Award winning working co-op with BC Wildfire Service | Vancouver Island University

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Award winning working co-op with BC Wildfire Service | Vancouver Island University
Award winning working co-op with BC Wildfire Service | Vancouver Island University

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Although Nadia Lining has always had an interest in travel, tourism and recreation, the opportunity to work together this past summer led to a whole new experience and role for her that she ended up excelling at.

Nadia, a fourth-year student in VIU’s Bachelor of Tourism Management program, is working as a fire information assistant with the British Columbia Wildfire Service during the 2022 wildfire season.

She learned about the opportunity from Brooke Pierce, VIU’s co-op coordinator for tourism and recreation students, as well as a fellow tourism student “who got me really excited about the opportunity.”

During her co-op, “every day was a little different because my job really depended on what the wildfire situation was at the Coastal Fire Center. We usually started the day with a quick morning meeting with the entire communications and information team, and then the rest of the day usually involved media interviews, answering public inquiries, preparing social media posts, newsletters and status reports, and attending meetings with other sections of the fire center.

One of the biggest challenges Nadia faced in her role was media interviews.

“No matter how knowledgeable I felt about the subject, there was always a lot of nerves involved in giving interviews, especially live,” she recalls. “The only way I got through it was to do more interviews.” She also did media training during her downtime, “so I got used to whatever questions came my way. Still, nothing beats the real thing. The best practice was to provide real media interviews. My first and last interviews of the season were live on CBC radio and I’d like to think the last one I did was miles ahead of the first.”

The biggest surprise of her co-op was “learning about the scope of the wildfire service in British Columbia,” she says. “Until I came to work for them, I never really thought much about everything they do, but it’s a lot. The science behind wildfire management is fascinating and I enjoyed learning how and why certain decisions are made. Now, I’m by no means an expert, but I’ve definitely learned a lot.

She ended her co-op on a high note as well, winning the Student Officer Professional Development Award after being nominated by the BC Wildfire Service Communications Department.

“Nadia has consistently gone above and beyond what we would have expected to see in the short time she has been with us, and this is largely due to her inquisitive nature and willingness to step into the role that made her so successful in her time is with the BC Wildfire Service,” reads part of the filing.

“Winning meant so much to me. I didn’t even suspect that I was nominated,” says Nadia. “It feels really great to be recognized, especially because this role was so different from my previous experience and challenged me in completely unfamiliar ways. I am also so happy that I can have such a positive impact on my workplace and my colleagues.”

Now Nadia is looking to what’s next.

“I will graduate next spring and in the future I hope to work in recreation programs, with an emphasis on connecting young people with outdoor recreation opportunities,” she says. “I don’t know exactly what that looks like yet, but I’m really passionate about outdoor recreation and I’d like to share that with kids who don’t necessarily have the same access or opportunities that I had when I was younger.”

Nadia’s advice to others considering a similar path after high school is to “pursue every opportunity that interests you and make as many connections as possible.”

She speaks from experience, having started her post-secondary journey in outdoor recreation management at Capilano University in North Vancouver a few years ago, but was one credit short of graduating.

“I always wanted to come back and graduate, but I ended up moving to Vancouver Island, working in seasonal tourism and hospitality and traveling through the seasons for a few years,” she recalls. “When I decided it was time to go back to school, I was determined to stay on the Island and the VIU program was the best fit.”

Going back to school in my late twenties “gave me a whole new perspective and I tried to take advantage of every personal and professional development opportunity I could,” she adds. “It has had a huge impact on my academic success and how much I enjoy school and work.”

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