way of thinking. As the conference went on, I almost wanted to leave as it was not going well but as we listened to speakers and I heard him speak about other issues, such as regulatory changes he was working on, I gained some good perspective on how industry approaches big issues such as environmental remediation and recycling. I walked away from that conference with a different perspective of who works on key issues that I was interested in and how changing the way that I communicate with others could lead to more meaningful connections.
 
Currently I work as a Program Officer at Indigenous Services Canada-Manitoba Region in Winnipeg. Through my work I have had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of programs including community planning, governance, social programming and educational funding for on reserve First Nations.
Being part of the MEIA Student Chapter was an essential part of my university experience. Over three years, I not only became a member but also had the privilege of serving on the Executive Committee, first as the Events Coordinator, and later as the Social Media Coordinator. Through these roles, I honed my organizational skills and deepened my commitment to the environmental sector. It was a period of growth and learning that set the foundation for my career.

The MEIA Student Chapter was instrumental in connecting me with key players in the field. These relationships not only expanded my professional network but also broadened my understanding of the job sector. It was through these connections that I eventually found a job opportunity that aligned perfectly with my aspirations. The events hosted by the Student Chapter were undeniably the highlights of my time there. Engaging with mentors provided a unique perspective that bridged the gap between what I learned in class and its real-world application. I gained insights that are simply not attainable through textbooks, gaining an appreciation for how academia and practical experience are intertwined.
 
Now, as an Environmental Scientist/Technician at Parsons Canada Inc., I look back at my MEIA Student Chapter journey with gratitude. It was a pivotal chapter that shaped my professional journey. I encourage every aspiring environmental professional to seek out opportunities like the MEIA Student Chapter. It has the potential to be the launching pad for your own transformative journey.