Biography

I was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario during the Winter of 1981. A year later, my family moved to Guelph, which is also in Ontario but is over 1000 km away!

However, while growing up, I spent every summer at my family’s camp just east of Thunder Bay. So I guess you could say I had the best of both worlds! I escaped the harsh winters up north and the muggy summers down south.

The majority of my family is located in the Thunder Bay region; however, I consider Guelph to be my home town. I guess you could say I have roots in both areas.

I am currently attending Laurentian University, which is in Sudbury, Ontario. I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Engineering. My research focus is on organo-metallic complexes in ground water and waste water treatment.

In my M.Sc. at Laurentian in Chemical Sciences, I studied organic residual covers for mine tailings.

Before moving to Sudbury in the Fall of 2006, I obtained two Undergraduate degrees from the University of Guelph. I completed an Honours Co-op degree in Physical Science degree in April 2005 and finished a B.A. in English this past August. I started my university career at Guelph by taking an enriched first-year program. This enabled me to include electives in Music, English, Environmental Science, and Biology into my education. My Co-op experiences have been interdisciplinary and include working for: Environment Canada in their Meteorological Services Department, the University of Guelph’s Microbiology Department, and Lakehead University’s Chemistry Department.

Aside from school, I have been active in both the community’s arts and athletics programs. I have played my oboe for the Guelph Youth Orchestra and the University of Guelph's band, orchestra, and chamber ensembles. I sing in a professional ensemble called Arcady and sang last season for the Guelph Chamber Choir. To acquire some modicum of grace, I occassionally latin and ballroom dance at various venues around the Toronto area. I volunteered as the Referee- In-Chief for the Guelph Ringette Association for two years and assisted in the organization of the annual Guelph Ringette tournament - one of the largest Ringette tournaments in Ontario. My involvement with the sport of Ringette continues as a senior referee and member of the Ontario Ringette Association.

During my undergrad I worked during the school year as a Ringette Official, as a Student Consultant at the CCS (Computing & Communication Services) I.T. Help Desk, as an assistant in the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, and as an assistant in the University of Guelph Library Archives.

In my "free time" I love the outdoors and spend my time sailing on Lake Superior, biking on trails, canoeing in Provincial Parks, and hiking in the wilderness. I also enjoy a good book and am a fan of Guy Gavriel Kay, Douglas Adams, and Mercedes Lackey. My musical tastes lead me to take in performances from the Kitchener-Waterloo and Toronto Symphonies although I tune my car radio to rock’n’roll stations.