Recognizing Rosa Na
It is with mixed emotions that we highlight the story of Rosa Na. For the past 4 years, Rosa has been the powerhouse of Natural Curiosity, dedicated to creating and delivering impactful programming on social and environmental sustainability, alongside reconciliation.
Few people in the world emulate such kindness, positivity, and generosity in their leadership; Rosa Na is one of those people. After completing her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science, Conservation, and Indigenous Studies at the University of Toronto, Rosa worked with various non-profit organizations until she started working as the Natural Curiosity Program Coordinator in 2018. From the onset, her determination, commitment to reconciliation, and genuine interest in the wellbeing of others were felt by everyone she crossed paths with. The start of Rosa’s career with Natural Curiosity was a pivotal time for the organization, as we were launching our 2nd edition resource – The Importance of Indigenous Perspectives in Children’s Environmental Inquiry. Without Rosa’s steadfast devotion to honouring Indigenous perspectives and unwavering support of our programming, Natural Curiosity would not be where it is today.
Serving as Natural Curiosity’s Program Manager for the last 2 years, Rosa played an integral part in the development of our 3-year strategic plan and has followed through by helping to create and deliver 20+ webinars, 8+ coaching groups, and 130+ workshops. Through Rosa’s vision and brave leadership, we have distributed over 13,000 copies of NC2 and have provided professional learning opportunities to 1,750,000+ Canadian educators and students to date. Her commitment to creating spaces for equitable participation and engagement, mentorship of countless graduate Program Assistants, alongside her unique ability to find innovative solutions to structural inequities, showcases her heart-based approach to management. Rosa’s support and commitment to creating transformative learning experiences has inspired thousands of educators to incorporate EE, Indigenous, and climate education across Turtle Island and the world.
Rosa's commitment to delivering impactful programming has not gone unnoticed. We are thrilled to announce that Rosa has been awarded the NAAEE’s EE 30 Under 30 award! Since 2016, NAAEE's EE 30 Under 30 program has recognized 210 individuals from 42 countries who are making a difference through environmental education. As an exceptional leader, Rosa has joined the global EE 30 Under 30 community of transformative leaders, expanding their impact as well as inspiring and mentoring the next generation of sustainability leaders with her unique and passionate commitment to meaningful change.
Rosa continues to stay committed to further developing and contributing her professional experience toward generating societal and environmental value for future generations as the Program Manager of Schulich ExecEd at York University. We wish her the best of luck as she starts a new chapter in her career. Chi Miigwetch, Rosa!