Alumni turns focus on environment from childhood enjoyment to career

Being part of the environment as a youngster translated into caring for the environment as an adult and has earned Kuni Albert a place on the wall of her alma mater.
On May 12, Albert became a member of Keyano College’s Distinguished Alumni Wall of Fame during Keyano’s 46th Convocation.

“It was a bit of a shock at first,” said Albert of the recognition. “I did not expect such a great honour. Perhaps it can encourage other people. It will tell people that there is nothing that can hold you back. The opportunity is there and you just have to take it.”

Growing up in Fort Chipewyan as part of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Albert enjoyed walks in the forest, paddling on the Athabasca River, fishing with girlfriends at Lake Athabasca, trapping rabbits and hearing stories from the Elders.

Thinking of a post-secondary education, which would years later lead to recognition in her chosen field of environmental management, would have been completely foreign.

“Because Fort Chip was so isolated there was no thought of going to post-secondary. In fact, we probably didn’t know what that was and that an Aboriginal person could do that,” said Albert, who works as an environmental consultant for Calgary-based Matrix Solutions Inc.

“Any statistic will tell you that Aboriginal people are a small percentage leaving the community to get a higher education,” she added. But that trend is changing.
Albert’s one memory of a future career was to become a lawyer: “It seemed interesting and so far away in a big city. It was from a small town perspective in that being a lawyer you would be guaranteed work.”

Attending Grades 10-12 at Edmonton’s Victoria Composite High School, Albert, like many teenagers, found a cause. Her motivation was framed within the non-governmental environmental organization Greenpeace.

“It educated me in that there were other people out there…around the world… who were promoting environmental protection. With them I did the usual teenager things like going door-to-door canvasing and basic volunteering.”

This youthful passion evolved into a career path as her next step was to enroll in Keyano College’s two-year Natural Resources and Environment Technology diploma program in Fort McMurray.

“It fit my needs and was based on current industry and development of the region at that time,” said Albert, who was part of the original graduating class in 2000.

It was also during her Fort McMurray and Keyano tenure – she resided in the city from 1993 to 2001 - that she was part of the SunCorp Energy summer student co-op program. It was here, that the seed was planted for future intellectual growth.

“It was an education in that I learned about reclamation strategies. It was a wakeup call as well. So I decided to pursue it even further and get a university degree. I used that experience in a thesis.”

Albert would go on to receive a BSc Honours in Environmental Science and Geography from the University of Calgary and a master’s in Environment and Management from Royal Roads University.

 “I love my job and I am able to contribute and have the knowledge that I can make a difference,” she said. Albert now resides in Calgary.

“Kuni is being recognized for her educational achievements and entrepreneurial spirit and for her significant achievements as an Aboriginal woman providing leadership in environmental consulting and training,” said Cindy Amerongen, vice president, external relations with Keyano, in a press release.