Ashley Benjamin Email & Phone Number

I’ve always enjoyed a challenge and finding solutions to problems. When I was first learning the violin, I was in a class with people who had musical theory knowledge, but I came with zero. That same day, I went home and studied the notes. When I returned to class, I was able to keep up with the other students. When I entered talent shows with no experience, I pushed myself and practiced often to produce a high quality performance and win the shows. When I was the worst player on the soccer team, I kept practising and moved from the weakest member to becoming the captain. These attributes have helped me in my love for strategy development and built a strong resilience, so I do not get intimated by a problem. For instance, in my past work experiences, I have been tasked with transitioning the Faculty of Science from in person labs to online, transitioning first-year students from high school to university successfully and developing the first UW hackathon with a focus on plastic reduction. Sustainability is another passion of mine, especially in relation to the climate, energy, water and plastic owing to my upbringing on a small island where these issues are prevalent. Planning the hackathon with a strong sustainability focus accelerated my interest in this field. Since then, I’ve written a children’s book that teaches about marine plastic pollution and how children can help. I’ve also moderated a panel discussion for World Water Day with top North American environmental equity researchers and activists.Finally, I have a few more passions. I’m a huge animal lover probably because I grew up with 6 dogs! I also enjoy volunteering at events that encourage racialized communities to enter STEM fields and performing and teaching people how to play the violin.

Listed skills include Broadcast Journalism, Editing, Social Media, Public Relations, and 20 others.

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  University Of Waterloo

  Honours Science, Chemistry And Earth Sciences Minor