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Eric Shoesmith (second from left) with his Management Without Borders classmates at a recent poster event

For Eric Shoesmith, education, career and hobbies are all about engagement. Shoesmith, about to graduate from the School for Resource and Environmental Studies (SRES) with a Master of Resource and Environmental Management (MREM), has spent the last few years engaging in various ways with the people and space around him.

Shoesmith, who grew up in Aurora, Ontario, completed a bachelor’s degree at Queen’s University in environmental science and political studies. The summer before graduate school, he worked as a park interpreter in Alberta. “It was a big road trip to Halifax!” recalls Shoesmith. He had never been to the East Coast, and was drawn to SRES partly for its location. He was also impressed with the school’s academics, its history of involvement in government policy and the supportive faculty and staff.

For his MREM, Shoesmith investigated public participation and government-led environmental management. “I am fascinated by the relationship between public engagement and environmental management,” he says. As his work as a park interpreter reflects, Shoesmith is also interested in “the relationship between outdoor recreation, green space and mental health.” Outside the classroom, Shoesmith served as MREM co-chair and established, with the help of alumni officer Marianne Hagen, a mentorship program that connects SRES alumni and students. “I had mentioned to Marianne that many SRES alumni played an amazing role in helping shape my career interests,” says Shoesmith, “and I wanted other students to have access to the same experience.” The year the program was launched, 25 students were matched with alumni.

Shoesmith also led the Dalhousie chapter of Toastmasters International. “I originally joined the organization because I felt slightly daunted by the extensive professional experience that my peers had,” he explains, “and I wanted to become more confident speaking in public.” After a mere eight months, Shoesmith had become confident enough to take over as president. He led the chapter during his final term at Dalhousie to help his peers improve their public speaking skills.

Now finished his MREM, Shoesmith continues to use the skills and knowledge he gained from his degree studies. After completing an internship with Environment Canada in Ottawa, he is now working full-time as a Policy Analyst in its Aboriginal, Northern, and Stakeholder Affairs Division. He credits SRES and its alumni with helping him to this position, and notes, “My time at SRES provided me with the platform and resources to explore my interest in public engagement.” Shoesmith will also keep engaging with the natural world around him, through cycling and birdwatching in the Ottawa area.

Shoesmith plans to continue developing ties between students and alumni now that he is an alumnus himself. “I’d like to keep meeting current students and alumni from SRES,” says Shoesmith, “so that I can stay connected to the community that offered me so much.”