Coaster’s Association Speaker Series 

Throughout the first half of 2021, the Coasters Association hosted multiple Speaker Series with students across the Lower North Shore. The Speaker Series is presentations by young professionals of the Lower North Shore to show the diverse careers available to youth in the region.

There have been a total of eight (8) Speaker Series presentations. Sarah Beaudoin gave the first presentation from Blanc Sablon. Sarah is studying medicine at the University of Laval and presented during the Curfew Extra-Curricular Activities on January 20, 2021, to four (4) students from across the Lower North Shore who wished to participate. The activities were organized by the Centre de service scolaire’s (CSSL) Student Life Animator, Sarah Iris Foster. On January 25, 2021, Christian Rowsell, a student in Aerospace Engineering at Concordia University, also presented during the Curfew Extra-Curricular Activities to three (3) students.

Mgr Scheffer School in Lourdes de Blanc Sablon was the first to host an in-class presentation on February 5, 2021, with Ahisha Jones, who is currently working on her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Laval. She is originally from Lourdes de Blanc Sablon and attended Mgr Scheffer School. She presented to fourteen (14) Secondary 3 students during their Personal Orientation Project (POP) class. This class aims to expose students to different careers and inform them of the post-secondary education necessary for those careers.

Following the Coastal Youth Summit, which took place on March 31, 2021, Netagamiou School in Chevery hosted multiple presentations. On April 15, 2021, the first took place with Megan Griffin-Buckle, a graphic designer from St. Paul’s River. Megan has a DEC in NewMedia and Publication Design from Heritage College. She presented to the Secondary 3 POP class of five (5) students. Their next presentation was with Shae-Lynn Roberts, a CEDFOB Research who studied Environmental Science at McGill University, on April 19, 2021, with the eight (8) Secondary 4 and 5 students. The final presentation hosted by Netagamiou School was on April 22, 2021, with Christian Rowsell during the Secondary 3 POP class of five (5) students. Shae-Lynn and Christian are both from St. Paul’s River as well.

The final school to participate in the Speaker Series was St. Paul’s School in St. Paul’s River. They hosted two (2) presentations during their Secondary 3 POP class with five (5) students. The first presentation was with Christian Rowsell on May 11, 2021. The second presentation was on May 14, 2021, with Melanie Robertson, the Development & Communications Agent for the MRC du Golfe du Saint Laurent. Melanie has a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communications from the University of Ottawa and is from La Tabatière.