Hello fellow ECCE student associates! Happy New Year! My name is Tiana, and I am a masters student at Simon Fraser University. I started my graduate studies in September of 2024, where I am pursuing a Masters of Science in Geography. Prior to this, I completed my Bachelor of Environment degree also at SFU, with a Major in Global Environmental Systems, a Minor in Communications, and a Certificate in Geographical Information Science.

During my undergraduate degree, I started working on a project in a GIS course that focused on performing a suitability analysis for community gardens in Vancouver, British Columbia. I became so interested in this topic that I decided to keep improving it and was granted the 2024 Esri Canada GIS Scholarship.

Now in my graduate studies, I’ve chosen this topic to be the focus for my Masters’ Thesis, where I’ve expanded the focus to include urban agriculture across the entire Metro Vancouver Region. I am still in the early stages of my thesis work, but I am super excited to see where the work will take me. My goal is to publish a paper and eventually present my research to municipal government councils so more urban agriculture can be developed and local residents will have better access to healthy and affordable produce.

When I’m not doing GIS research, you can find me on walks with my dog Lola, running around lakes and parks, or kickboxing at my local gym. Being a busy university student can take a toll on our emotional and mental wellbeing, so my advice is to take study breaks and move your body! Your body and brain will thank you 🙂