5 SOI Alumni on Being LGBTQ+ in their Field

Listen to this live discussion with folks within the SOI community from a variety of industries and backgrounds.

They shared their experiences navigating these spaces as members of the LGBTQ+ community and the importance of inclusivity.

This interview is made possible with support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Paul Sokoloff

Paul Sokoloff (he/him), is a botanist at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Ontario. After finishing an MSc on the taxonomy of rare Astragalus in Newfoundland and Labrador, he started working on the museum’s Arctic Flora research team, working to catalog the vascular plant biodiversity of Inuit Nunangat in Canada. When not studying the plants that grow in Nunavut or the Northwest Territories, Paul studies the plant and lichen diversity of Mars planetary analogs in southeast Utah. An alumni of the 2015 Students on Ice Arctic Expedition and Leg 11 of the Canada C3 Expedition, Paul is looking forward to discussing his experiences as a queer botanist working in the Arctic and beyond.

Siku Rojas

Siku is an Inuk from Iqaluit Nunavut, their mother is originally from Iglulik and their father is Quechua from Peguche, Ecuador. They are an alum of the United World College, attended the one in Victoria BC also known as Pearson College. As well as an alum of SOI from the 2019 Arctic Expedition.

They recently graduated from Nunavut Sivuniksavut online courses such as Inuit History, Inuit Contemporary Issues and the Study of the Nunavut Agreement (also known as the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement – NLCA).

Currently, Siku has started a new job as the Office Manager at Nanook Elementary School in Iqaluit, while trying to keep up with their artwork on social media. In the future, they plan to apply to an art school but haven’t decided on which one yet! They want to make interesting zero-waste art, clothing, and any other crafts they can think of. They also hope to organize a Precious Plastic workshop in Iqaluit for the community to have recycling at their core.

Anna Gaby-Trotz

Anna (she/her) often travels to the most remote places in Canada to examine our relationship to the land. Her current work explores her relationship to a landscape that is melting and changing before our eyes and collaborates with communities that are often marginalized. Whether working from the side of a river-bank, or in a college or university, Anna believes in the transformative power of art. After completing her MFA in Printmaking from The University of Alberta, Anna worked in Edmonton at Boyle Street Community Services. Here she built an inner city arts program for some of the most underprivileged people in Canada. More recently Anna worked as a photographer on a project called Be Our Ally, where she worked with rural youth examining issues of homophobia. Anna participated as an artist on board the C3 Expedition, where travelled through waters in British Columbia examining the environment and meeting people along the journey. Anna teaches for The Ontario College of Art and Design University, The University of Guelph, and The Haliburton School of the Arts. Anna currently works as the Technical Director for Open Studio in Toronto, where she collaborates with artists at all stages of their print practices to shape contemporary printmaking.

Mick Jefferies (moderator)

Mick Jefferies was born and raised in the Southern Labrador community of Charlottetown but moved to Fredericton, New Brunswick to pursue a Bachelor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Leadership. He is currently completing a law degree at UNB. Mick is a Students on Ice alum from the 2015 Arctic expedition. Mick also joined the Climate Action Cohort in 2019 with specific passions relating to storytelling, food security, and the intersectional impacts of climate change.