I am a graduate student at the University of Ottawa completing an MA degree in Geography. My research project evaluates the Nutrition North Canada cooking circle program in Paulatuk, Northwest Territories. I decided to join the CES in 2021 to learn more about evaluation, as I didn’t have any specific education in the field.
As a CES member, I’ve had great opportunities to learn from the best in the evaluation field. For instance, I attended several webinars during the COVID-19 pandemic, which were an incredibly useful opportunity to continue my learning online.
The CES weekly newsletters also keep me updated about upcoming webinars, workshops and events. It was actually from these that I learned about the CES e-Institute professional development courses. I completed the Essential Skills Series course, which provided me with the necessary tools and knowledge that I use in my research project.
I also had the opportunity to volunteer with preparing the CES conference 2022 in Winnipeg. This gave me a chance to learn about conference organization activities as part of the Marketing Committee. Attending the conference broadened my understanding and significantly enriched my work on my research project. It was a valuable experience that also allowed me to grow my evaluation network.