GUIDING FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES

"I remember the first day when Temi welcomed us all to the course and broke down the syllabus and course content. I still remember his genuine enthusiasm for the material that was going to be covered over the course period. I also remember many of the subjects being taught throughout the course from environmental policies and legislations to public participation in environmental law and indigenous rights all being relevant to the past and current schemes in Canada. It was exciting to know that we would be learning so much in such a short time and that we would be working in groups to develop a final report at the end of the course that had the potential to be published in collaboration with Temi.

I felt so motivated throughout the course to work hard with my group members to deliver on what Temi had expected from us at the end. As such, I embarked in what felt like a fun process together with my team members, a group of equally enthusiastic and knowledgeable individuals to produce satisfactory results. Temi was very supportive not just in the classroom setting but beyond to assist us throughout the process. This additional support and undivided attention from him allowed us to excel beyond what we had previously though was possible. Our hard work and dedication throughout the course saw my group achieve success in our final project titled: 'public Participation in Environmental Policy: Towards a Holistic Approach in Canada.'

The goal of this project was to investigate the approach of stakeholders such as government, industry and indigenous peoples to public participation in Canada, claiming that Canada should move towards a more holistic approach which considers both state and non-state norms that should shape public policy. Temi was impressed with the work that was conducted during this project and approached us with the idea of publication. I took lead as second author to continue making necessary revisions in collaboration with Temi to develop the manuscript for publication. The paper was later submitted to the Journal of Public Deliberation in 2015.

Temi continues to be my mentor throughout my personal and academic life as we have remained in contact through email and LinkedIn. I knew after my wonderful experience with Temi, as one of his top students, that I wanted him to represent me as one of my three references for my graduate application for the Masters of Sustainable Environmental Management (MSEM) program at the University of Saskatchewan. Temi happily agreed to complete the reference letter and provided the committee members for the application with a very compelling and thoughtful letter.

It has been and continue to be a pleasure working with him in any aspect of his life. As a professor he has put so much of himself into shaping the minds of his students and in setting them up for much success not just in the classroom but throughout their future aspirations. Personally, Temi has been so instrumental in shaping my own professional career thus far. His knowledge, advice and support has truly made all the difference in expanding my potential in environmental research. Temi not only continues to be one of my most valued and distinguished mentors but has remained a close friend. I want to thank him for all that he has done for me so far and I wish him the very best in all his personal and professional endeavours in the future."