Rachel Irwin

Meet your friendly neighbourhood nature nerd! Rachel is a certified Master Naturalist with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and postgraduate degree in Environmental Visual Communication. She developed Nature's NEAR to share her passion and knowledge of the environment  with the younger generation and empower them to get outdoors and take positive action! As the Environmental Leadership & Sustainability Manager for the Board, Rachel coordinates and supports Halton's environmental initiatives.

Rachel spends much of her time outdoors. She enjoys bird watching and identifying different plants, mushrooms, and insects. She has a knack for revealing what is often overlooked! 

Meet our newest addition to the team, the adventurous and fun loving nature enthusiast, Grish. Grishnavie is a recent graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Biology. Her experiences in the field of wildlife and passion for learning has led her to take on this role where she can share her dedication to environmental leadership and shape the experiences of youth through experiential learning. 

Grish loves the outdoors, and spends much of her time exploring the wilderness, flying birds and wrangling animals of all shapes and sizes. Her drive to spread love, positivity and learning makes her the perfect successor to the Nature’s NEAR program

Griffin is a Grade 12 student at M. M. Robinson High School, who heads their school’s eco club. They are highly involved in their school community, and can often be found in the library or at trivia games.

In their free time, you can find them reading, writing, or doing various crafts, as well as fixing things around the house. They’re nothing if not active!

In their future, they’d like to go to Guelph for Ecology, but never really want to stop learning.

Sierra is a Grade 12 at Aldershot High School. She likes learning about the sciences and was in the ECO-Studies SHSM.

On her free time, you can find her exploring outside, either canoeing, hiking, or biking. She enjoys bird watching and watching for any other wildlife when outside and camping. 

In her future, she wants to go to university to study and protect the ecosystem and all of the creatures that inhabit it.

Hannah is a Grade 12 student at Abbey Park High School. They enjoy science, tabletop games, and reading! Hannah’s favourite thing in the whole world is walking their dog Kevin.

In the future they would like to pursue a career where they can spend as much time as possible outdoors.

Hannah loves bugs. If you have a fun fact about bugs it would make their day to hear it.

Sara is a 11th-grade student at Abbey Park High School and is enrolled in the International Development, Law and Social Justice SHSM. 

She loves the summertime and exploring the oceans, finding joy in the beauty of nature. Sara spends her free time listening to music and playing with her dog, Coco. 

She is passionate about understanding human behaviour and advocating for human rights. In the future, she hopes to pursure a career in sociology, psychology, and social justice. She hopes to work towards creating meaningful change in our society!

Shayan is a grade 11 student at Abbey Park High School. He enjoys learning about law and finance, as he aspires to work in this field one day.

He loves spending time with his friends and family, whether he;s hiking with family or playing a sport with his friends. When the weather is good you can find Shayan outdoors.

In his free time he likes exploring new places with friends or family. He also enjoys the triumph that comes with trying new things.

This is Maddison she is a grade 12 student at burlington central high school. She enjoys reading and listening to music during her free time

She is part of multiple school extracurriculars such as stage crew for the school musical, the wrestling team, girls rugby team, the reach club and the baking club. 

In the future she is looking to pursue a career in community and justice services at Mohawk college.

Max is a grade 12 student at M. M. Robinson High School. She is highly involved in theatre extracurricular activities while also being enrolled in the Arts & Culture SHSM. 

Max will be going to school for environmental geosciences to further her understanding what happens in/to the environment.

She enjoys having a busy schedule, and that includes working, school, extracurriculars, events, along with running  or teaching school events. 

Brooklyn is an 11th grade student from M.M. Robinson High School. When she has free time she loves to play basketball, go on hikes and bake!

In her future, she wants to work as a social worker specializing in children and youth. 

She has always been a people person and loves to socialize. Brooklyn loves to play board games with her friends, loves listening to music and going on walks.

Jaime is a Grade 11 student at M.M Robinson. She’s a part of the French Immersion program and loves exploring both French and English language courses. 

Jaime is passionate about working and learning with students and she hopes to be a teacher in the future. She loves sharing her interests with others and meeting new people.

In her spare time, she loves to read and spends most of her time with her nose buried in a book. But she also enjoys going on walks, listening to music, and hanging out with friends and family.

William is a Grade 12 Student at M. M. Robinson High School. He has a passion for all things photography and he especially loves to be out in nature when he has some free time. 

In the future he plans on pursuing a career in media or marketing. He hopes to help create meaningful connections with people through his photography and art. 

In his free time he loves to go for walks and explore new places in nature. He also enjoys being artistic whether it’s photography or drawing.

Eden is a grade 12 student from Burlington Central High School. Last year she completed the eco-studies SHSM at Aldershot High School. 

She loves all sorts of activities such as hiking, photography, sculpting, and baking. As well as volunteering at the Humane Society during her freetime.

In the future, she is hoping to get into University of Guelph to study Zoology, and pursue the study of animal behaviors.

Axie is a grade 12 student at M. M. Robinson High School, participating in the French Immersion program. She loves reading and spending time  with her family and friends.

Axie is interested in pursuing sociology in the future, and wants to help people for a living. She is hopes to continue learning about our world and the way it works!

During their free time, Axie loves to go on relaxing nature walks. They especially love spending time in the water during the summertime!

Georgia is a Grade 12 student at M. M. Robinson High School. She is enrolled in the Arts and Culture SHSM but loves exploring many different industries, completing construction and communications technology courses.

In the future she aspires to work in film and media leaving her able to continue to explore.

One thing that is always been a staple for her through her in differing activities is her love of nature. Georgia’s favorite way to spend a weekend is camping with friends and exploring nature through land and and water.

Jaslyne is a Grade 12 student at Garth Webb Secondary School who is enrolled in the environmental SHSM. She loves to play sports like hockey, rugby, and archery, as well as enjoy reading, photography and sewing.

In the future, Jaslyne is aiming to pursue a career in environmental science so that they can help solve problems regarding the climate crisis.

She loves to spend time relaxing in the outdoors by going camping, canoeing, and stargazing with friends. During the summer you will always find her having a blast at camp!

Mya is an 11th grade student from Burlington Central High School. while she’s putting most of her focus on the arts and foods, she still loves writing stories and math.

In her future, she wants to go to culinary school to get her red seal and become a chef.

She has always been a music person, Mya plays the flute and loves singing with her friends.  She also loves different games, from video to board (especially Uno).