The Arctic Impact

Tianyun Xiang is a Research Assistant at the Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Research and final year student in the Hospitality and Tourism Management program. Read this personal account from Tianyun where he shares with you about his experience working at the Institute.

I am an international student from China and graduated from George Brown College’s Hospitality Management Program. I had several years of experience working in the hospitality industry before I decided to further my knowledge by studying at Ryerson. I heard about the Institute when I came across the field trip to the Canadian North (external link)  last year and the trip got me interested in working in the tourism industry. My basic research knowledge from prior courses and my passion towards working with Indigenous communities with new initiatives helped me to apply for the Research Assistant position in the Institute.

The field trip to the North played an important role when I was applying for the research assistantship. I went on this trip with the mindset of a regular tourist. After learning about the history of the Indigenous communities in the North, I was amazed by their unique way of living and their sad past. To me, Indigenous communities around the world have faced many challenges, but still thrive to this day. These peoples hold the true key to a sustainable livelihood. It was at this time when I decided to further my study of Indigenous tourism and sustainable livelihoods to work with local Indigenous communities and build a more sustainable Indigenous tourism sector.

In Fall 2020, the start of my final year, I came across an open position for a Research Assistant on the Institute website with Dr. Sonya Graci. As Dr. Graci led the trip to the North that past February, I had a basic knowledge of her passion and her research interests. As a result of my personal interest, I applied to this position and, fortunately, I was hired.

Since last semester, I have been working on a new project about the field trip we took last winter with Dr. Sonya Graci. Despite restrictions and regulations in place with COVID-19, Dr. Graci and I worked closely online, and we have successfully interviewed all students who participated in the Artic trip. I am grateful that Dr. Graci offered me the opportunity to conduct the interviews, analyze them and write the actual report for this research. Dr. Sonya Graci has become a mentor in my journey and has offered her generous help on any issues I have had during the whole study. Right now, the research is still in the analysis phase, and I hope we are able to publish it in the near future.

Working in the Institute is not only a part-time job, but also a chance to learn. During different phases of the study, different techniques were used, and the knowledge was built in terms of experiential learning in Indigenous settings. This position is also preparing me for my Master’s study of sustainable and Indigenous tourism.