At last, we've reached the end of the term; thank you for coming along on the journey! Below you’ll find a reflection on the journey this class has taken me on, including what I have learned and how I have grown. 

Photo credit: UBC Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries 

Before this term, I’d never taken a course related to sustainability or conservation before. My entire undergrad experience until January has been theoretical, with some courses touching on how climate change has impacted the oceans in altering the pH. However, I have never learned about the most significant pressure on the ocean, overfishing. Before January, conservation seemed simple in theory: if human actions negatively impact the oceans, we should just stop the harmful activities. It was not until I started learning about overfishing and analyzing sustainability through that lens that I understood why conservation is more complicated than I initially thought. In particular, the social aspect of sustainability was quickly made apparent to me. Learning about the human element associated with ocean conservation, especially the social injustice and poverty, made me realize why “solving” overfishing is such a monumental task. The more I learned, the more I thought about the onion world, how there are many distinct layers to conservation that span different spatial scales, but ultimately all the layers contribute to a central problem. Ultimately, you have to slice through all the onion layers to get to the root (of the problem). One of the most valuable lessons learned this term is to dream big and set ambitious goals for myself, yet remember to cherish my successes along the way, no matter how small. At the end of the day, it’s essential to keep in mind that small actions lead to significant changes.

To my previous work, I would like to add my thoughts on how all the individual assignments are interconnected and come together to create a bigger picture. For example, the species point-of-view assignment was more than just an opportunity to learn about an interesting species. As Dr. Muhammed Oyinlola said, we need to understand a marine species (their life history, community dynamics, etc.) to aid in conservation because species are inherently different, and there is no one size fits all solution. Therefore, I would love to go back and consider the points of connections between the assignment.

I think the ePortfolio portrays me as a critical thinker due to the variation in content. The assignments and reflections cover the three paradigms of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social viability. I have put 100% of my effort into all the assignments and reflections this term, no matter how little previous knowledge I had on a topic. I have tackled many issues I was unfamiliar with or apprehensive about, such as government and policy and Indigenous rights. As a result, I have learned an incredible amount of information, from the importance of fisheries to the use of multilateral agreements to the conservation status of marine species. I think my ePortfolio highlights my abilities as a critical thinker by emphasizing the vast array of topics I have familiarized myself with this term.

The two primary skills I learned from this course are science communication and inquisitive thinking. All of the presentations and assignments showed me how important it is to communicate my findings effectively. By doing so, I will reach a larger audience and make a more significant difference in the world. The reminder to know my audience and keep my message simple will remain with me for the rest of my professional career. I also saw the value in using different mediums for scientific communication and how I should consider changing my MO based on the audience. On the other hand, the inquisitive thinking skill arose from posing questions after watching each pre-lecture. This activity taught me to take the material beyond face value and pair my background knowledge with the facts being presented to develop insightful questions and take my learning to the next level. In my previous classes, I usually didn’t ask many questions (partly due to being intimidated) so having this opportunity to put my thoughts out there eased my anxiety. It showed me that I could achieve a higher level of thinking, so thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone and encouraging me to be the best version of myself.

This course highlighted that as passionate as I am about the oceans, I still need to learn a lot about conservation, notably Indigenous rights and governance and policy. The lectures and tutorials were the first opportunities I have had to explore either of those topics. They have always seemed incredibly daunting (and still do to some extent); however, I have also learned that those two matters are crucial aspects of conservation and sustainability. Consequently, little progress can be made without interacting with both of those aspects.  Having the opportunity to explore those topics without fear of being incorrect has made a difference and given me a starting point. Going forward, it’s my responsibility to be politically aware and keep myself up to date on current events but also to keep learning about the past. In this respect, the resources shared during class will be a significant asset for me, and I will prioritize exploring those this summer.

In full disclosure, this course has been a lot of work. At times, I was drowning in the number of assignments and lectures, spending an average of approximately 8-10 hours a week outside of class time to make sure all the tasks were completed. However, looking back on my time and everything I have learned, this course was the most rewarding of any I have taken during my entire undergrad degree. I am proud of every assignment I submitted, and I think my ePortfolio reflects my hard work and dedication. Every time I stepped out of my comfort zone, asking a question or posting a tweet, it reinforced my confidence in myself, my abilities, and my knowledge. Given a second chance, the only thing I would do differently is to be less afraid to put myself and my thoughts out there. I hope that as much as I was able to learn from everyone in this class, you were able to learn a thing or two from me as well!

Photo credit: Isberg