We welcome our new Board of Directors for the 2019-2020 year! Enjoy this little Q&A to get to know them all a bit better.

Priscilla Lam
Chair

What are you studying at SFU?

I am a third-year student majoring in business and minoring in sustainable development.

What got you interested in volunteering at Embark?

I joined Embark to get more involved with sustainability change making on campus.

Your position at Embark’s Board of Directors is chair, what do you look forward to the most?

As Chair, I look forward to learning about leadership and governance in a non-profit.

As a new addition to the crayon box aka Embark’s Board of Directors. What colour would you be and why?

I’d be the yellow crayon; a basic, primary colour that is a staple in the box. Plus, it’s my favourite colour.

If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be and why?

I’d be a plum tree; blooming as the first sign of spring (my favourite season).

Sam Meraj
Secretary

What are you studying at SFU?

Masters of Pest Management and my Undergrad was honours in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry.

What got you interested in volunteering at Embark?

Since my masters have a focus on sustainability, I thought it was a good way to expand on that, and also a good way to learn more about how a nonprofit organization works.

Your position at Embark’s Board of Directors is secretary, what do you look forward to the most?

I look forward to learning more about how to be a good secretary and work in a team with everyone else on the board.

As a new addition to the crayon box aka Embark’s Board of Directors. What colour would you be and why?

I would be the colour blue since it is my favourite colour and I hope I can help with a calm and cooperative, yet innovative environment.

We know you’re a busy student, but what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love to hang out with friends, play musical instruments, and occasionally go to autocross which is s mini-car race.

If you could compare yourself with any animal, which would it be and why?

Cat. Just because cats are my favourite animals and I love them so much so I hope I am like a cat, cool and fun to hang out with.

Christine Leclerc
Treasurer

What are you studying at SFU?

Physical Geography.

What got you interested in volunteering at Embark?

I was involved in a number of clubs on campus and kept hearing about interesting initiatives being led by Embark, so I decided to attend an event. Later, I perused the website for volunteer opportunities, which is how I came to volunteer on a committee. This experience then led to my interest in board service with Embark.

Your position at Embark’s Board of Directors is treasurer, what do you look forward to the most?

I look forward to working on the next budget with our Executive Director and Finance & Audit Committee!

As a new addition to the crayon box aka Embark’s Board of Directors. What colour would you be and why?

I would be navy blue because it’s always been my favourite. It reminds me of ocean rhythms, a coat my mother wore a lot while I was growing up and my favourite duo tang from grade school.

We know you’re a busy student, but what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love visiting with friends and family, gardening, walking or marching as part of a large group, and attending poetry readings.

How would you describe the colour yellow to someone who’s never seen it?

Yellow lets your eyes taste butter, touch a chick feather and taste a fresh spiral of lemon zest!

Kayla Holloway
Governance Officer

What are you studying at SFU?

I am studying biology.

What got you interested in volunteering at Embark?

Environmental justice has always been really important to me, but I felt like I was always either thinking about what action I could take in the future, once I had graduated, had a career, all that stuff, or worrying about issues that as a whole I didn’t have the ability to change… but then I realized that rather than dwelling on these things, I really needed to just get going! There is so much really important work that needs to be done right here right now, and so many opportunities and different ways for people to get involved. I chose to volunteer with Embark specifically because I love how community-based it is, and that as an established organization and a nonprofit, there are so many areas to volunteer in, so it’s a really great organization to learn and grow in.

Your position at Embark’s Board of Directors is governance officer, what do you look forward to the most?

One of the things I’m most looking forward to in this position is the problem-solving aspect of governance. I love thinking thoroughly about issues and coming up with ideas to solve them, especially when I’m working with other people.

As a new addition to the crayon box aka Embark’s Board of Directors. What colour would you be and why?

Maybe a dark blue… I really like the warmth and depth it has.

We know you’re a busy student, but what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

In my free time, I love singing, playing fiddle and doing stuff outside!

What’s the last thing you watched on Netflix and why did you choose to watch it?

I think the last thing I watched on Netflix was Stranger Things with my sister. She had been trying to get me to watch it for a long time, and I finally started it over the winter break and loved it! We try to watch it together now when we both have some free time.

Jennaline Shaw
Member Relations Officer

What are you studying at SFU?

I’m studying Linguistics, and hoping to get a certificate for teaching English as a second language.

What got you interested in volunteering at Embark?

A friend introduced me to the organization and I thought it would be a great opportunity, as sustainability is something I care about greatly .

Your position at Embark’s Board of Directors is member relations officer, what do you look forward to the most?

In this role, I look forward to helping make more students aware of Embark.

As a new addition to the crayon box aka Embark’s Board of Directors. What colour would you be and why?

I think purple because I am pretty soft spoken and calm.

We know you’re a busy student, but what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

In my free time I like to sleep, draw, and do kickboxing.

If you had to be shipwrecked on a deserted island, but food and water—were taken care of, what two items would you want to have with you?

I think I’d like to have a pencil and a sketchbook so I could draw all the animals, plants, and landscapes of the island.

Aki Zhou
External Relations Officer

What are you studying at SFU?

Engineering Science and I spend most of my time coding and designing a circuit. My stream of engineering basically deals with hardware of “computers” so it is like a combination of electronics engineering and computing science.

Your position at Embark’s Board of Directors is external relations officer, what do you look forward to the most?

I want to make things possible, with students. *Email me at externalrelations@embarksustainability.org if you have ideas!

As a new addition to the crayon box aka Embark’s Board of Directors. What colour would you be and why?

White, something white reflects all spectrum of light. This is a metaphor of how I will act as the external relations officer. I will try consider all aspects of inputs in my decision making process.

We know you’re a busy student, but what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Atomizing my life – I hate doing simple tasks a robot or a program can do, so I make stuff that reduce my work. Also the photo was a face merge done my AI, so that’s what I do.

How many loonies would fit into your bedroom?

the volume of my bedroom be denoted by Vb,
the radius of a loonie be denoted by r,
the thickness of a loonie be denoted by h

Assuming the attributes of every single loonie is maintained and my bedroom is a cuboid with its length and width both be divisible by r, when coins are arranged to fill up the entire floor and stacked up in the same arrangement layer by layer, the volume that each coin will occupy is equivalent to a small cuboid with volume 4r^2h. So the number of loonies I could fit into my bedroom would be Vb/(4r^2h).

Emerson Mohr
Fund Development Officer

What are you studying at SFU?

I’m going into fourth year studying Molecular Biology and Biochemistry.

What got you interested in volunteering at Embark?

I’ve had a general interest getting involved in Embark because I have always enjoyed the conservation of the outdoors, parks, forests, rivers and so on.With recent moves in our society towards advancing the way live and work on our planet, I joined Embark with a goal to learn and help develop SFU’s options for sustainable operation.

Your position at Embark’s Board of Directors is fund development officer, what do you look forward to the most?

I am most looking forward to initiating funding for new and current programs that Embark will be able to deliver. I have plenty of experience with professional accounting, budget analysis, and financial planning, and I hope to bring my experience and passion to the team at Embark.

As a new addition to the crayon box aka Embark’s Board of Directors. What colour would you be and why?

I would probably be blue, because I love the ocean, lakes, rivers and, swimming pools! I grew up close to the big blue sea so I would have to say that. Blue is the colour that represents me best.

We know you’re a busy student, but what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

More on the ocean… my favourite activity to do in my free time (and warm weather) is sailing. I’ve been sailing for about 14 years, and I’m now head of the coaching staff at my local sailing club.

What would you do if you found a penguin in the freezer?

If I were to find a penguin in the freezer, I would most likely close the door because I hear they’re quite territorial and I wouldn’t want it to feel unwelcome.

Olivia Hui
Director Development Officer

What are you studying at SFU?

I graduated last year, but I studied Entrepreneurship and Innovation as well as Corporate and Environmental Sustainability!

What got you interested in volunteering at Embark?

Embark seemed like the perfect place where students led and drove sustainability projects and could track their impact.

Your position at Embark’s Board of Directors is director development officer, what do you look forward to the most?

I currently serve as the Director Development Officer, where my role is to ensure that our board has the skills and knowledge it needs to oversee Embark’s strategic direction. Therefore I look forward to getting to know my fellow board members and supporting them along their journeys.

As a new addition to the crayon box aka Embark’s Board of Directors. What colour would you be and why?

If Embark were a crayon box, I’d probably be the orange crayon because I can be very energetic.

We know you’re a busy student, but what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

In my free time I like to read about conflict management and go bouldering.

If you only could choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be?

If a song played every time I walked into a room, I hope it was Bon Jovi’s “We Don’t Run.” It’s so motivating and speaks to my lifelong love of rock music. I’d play it to my succulents so that they would be motivated to grow.

Saira Butter
Director-at-large

What are you studying at SFU?

I recently completed the Biological sciences program at SFU, and I am currently working on campus as a researcher studying the potential effects of an oil spill on marine phytoplankton.

What got you interested in volunteering at Embark?

I believe that to accomplish the most for creating a sustainable future, the best thing to do is to help the members of my community understand how to live a more sustainable life and be an example to their community of people. Collectively, we can do more for the future of our environment. I learned that is the goal of Embark, to inspire sustainability leadership in SFU students, and decided that Embark could use my passion and add me to its arsenal of advocates it already has.

Your position at Embark’s Board of Directors is Director-at-large, what do you look forward to the most?

I look forward to learn about how embark works as an organization and work alongside others who are also very passionate about sustainability!

As a new addition to the crayon box aka Embark’s Board of Directors. What colour would you be and why?

If I were a colour in a crayon box, I would be indigo because it is understated but very versatile, and I like the colour very much!

We know you’re a busy student, but what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I like exploring neighbourhoods, hiking trails, and beaches that I don’t visit often, trying out new restaurants, going on road trips and learning new hobbies because I enjoy novelty and I like challenging myself.

Why are manholes round?

I am pretty sure manholes are round for safety reasons. I think they are round so that teenage mutant ninja turtles can have an easier time getting home. They can just lift up the cover  and just jump into the sewer, without worrying about their shells getting caught on straight edges when they are in a hurry.

Governance Structure

Embark’s board of directors is comprised of SFU undergraduate and graduate students, as well as one associate member. If you are interested in learning more about our governance structure, head over to our governance page.