Certificate Spotlight Series

Explore this short series to gain insights from advisors mentoring students and hear about the experiences of students completing their Certificate in Sustainability.

Featured students and alumni

Meet some of the students who have earned Certificates in Sustainability and learn about their integrative projects.

Meryn Severson with a vibrant smile

Measuring social sustainability in affordable housing

Certificate in Sustainability alumna Meryn Severson puts social sustainability into practice at Capital Region Housing.

Nikki Wa in a graduation gown with a beaming and radiant smile

Sustainability bears fruit for ALES grad

For Nikki Way, setting up a campus farmers’ market in her first year was a taste of success that influenced the rest of her degree.

Ranon Soans smiling

On the Front Lines of Urban Resilience

Certificate of Sustainability alumnus Ranon Soans is helping build stronger communities in Edmonton.

Vada Antonakis smiling

Protecting Heritage in the face of Climate Change

Certificate in Sustainability alumna Vada Antonakis headed back to school to connect the dots between heritage buildings and climate resilience.

Robin Fancey will graduate in June 2026 from the Baccalauréat en Éducation program at the University of Alberta's Faculté Saint-Jean. Her research interests are primarily centered on systemic barriers within the education system. Robin's Certificate in Sustainability integrative project, titled “Identity conflicts and ethical considerations for Canadians’ heritage-based claims to identity,” focuses on social sustainability. Through the explanation of underlying principles and theories in the fields of psychology and sociology as well as contextualized examples, the project offers paths for critical self-reflection when it comes to identifying with heritage from which an individual may be disconnected.

Check out Robin's website below!

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Kismat Othman is a Bachelor of Education student concurrently completing certificates in Sustainability and International Learning. Her academic interests focus on global citizenship and place-based environmental pedagogy. Kismat’s integrative project, “From Playground to Ocean: How Local Litter Becomes a Global Problem,” helps young learners understand the connection between local actions and global environmental health. By tracing litter through storm drains and waterways, the project makes waste pathways visible and meaningful for students. Through this hands-on approach, Kismat encourages learners to recognize that every piece of litter prevented on the playground helps reduce pollution in the ocean and empowers them to become responsible stewards in an interconnected world.

For more information, visit the website:

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Arooba Jamshaid graduated in March 2026 with a Bachelor of Education (Elementary). Her academic interests include sustainability education, multiculturalism, community engagement and curriculum design. Arooba’s capstone project, “Community Garden of Cultures”, is an integrative K-6 teaching resource that blends environmental learning with cultural storytelling to help students explore identity, diversity and ecological care through hands-on, classroom-friendly activities.

Check out her work at the following links:

ResearchGate  Share My Lesson  Academia.edu  

Maya Krizan graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in June 2025, majoring in Finance and minoring in Operations Management. Her academic interests include finance, macroeconomics, technology optimization and sustainability. For her integrative project, Maya explored how renewable energy stimulates economic growth by leveraging technological advancements and operational efficiency. This project demonstrates how renewables, as increasingly cost-effective energy sources, play a critical role in powering all sectors of the economy, ultimately leading to broader economic benefits.

Check out Maya's website below:

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Moussa Ali graduated with a degree in business law and economics in June 2024. With a passion for entrepreneurship, Moussa explores innovative ways to integrate sustainability practices into our daily lives. For his Certificate in Sustainability (CIS) integrative research project, he presents us with a short vlog exploring sustainable fashion topics. The vlog touches on issues such as the environmental burden caused by the fashion industry and how our spending habits can help limit that. He also explores using materials within homes or thrift stores to make clothing we can wear and enjoy.

Ashley Abrahart graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Honours Psychology in June 2024. She was excited to begin a job with Sustain SU the following summer, as she is passionate about sustainability and its intersection with psychology and sociology.

Outside of this domain, Ashley worked in Dr. Colbourne’s lab, studying treatments and therapies for stroke. Her integrative project for the Certificate of Sustainability focused on how sustainable initiatives are often spearheaded by women and on the reasons and rationales behind this relationship.

Check out her project below:

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Headshot fo Ashley Abrahart

Meghan Grenke (she/her) graduated in June 2023 with a Bachelor of Sciences degree, majoring in Earth and Atmospheric Science and minoring in Mathematics. She has a special interest in atmosphere and climate modeling and has developed a passion for sustainability and a drive to learn about global innovative sustainable practices.

Stephanie Haeubl (she/her) graduated in June 2023 with a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Biological Sciences and Psychology. She is passionate about the long-term sustainable management of the environment and economy and is a strong advocate for increasing accessibility to environmentally conscious options for everyone. 

Meghan and Stephanie were friends and classmates since childhood and have collaborated on many projects. Their unique skill sets and educational backgrounds, augmented by the complementary partnership that they have built over the years, led them to develop a shared integrative project for the Certificate in Sustainability. This project aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of Ecobricks, their place in sustainable practices, and examples of their worldwide and local applications. 

Click link below to visit their website!

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Meghan Grenke (left) and Stephanie Haeubl (right)

Ecobricks website banner thats says Overview and Applications

Veronica Leonard (she/her) graduated in November 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Conservation Sciences, majoring in Economics and Policy. For her Certificate in Sustainability (CIS) integrative research project, she conducted an interview with Leftovers, a non-profit organization that helps divert food waste. The environmental and social impacts of food waste are large-scale and preventable. Grassroots organizations like Leftovers promote a more sustainable and equitable future. We hope you enjoy this podcast interview with Suraya Hudson, the Director of Operations at Leftovers.

Dakota Sullivan (he/him) graduated in June 2023 with a degree in Conservation Biology. During his post-secondary career, he gained a strong interest in the management of fisheries and freshwater ecosystems. “Sustainability in Alberta’s Trapping Industry” is an integrative project that examines the environmental, economic, and social pillars of the fur trapping industry in Alberta. It is designed as an informational piece to educate the public about actions taken in modern-day fur-bearer conservation.

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Certificate in Sustainability Integrative Projects Playlist

The capstone integrative project gets students out of the classroom to solve real-world challenges. Check out the integrative projects playlist to see what some of our students have accomplished through their projects.


Library of Integrative Projects

The integrative projects available for viewing have been provided by past graduates of the Certificate in Sustainability. Thank you to everyone who has shared their work!

Note: If you are having issues accessing the documents below, we recommend using Safari or Google Chrome. Still not working? Instead of directly clicking on each document, right-click and open in a separate tab.