Garland (he/him) received the Thrive Youth Leadership Award in 2012. 

What’s one of your memorable moments from your time with Thrive Youth?

“I vividly remember seeing my first jazz piano lesson when I was in the program. Seeing those pianists share their wisdom and expertise helped me appreciate jazz more during that time. And, that memory has carried over to my ongoing hobby of playing jazz piano arrangements during my spare time after work.”

What are you doing now?

“In terms of my career, I received my Masters at Saint Mary’s University (Halifax, Canada) and I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Toronto. I mainly study how to balance human needs and wildlife in green spaces through an interdisciplinary lens (urban design, engineering, and ecology). I am very grateful for the opportunity to continue to cultivate my creativity, which involves contributing to exciting research projects. In the past, I’ve collaborated with other researchers (in Canada and across the world) on “bee hotels”, green roofs, park accessibility, wildlife conservation, and meadow restoration. I hope to continue on this career pathway as an ecologist in either an academic institution or a non-governmental organization. “