With a little help from our friends... and alumni

For many Environment students, that little push from a mentor is a game changer. It transforms uncertainty into confidence and aspirations into reality. 

Oluwabamise Afolabi , Department of Geography and Environmental Management, knows firsthand the impact mentors can have. As he prepares to graduate this spring, he reflects on his time in the Faculty of Environment and the mentors who have impacted his journey. 

" Mentoring is very important," he says. " I am more optimistic about the future after c’onnecting with alumni and other professionals have made impacts industry. This shows me that I can also make a positive change out there" 

For the past four years , Afolabi has studied how climate change will impact peatlands, in particular a temperate swamp peatland ’s ability to remain as net carbon sink or source (balance between intake and release) the future. It’s a topic that has received little attention despite the fact that s thern Ontario swamps store a substantial amount of carbon ( approximately 1.1 Petagram Carbon ) . 

Projecting into the future (2050s ), he analyzed how rising temperature and changes in precipitation patterns will impact Beverly Swamp ; one of the most well-preserved swamps in southern Ontario under the management of the Hamilton Conversation Authority. H is study estimate s that by the middle of the 21st century, th e amp peatland lose substantial amount of stored carbon but will mostly remain a carbon sink as the carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) sequestration exceeds 2 emission from swamp.

"As it gets dr ier and warmer , the swamp supports more mineralization of peat , thus making it less effective stor 2 from the atmosphere , " he says. " T o be able to tackle climate change, we strongly need to consider the role of nature-based solution s like preserving peatlands in climate change mitigation eff orts."

As much as Afolabi likes research, he is excited to graduate and return to work in industry. He previously worked in the electricity sector and hopes to now secure a job that will help incorporate environmental sustainability i n the different sectors of the economy. 

Helping him map out his route to that next destination has been industry leaders  Dr. Tej Gidda Gordon Lambert , and alumni Dr. Percy Korsah (PhD ’23) . "The interactions with these alumni and industry experts have been inspirational ," he says. " They have shared their career s’uccess stories and the pitfalls to look out for in the journey. Overall, i t’has been a good learning experience networking process for me."

Looking ahead to the future, Afolabi says that he is grateful for the people - his supervisor Dr. Maria Strack who is a Canada Research Chair in Ecosystems and Climate , as well as his mentors peers - who have made his experience at Waterloo worthwhile. " The interactions with these people have tremendously contributed to my success at Waterloo. I look forward to m t’a g these relat nships into the future. " 

In the spirit of the famous Beatles’ song, With a Little Help from My Friends , Afolabi ’s journey is a testament to the power of UWaterloo’s community and reminds us that no one succeeds alone.