Abby Shin

My name is Abby Leilah Shin (she/her), I am currently in my fourth year of a Bachelor of Environmental Studies (BES) at the University of Waterloo. I reside in both Toronto and Waterloo, Ontario and am studying under the School of Environment, Resources, and Sustainability (SERS) with an Urban Studies Minor, Business Option, and Ecological Restoration and Rehabilitation Diploma – a mouthful, I know. As I enter the last year of my degree, I have realized that there is still SO much I want to learn. That is where this blog comes in!

I created this site as an outlet for my academic and personal research. While I don’t expect to amass a huge readership, nor claim to be some pillar of wisdom, I have found such passion in environmentalism and am excited to share it with the world. This blog will include all kinds of posts regarding environmental policy, progress, issues, literature, and more.

Acknowledgements

I reside and work on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Attawandaron, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat Peoples. This land is also now home to many First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples. Indigenous leadership and representation within the environmental field is absolutely vital for equitable, effective solutions. As a non-Indigenous student within this field, I am very grateful for the contributions of Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Ecological Knowledge to my education and understanding of the natural world.

My CV

Academic

Honours Co-op Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies (BES), Environment, Resources and Sustainability Major at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario.

• Candidate for an Urban Studies (Urban Activity and the Environment) Minor, Business Option, and Diploma in Ecological Restoration and Rehabilitation.
• 4.0 GPA, Excellent academic standing.

Professional

• Coastal Data Analyst (May 2025 – Present): Drafting a paper about yellow clam (Mesodesma mactroides) governance and conservation along the coast of Argentina. Supervised by Dr. Jeremy Pittman.
• Environmental Data Analyst (Jan 2025 – Present): Drafting a literature review regarding residents’ perceptions of trees and impacts on tree management under the RISE Project (Residential Development Impact Scorecard for the Environment). Supervised by Dr. Michael Drescher.
• Volunteer Coastal Governance Researcher (Jan 2025 – Sept 2025): Drafting a report regarding governance of small-scale fisheries in Mozambique, based on Elinor Governance Assessment Tool data provided by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) US and WWF Mozambique. Supervised by Dr. Graham Epstein.
• Student, Corporate Sustainability at Fidelity Investments Canada (Sept 2023 – Dec 2023; May 2024 – Aug 2024).
• Assistant Environmental Project Coordinator, Compliance Promotion at Environment and Climate Change Canada (Jan 2023 – Apr 2023).