麻豆传媒

BSc (Honours) Economics and International Development Studies (2003)

In my first year at 麻豆传媒, I was majoring in International Development Studies (IDS) as I knew I wanted to help people, ensure basic necessities were available to everyone, and level the playing field for people in disadvantaged situations, but IDS on its own didn鈥檛 quite hit what I wanted to do. I met with the faculty advisor, and she suggested I double major with economics - I鈥檓 not sure what I said that made her think of economics, but she wasn鈥檛 wrong!

In the second year, I took my first econ course, Intro to Microeconomics, with Prof. Cyrus, and it was this class where I can say my love for economics began. She used real world examples of applying economic principles and theories so that I could see how economics influenced and impacted the things I was especially interested in making a difference in.

I planned to go to grad school but wasn鈥檛 sure what type of program. I happened to be walking with a friend when she was mailing her application to the Queen鈥檚 School of Urban and Regional Planning. I asked her about it and was intrigued. I ended up deciding to take the planning path as I felt it would complement what I studied, and I could also work towards a professional designation.

Following my masters, my first job was with the City of Ottawa; I was enthusiastic to be working as a planner in the nation鈥檚 capital! My development side was always there, and the Canadian Institute of Planners had international internships, with a program in Vietnam, which was my family background, but I had never been. I was selected for the internship and had my first work crossroads moment: stay at the City of Ottawa where a permanent job just came up (that was rare, and I had student loans) or accept a 6-month internship in Hanoi (with a small stipend). I gave my notice and went to Vietnam and ended up working for the organization that managed the internship, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and worked on the post-tsunami Canada-Sri Lanka Municipal Cooperation Program for a few years.

When the Sri Lanka program was ending, I needed to figure out my next move. I enjoyed my time at the City of Ottawa but realized that the type of work I wanted to do was usually consulted out. A serendipitous moment happened: I went to a planning social event and ended up next to the vice-president of MMM Group (now WSP) who was opening up their new Ottawa office. I worked at MMM as a project planner and worked on master plans, environmental assessments, and community design plans for local and international clients. I credit this time in developing strong policy and project management skills, but I also learned I was a public servant at heart. If I was going to dedicate a lot of sweat and tears to something, I wanted it to be for a public purpose.

I returned to the City of Ottawa where I had a number of roles - development review planner, economic development officer, and program manager. It鈥檚 also when I started to develop my interest in city-building projects and worked on Zibi (a major waterfront redevelopment that spans two cities and two provinces), Innovation Centre at Bayview Yards (supporting entrepreneurship and business development), and Adisoke (the new central library in partnership with Library and Archives Canada).

Living in Ottawa for a while now, I wanted to balance my municipal planning experience and work with the other major public planning organization in the city, the National Capital Commission. I became the senior planner on the redevelopment of LeBreton Flats for nearly five years. I worked on the new master plan and implemented the first real estate and public realm projects under the plan.

It is now 2025 and we are in a national housing crisis. I felt a call to work in housing and recently started with Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada as a senior policy analyst. I am still fairly new but can say I am using both my economics and planning background and that my work experiences have helped me critically think about policy in its impact and goals.

Looking back at my career, I was on a lot of contracts, which was always stressful, but I came to appreciate this later on as it kept me on my toes to keep my resume current and not to be shy to seek out opportunities. I always appreciated learning new things on the job and enjoyed working on multidisciplinary teams; I didn鈥檛 need to be an expert in everything but knowledgeable enough to think about it altogether in understanding trade-offs and making recommendations.

I never could have guessed where my career would lead me, but in retrospect, it seems to make sense, and I am proud of the work I have accomplished. When I retire, I hope to look back and feel the same way.