By Michael Veith

Sometimes everyday university life can get a bit boring and we need a change. With this mindset, Mandy Zheng (Class of 2010) decided to enroll in Haida Gwaii Semester, a UBC Faculty of Forestry program that’s described as a “natural classroom.” The program, which ran from January to June 2013, turned out to be a life changing experience for Mandy. She not only learned a lot about sustainable resource management, but also about herself, “I got to know myself a lot better.”

Haida Gwaii is a collection of Islands off the British Columbian coast, and is home to the Haida Nation, one of the many indigenous nations in Canada. Mandy stayed with locals in their homes, as did the other eighteen students from across Canada. The program consisted of classes in the morning with independent studies and guest speakers or fieldwork in the afternoon. “We learned natural resource management, the sensitivity of culture and the importance of natural resources such as timber to small rural communities like Haida Gwaii.” For Mandy, interacting with the Haida culture and people was one the highlights of the trip, which included learning to spruce root weave with a Haida elder.

Mandy is currently in her fourth and final year at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. She’s looking forward to this April, when she will graduate with a major in Environmental Science and a minor in Economics. Her Haidi Gwaii experience appears to have left its mark, as Mandy says she is looking at pursuing a forestry job or working with the Ontario Department of Forestry.

Photo: Mandy Zheng (centre)