Personally, I really enjoy hearing people's stories of how they 'got into' the work they are passionate about.​

In case you're of the same nature, here's a bit about my story..

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My family immigrated to Canada when I was 4 from L'viv, Ukraine.

During my childhood, I enjoyed & had the privilege of an active lifestyle with plenty of time in nature/green spaces. Luckily, my parents believed it was very important for my brother (6 years older than me) & I to get outside, even if the weather wasn't ideal. More often than not, we were the only kids at our local parks.

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Later, my parents enrolled me to participate in a local water polo club (shoutout to Mavericks Waterpolo), where I followed in the footsteps of my brother, who had already been playing for several years. I also joined & excelled at cross-country & track in elementary school, & in high school focused on water polo, competing up to the national level as the goalie of my team.

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The benefit I received from organized sport - the physical fitness, the mental strength, the friendships & meaningful experiences - inspired me to want to pursue a career as a physical & health education teacher, to inspire & support young women to be active & healthy, applying health practices that they enjoyed. I pursued & completed a Bachelor in Physical & Health Education (BPHE) at the University of Toronto (UofT), as well as the Concurrent Teacher's Education Program, through UofT and OISE, allowing me to simultaneously complete a Bachelor of Education.

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During my university education, one of our assigned readings was the book 'The Last Child in the Woods' by Richard Louv, which opened my eyes to the importance of maintaining a human-nature connection. I started learning more about the natural environment & our relationship with it; how it benefits us & how we can also take care of it. This book offers a collection of very important research about optimizing our health & functioning, through getting enough 'Vitamin N'.

Going forward, I engaged in a personal (somewhat obsessive) study of the relationship between humans & nature.. 

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In 2013, I decided to compete in the Miss Earth Canada pageant - an environmentally-focused beauty pageant - & won. I participated in the Miss Earth 2013 international pageant in the Philippines. Leading up to, during, and following that competition, I engaged in vigorous self development & training to grow into who I thought would be a worthy role model for environmental stewardship. My goal was to embody an 'Earth Goddess'; a woman who exemplifies Earthly beauty, health, & devotion to the planet. 

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I started organizing regular cleanups & became known as the 'clean up girl' for some time - which led me to become curious about how to prevent litter & waste in the first place. I continued to organize & participate in many different eco initiatives, from clothing swaps, to invasive species removal, to supporting a sustainability podcast called Sustainable Joes, to REmarkets, etc..  This led to being nominated & then named one of Canada's Top 25 Under 25 Environmentalists in 2018 by Starfish Canada.

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Now I have gradually niched more into waste prevention/reduction, & recently joined Muuse Canada as a full-time position of Partnerships Manager, responsible for cultivating & nurturing impactful relationships with food businesses, events, venues, & other organizations to reduce unnecessary single-use waste.

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You can learn more about my previous volunteer work & current role at Muuse on LinkedIn.

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Please feel free to use me as a resource/ trusty eco companion!

Although my work now is waste-focused, I have come across many awsome resources & changemakers; experts & guides in the eco sphere - so if I can't help you, I probably can support a person or resource that can!

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Taking care of the Earth is an all-hands-on-deck endeavour.

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If you got this far - thank you for caring & playing your part!