Aphra Benitz

 

Aphra

Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Conservation, Specialization in Global Perspectives University of British Columbia 

Aphra is voted new incoming Vice President Internal of MScSM Student Executive Council (MSEC) for the 2021-2022 academic year. Congratulations!

Bio

Graduated from the faculty of Forestry in Natural Resource Conservation with a specialization in Global Perspectives in 2018. The degree focused on Natural Resource Conservation as well as Policy, and a large portion on International Conservation Policy. Pursuing a degree that was so highly centralized on understanding the many different stakeholders involved in natural resource use, and policy created a better understanding of how to communicate with others. As a part of the curriculum students were required to have an international experience which lead to me to field school in India. The field school was located at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun and Kerala Agriculture University, Kerala. At each University students were required to choose a topic of Interest. The topic of interest at the Wildlife Institute of India was fire frequency, and its effect on understory growth. At Kerala agriculture University the project looked at how home gardens were more beneficial than monocultures in growing healthy crops. The degree helped to create a love for conservation policy and create a better understanding of how to work with others. The degree was a stepping stone for me career wise as an educator in biology, ecology and environmental education at a boarding school in Connecticut. The job helped to create skills such as organization, curriculum creation and leadership. It also helped to spark an interest in going back to school myself and pursuing a career in sustainability and thus leading me to the University of Toronto.

Aphra's Research Poster

aphra

(Download full poster here)