Gold Medal recipient Vanessa Corkal takes a broad look at climate change
Graduate Vanessa Corkal completed her certificate through distance education at The Chang School.
From her work on climate change adaptation in Indigenous communities to her volunteerism on organic farms, Vanessa Corkal is a longstanding champion for community-based climate action. Corkal, who graduated from The Chang School this spring, earned both a certificate in food security and the top academic honour, a Ryerson Gold Medal.
At the International Institute for Sustainable Development (external link) (IISD) in Ottawa, which she recently joined, her work focuses on energy and sustainability policy. She is particularly interested in how climate change policy affects biodiversity and food security.
Corkal traces her interest in the environment back to when she attended Outdoor School (external link) , a semester-long excursion across Saskatchewan. In addition to acquiring high school credits, students learned practical outdoor skills such as fire building, snowshoeing and canoeing. Through this immersive experience learning about ecology, Corkal felt inspired to further study the relationship between social and environmental issues.
Her interests eventually led her to New Zealand where she volunteered for a year on organic small-scale farms and vineyards. Looking to expand her education in sustainable food systems upon her return to Canada, Corkal enrolled in The Chang School’s Certificate in Food Security, completing the program entirely at a distance. Though initially skeptical about online learning, Corkal was impressed with the support she received from her instructors and appreciated that she could complete the program while simultaneously working full-time.
In addition to working on a number of documentary projects after graduating with a bachelor in fine arts (BFA) from Ryerson in 2010, Corkal served as a freelance consultant with more than 13 Canadian nonprofit and media organizations such as VICE (external link) , imagineNATIVE and Adäka Cultural Festival (external link) , an annual event presented by Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association.
Her work has also helped her become more familiar with the impact of climate change on Indigenous communities. “Working with Indigenous partners is a constant reminder that Indigenous peoples in Canada are on the front lines of climate change”, she says. “Climate change isn't the future - it's happening now. That's why it's so important that Settler Canadians do better to learn about our history and work towards climate justice by supporting Indigenous rights and community-led solutions.”
Corkal credits her diverse education and professional experience for her career growth. “Working in climate change, I find that because I have a multidisciplinary background, it makes it easier for me to understand issues from different sides,” she says, having recently acquired a master of climate change (external link) (MCC) from the University of Waterloo. “There is a lot of value in having diverse interests and being able to make connections across different aspects of a problem.”
Corkal is especially humbled to receive a Ryerson Gold Medal, believing that the recognition highlights the fact that there is space in academic environments for people with diverse and non-traditional backgrounds.