Month: July 2024

The University of Alberta may have one of the best summer gigs going.

Forget office jobs. Since being launched in 2020, Indigenous students hired onto one of the research projects through the U of A’s I-STEAM Pathways (I-STEAM) program could spend their summer studying water toxicity, regenerative agriculture, environmental policy or flood forecasting tools—just to name a few.

“Many of our interns are actually hired out of non-STEM-related fields of study,” says Dr. Makere Stewart-Harawira, professor at Edmonton-based University of Alberta and original co-founder of the I-STEAM Pathways program. “They might be enrolled in a health or psychology program, but this internship offers an opportunity to explore an enormous variety of other fields in engineering, biology or agriculture.”

The I-STEAM program is the first of its kind in Canada, and is dedicated to giving Indigenous students the opportunity to engage in environmental research, ideally leading them to consider it as a future career path.

“There is a real call in both the research community and within Indigenous communities to increase the number of Indigenous people in positions of authority in environmental policy,” says Dr. Stewart-Harawira.

Open to students in their first year of undergraduate studies and upwards, I-STEAM matches students with carefully selected research projects and a dedicated mentor for a four-month paid internship over the summer.

Last year, the program hired 18 students to environmental research projects, up from 16 in 2022. While the upward trend is encouraging, the program’s ability to accept research proposals and facilitate summer internships is entirely donor dependent.

In 2023, Alliance Pipeline donated $60,000 to the I-STEAM Pathways program as part of its commitment to communities. The funding facilitated internships for the program and contributed to research costs and student wages. After a 24-year span, Enbridge sold its ownership interest in Alliance to Pembina Pipeline Corporation in April 2024.

The research projects are not just confined to labs—they often have real-world impact.

Jordan Eleniak, a 2023 I-STEAM program participant and Metis student hailing from Lac La Biche, AB, developed a device that helps predict algae blooms during his internship. Eleniak is also the president of the U of A’s Indigenous in STEM Students Association.

“Jordan’s work is exactly the type of hands-on research that we get excited about,” says. Dr. Stewart-Harawira. “I am constantly moved by the interchange of knowledge and witnessing as students build a passion and interest in their environment.”

Dr. Stewart-Harawira, who is New Zealand Maori, arrived in Alberta in 2004 with the intention of spending “four or five” in Alberta, and ultimately to launch a program around Indigenous environmental education.

But 20 years later, she’s still here, with I-STEAM Pathways programming running strong, thanks at least in part to the good work of her co-leads in the program, Navajo environmental engineer Dr. Chelsea Benally and biological scientist Dr. Greg Goss, both at the University of Alberta and equally dedicated to the program.

“I guess I’ve just been having so much fun,” she says.

Originally published on GoDaddy Resource Library

By: Mark McCaffrey, GoDaddy CFO

In May, I enjoyed sitting down with Jennifer Carson, the inspiring owner of Sonoma Cake Creations and Sonoma Sauces. Jennifer has turned her passion into not one but two flourishing businesses. Her story is one of resilience, family, creativity, and dedication. I’m excited to share highlights from our discussion.

A special thank you to Adam Housley for letting us meet with Jennifer in his wine-tasting room, Housley Napa Valley. Adam is a small business owner and, like Jennifer, is another GoDaddy customer who supports local businesses. (Adam sells Sonoma Sauces in his shop.)

Jennifer has been running her dessert company, Sonoma Cake Creations, for nearly 25 years, a journey that started unexpectedly. Initially, she enjoyed working on cars, but her path took a dramatic turn when she baked a cake for a relative’s wedding. 

This wasn’t just any cake; it was for a wedding in San Francisco with 400 guests!

Despite having no formal culinary training (she had taken one four-week class on wedding cake making to meet the credits to keep her scholarship), the success of the cake sparked an idea: If she could do this for free, why not make money from it?

Her foray into sauces began almost by accident. At the Sonoma County Harvest Fair, she entered her dark cherry zinfandel sauce into the pantry category. To her surprise, it won Double Gold and Best of Show.

Encouraged by this success and advice from a renowned local chef, she decided to pursue sauce-making more seriously and Sonoma Sauces was born. Her subsequent creations, like the blackberry merlot and mango pinot grigio sauces, have all won Double Gold, proving her exceptional talent.

Her philosophy is simple yet profound: less is more. She refuses to use preservatives and focuses on a few high-quality products. Her sauces are unique and unmatched in the market and her dedication to quality and innovation is evident in every jar.

Her journey hasn’t been without challenges. The 2017 Tubbs Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in United States history that burned more than 36,000 acres in northern California, devastated her business, destroying years of contacts, financial records and supplies (including her sauces) stored at her business and at her mother’s home.

The pandemic added another layer of difficulty as she balanced working over 30 hours a week at a hospital with her side hustles. Eventually, an injury forced her to leave the hospital, allowing her to focus entirely on her business.

Exciting developments are on the horizon for Sonoma Cake Creations and Sonoma Sauces. Jennifer, with the support of her family, dreams of opening a brick-and-mortar store in Sonoma, expanding her cheesecake line to ship across the U.S., and would love to introduce a line of wine-based ice creams. 

My tasting session confirmed the exceptional quality of her products, and I believe they have the potential to become a well-known brand.  

 Jennifer has used GoDaddy products for more than 20 years, I shared with her our new advancements with GoDaddy Airo™, our intelligent experience that proactively helps anyone build and grow their business with the power of AI. We discussed how it will soon allow for seamless integration with her GoDaddy site, enhancing her online presence.

Her children, for whom she has already bought domains, are also excited to try out GoDaddy Airo to create websites for their businesses. Because Jennifer sells at a lot of events, having a payment system that seamlessly integrates is also important, and she’s excited to learn more about GoDaddy’s payment offerings.

My chat with Jennifer was an inspiring journey through a story of passion, resilience and innovation. We are excited to support her as she takes her business to new heights, and I am eager to see her dreams become a reality.

At GoDaddy, we love our customers, and I’m thrilled to continue to share these inspiring stories. Until next time!

Cheers,

Mark