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My name is Callie Brougham. I am in the last term of my Liberal Arts Bachelor's degree, Majoring in Interdisciplinary studies at Capilano University. I also have an Outdoor Recreation Degree from Capilano University. I am applying for a post-graduate bachelor's degree in elementary school teaching.

My paid work predominantly centers around working children and youth. I have coached gymnastics part-time and full-time for the past 12 years. In the summers, I am a kayak guide and instructor in the Átl'ka7tsem/ Howe Sound.

I grew up on Nexwlélexwm/Bowen Island, BC, located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples within the Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw/Squamish Nation. Growing up kayaking, trail running, skiing and exploring in and around the Átl'ka7tsem/ Howe Sound area is where I developed my love and passion for sport and nature starting in my early childhood. My appreciation and love for nature, including my desire to protect it, comes from spending a lot of time outdoors as a kid. My studies at Capilano University have focused on environmental studies and community development in the context of social sciences.

My ongoing inquiry and research centers around how we can better care of each other, including our planet. I aim to integrate what I have learned in my studies at Capilano and my work experiences to create a learning environment where there is not just academic learning taking place, but respect for each other, inquiry, and connection can thrive.

I grew up kayaking in the Átl'ka7tsem/ Howe Sound, and now I kayak guide and instruct in the area throughout the summer months. Even though I have spent lots of time paddling in the area, I still get to know the coast better each year.

From April to mid-August, I saw this one eagle every day I kayaked. Passing them perched on this tree off Miller Landing Point. I would pass that tree sometimes six times a day or twice a week, depending on what my tasks were in a week. The Eagle is always watching for their next catch. Most days, I see the Eagle focused and staring at the water. When ready, they float down, making big swooping circles to zone in on their prey. Then, with intention, grasp the water empty-handed and fly back to the scouting tree.

One day, I kayaked up to the corner and saw no eagle, which was not out of the ordinary and would happen, depending on the time of day. When I turned the corner, I noticed the Eagle picking at a huge Coho Salmon. At least, I believe it is a Coho, as they are in season, and my co-worker had seen a Harbour Seal enjoying and throwing one around earlier that week.

The guests were overjoyed to see this Eagle eating a Salmon so close to us on the shoreline. I was also overjoyed and pleased to witness the Eagle's hard work pay off. I have also never seen an eagle eating a salmon so close to the kayak shop.

During the Kayak season, I witnessed things in the Átl'ka7tsem/ Howe Sound that I didn't when I was younger growing up in the area. In the summer of 2023, everyone talked about how the water was so clear. I saw killer whales and fell asleep to humpback noises I had never heard before; they were so loud it was hard to sleep. I saw sea lions come close up to the shore that we happened to be sitting on and start jumping and catching fish. Harbour seals have an abundance of swimming and tanning in their unique spots where they can hide from predators. Sea Stars in abundance after continuously returning after wasting diseases, killing thousands in the summer of 2013.

I can see that the Átl'ka7tsem/ Howe Sound on the surface level appears healthy each year, and it is. Others, such as co-workers, friends and guests, were also impressed and noticed these increased signs of health. Átl'ka7tsem/ Howe Sound is healthier and recovering from heavy pollution caused by industrialization during colonization. However, there is still more work that needs to be done.

In a class TOUR 455 – Adventure Tourism for Community-based Economic Development, I researched Why it is essential to protect the Glass Sponge Reefs (a keystone species) for the longevity of the Átl'ka7tsem/Howe Sound. Three of my peers and I wrote two policy memos on how tourism can increase environmental sustainability and increase social capital in the scuba diving community in Átl'ka7tsem/ Howe Sound.

I was privileged to grow up in an environment where I participated in organized sports where I could develop good physical literacy and fundamentals. However, I still had a lot of time for free play. There were many times when I could be creative, silent, listen, make discoveries, and play with movement. That has shaped my inquiry and how I approach learning and teaching when in nature. That learning can be slow and can sometimes be non-linear. When teaching kayak camps, learning can happen organically through asking questions and discovering the environment around us, and it doesn't always have to be planned or structured.

How I coach gymnastics has been built on my life experiences, including the ones I have had here at Capilano University. I got to collaborate on choreography, coach, and be an athlete representing Canada at a world gymnastics event in Amsterdam in July of 2023. I am lucky enough that this was my 4th time participating in the World Gymnastrada event as an athlete or coach.

Leading up to the World Gymnastrada event, our team created an environment where discovery and experimenting with movement got us to the final product. I thought a lot about the value of the athletes from ages 10 to 16 contributing to the routine. Those athletes added creative and meaningful additions to the routine. Through that process, I was thinking about what I have learned here at Capilano and how giving space for kids to teach you and discover on their own to create innovative ideas is essential. I can teach good fundamentals and explain why doing skills in a certain way can be important because it took many people before us trial and error to figure out the best way. However, it does not always have to be this one-way coach-and-athlete relationship; creativity and discovery are essential when creating art.