Emily Jubenvill (‘01) – “IPS fostered my sense of place ….”

November 18, 2009 – 2:04 pm

What did I take away from four years of study at IPS? Where to start? Countless memories of unforgettable experiences – some that made me challenge my comfort barriers, and others that still make me laugh out loud. A few stand out from the rest.

IPS gave me the freedom to explore things I was curious about, and develop them into passions. The occasional open ended assignment, the Masterworks project, and a strong conviction for open mindedness in all the teachers and students was amazing. This made learning a passionate and engaging experience for me – something to get excited about. Academically, I’ve always felt prepared to face what was presented to me. Don’t get me wrong, I have still done my fair share of stressing out at exam time, and it was never easy, but I had already learnt that the hard work always paid off and learning engaged that passion I’d developed at IPS.

The common IPS saying, “be prepared to stretch your comfort bubble,” used to make me cringe. In the beginning, I felt my bubble was more like a brick wall. The occasionally tear stained teen angst moment, and a lot of opportunities to face both success and failure in a supportive environment eventually led to a different outlook. Whether it was hiking up a too-tall mountain or the next complicated stoichiometric equation, my definition of what was and was not possible to achieve changed drastically over my four years at IPS, and continued to evolve after leaving. I look forward challenging my ‘bubble’ these days.

Perhaps most importantly, IPS fostered my ’sense of place’. ‘Sense of place’ is an intense connection to a place that is created through an understanding of the history of that land, and a connection to the people and the physical environment. IPS gave me the opportunity to develop this ’sense of place,’ and to understand my role and responsibility to act on my respect for the place that shaped me. It may seem basic, but a deep connection to this place makes me thoughtful of what and who surrounds me and is what drives me to try to make the world a better place. In my community work throughout Vancouver it is also a building block that I see missing too often.

After pausing life in Vancouver for an opportunity on the other side of the Pacific, today I’m studying permaculture in New Zealand. I’m hoping to bring back what I learn here to share with my community with the goal of decreasing our cities’ footprint on the planet.

In the new year I’ll be back in Vancouver and jumping back into running a small carbon consulting business, starting a few new community gardens with the Vancouver Public Space Network, building momentum around the green collar economy, and continuing work on communicating the implications of and solutions for climate change. The energy, determination, and inspiration to work on these issues was fostered by the engaging, supportive, and boundary-pushing environment of IPS.

So …THANK YOU, Island Pacific School!

I can’t say I would be where I am today without you.

Happy 15th Anniversary.

Emily Jubenvill (‘01)