New Student Welcome: Zoey Maclean-Howard
Hello, my name is Zoey and I am the newest member of the FishPeoplePlace lab! I am incredibly excited to join the lab as part of the Great Lakes Commercial Fisheries project through my graduate research in partnership with Saugeen Ojibway Nation.
Growing up in Toronto, Ontario - the traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation - I was especially lucky to be exposed to the outdoors from a very young age. As the youngest child and only girl in my family I was always trying to keep up with my older brothers, whether that was standing bravely as goalie for street hockey just to be included or arguing with my parents that I too should be sent away to sleepover camp, even if I was only 3 years old. Luckily, my 3 year old self stood my ground and my parents agreed to send me off to Algonquin Park - the traditional territory of the Anishanaabe - for a weekend, not knowing that they were signing up to do so every summer for the next 18 years.
Every summer that I returned to Algonquin amplified my love for the natural environment tenfold as I had the privilege to hear loons call across the lake and paddle past moose on winding creeks, quietly teaching me to understand my place and impact on the world around me. This became truly apparent to me as a 15 year old on a 3-week long canoe trip through Quetico Provincial Park, the traditional territory of Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe (Lac Lacroix) First Nation. During this trip I was extremely lucky to have a mentor who instilled a strong sense of responsibility, appreciation, and reciprocity for the water and land we travelled through.
This passion stuck with me and ultimately led to pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology at Dalhousie. During my undergrad I realized that while I enjoyed learning about the “how” of science, I was curious about the “why” and “who” behind it. This pushed me to earn certificates in Indigenous Studies and Environmental Impact Assessment so that I could better understand the sociocultural landscape that conservation science operates within. I am very happy to be moving back to Halifax this fall to begin my Master’s in Marine Management at Dalhousie. Dal has already taught me so much and I look forward to all of the new experiences the MMM program and FishPeoplePlace lab will bring me, especially working in partnership with Saugeen Ojibway Nation over the course of my studies and graduate project.
