Our Alumni – Seaquaria

Our Alumni.

Since 1998, Seaquaria is proud to mentor early career professionals. We are regular participants in the Canada Summer Jobs program, Clean Foundation’s Professional Internship Program, and ECO Canada’s Intern Program.

Read about our alumni and how their employment with World Fisheries Trust’s education initiative has shaped their career.

If you are an alumni and would like to contribute to this page, please email us at education@seaquaria.org! We look forward to hearing from you.

Kayla-Marie Kulczycki.

Seaquaria Educator and Outreach Officer (2020-2021)

COMING SOON!

Maia Carolsfeld.

World Fisheries Trust Communication Coordinator (2018-2019)

Seaquaria Coordinator (2019-2020)

Maia came back from South Korea eager to start her career as an environmental professional, a goal that Seaquaria helped her achieve more quickly than she ever would have imagined. Starting as a Communications Officer, Maia learned the importance of interpersonal communications in NGOs and that environmental education was a complex beast with many twists and turns! Now the founder of EcoThink Productions, a multi-media climate change consulting company that works with local small businesses take control of their green-business journey, Maia is excited to apply her experience as a communicator and educator in creating engaging content, publishing books and games, and collaborating with local businesses in BC. Advice for early career individuals: even the most unexpected or unrelated tasks can give you experience that will be useful in the future.

Holly Neate.

Seaquaria Coordinator (2014-2016)

My current job is with the shishalh Nation on the Sunshine Coast doing education and wellness work with children and youth. In many of my jobs, including the position I held at World Fisheries Trust, relationship building with Indigenous people was a top priority. I appreciate what I learned and proud of how I have applied those skills and insights into my current job. I am also working with the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association and have pulled from many skills acquired throughout my career to help with report and grant writing, program planning, and project management. The biggest piece of advice I would give to young professionals is to have an open mind when choosing the next job opportunity, as you never know what you might connect most with. Career paths are rarely linear!

Iain Murray.

World Fisheries Trust Intern (2013)

Director of Local Projects and Programs (2013-2014)

I am working in the Office of Life Sciences for the UK government, covering COVID, Net Zero, and Devolved Administration Policy. Previously, I worked on Brexit Legislation in the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, and Energy Company Regulation at the Office of Gas and Electrical Markets. Before undertaking these roles, I completed an MSc in Environmental Policy and Regulation at the London School of Economics, and an LL.B at the University of Glasgow all of which were possible because of what I learned at WFT.

Working for WFT/Seaquaria significantly shaped my career path, not only in what it taught me but also in the opportunities it provided. When working for WFT I was provided ample opportunities to learn and improve at the early moments in my career journey as my roles considerably developed my skills in adaptability and resilience by working in a dynamic atmosphere on a range of projects (Olympia Oysters, Herring, Water Quality, Nature House) with a breadth of responsibilities (managing people, grant funding, field studies, report writing). Additionally, working alongside Yogi was probably one of the most defining moments of my career as I watched and learned how he handled and fixed problems.

I would highly encourage [early career individual] to take the chance of working in a dynamic environment such as WFT. The opportunity to work on a range of environmental projects, with truly passionate individuals is not something everyone gets and the work you do for WFT can help set you up for any career path you choose.

Zoe Cilliers.

Seaquaria Educator (2020)

My name is Zoe Cilliers. I am a settler Canadian who grew up in Surrey, BC. Currently, I am working towards a diploma in Restoration of Natural Systems at the University of Victoria. My thesis project is a marine shoreline restoration project in SṈIDȻEȽ, also known as Tod Inlet, on the Saanich Peninsula. In between completing my courses, I work part-time as an auxiliary park naturalist with the Capital Regional District.

I worked for Seaquaria as part of a UVIC co-op in the spring of 2020. During that time I learned so much – for example the joys of teflon tape, and the multitude of ways kids can pronounce the word chiton. Most importantly, I saw how diverse and adaptable non-profits like World Fisheries Trust can be. Whether in address the needs of their community, or shifting their style of programming because of a global pandemic. In this way Seaquaria showed me the vital role that I believe non-profits can play in shaping the future of the environmental conservation movement, especially in the face a rapidly changing climate.

Advice to young professionals – be vocal about your passions. Especially when applying for jobs fresh out of school, when you may not meet 100% of the qualifications/requirements. You can always learn new skills, whereas your passion and excitement for the work to be done cannot be taught and are an incalculable asset.

The more I learn about the ocean, the more I have come to understand the scale of the problems that our coastlines are facing. Seeing the impact that Seaquaria’s programs had – inspiring student’s curiosity and personal sense of stewardship – was a positive way for me to channel my own sense of climate anxiety. Ultimately, my experience with Seaquaria inspired me to pursue further work/education at the intersection of conservation, research and education.