My Story

I grew up in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, surrounded by rivers and the ocean, so water has always been part of my life. After high school, I began my post‑secondary path at Dalhousie’s agricultural campus (NSAC) in Bible Hill, completing two years of a Bachelor of Science before transferring to Lakehead University in Ontario. That’s where I finished my first degree — an Honours Bachelor of Arts & Science — with a focus on freshwater quality.

At Lakehead, I had the chance to work in the lab, analyzing substrate samples from the Trent–Severn Waterway. My honours project was based on these samples. I spent my days spinning them down, pouring agar plates, and growing bacteria to count and identify what was present. I also analyzed periphyton and phytoplankton — important indicators of water health. I logged what felt like endless hours at the microscope with My Fair Lady playing in the background, and surprisingly, I loved every minute. That’s when I realized environmental sciences were where I belonged.

It was also during my years in Ontario that I truly fell in love with lakes. Coming from a place where rivers rush and oceans churn, lakes felt different — calm, steady and grounding. There’s nothing quite like floating on still water or sitting on the shore listening to gentle waves and watching the sun set.

I’ve always believed people should follow their passions, but for a long time I wasn’t sure what my own strengths were beyond being deeply interested in science. Then my mother and I were looking through my childhood schoolwork — all of which she kept, much to her satisfaction — and we found something I had written around age ten: I wanted to be a teacher. Looking back, that love of learning and sharing knowledge had been there all along.

Over time, I realized I didn’t want to be a classroom teacher so much as a professor. That led me to pursue a Bachelor of Education in the Intermediate/Senior division at Nipissing University, with a double major in Sciences and English. I wanted to learn not just what to teach, but how to teach. After graduating, I moved to Kananaskis, Alberta, where I currently reside.

Today, I’m continuing my journey in the Environmental Education and Communication Master’s program at Royal Roads University, and all the threads of my story — my love of water, my passion for science, and my commitment to education — have come together in my Major Research Project.

As part of this project, I delivered a series of workshops on blue‑green algae in Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia. Those sessions showed me how much people want accessible, trustworthy information about their local waters. They also made it clear that communities need a resource they can return to long after the workshop ends.

Creating this website is the culmination of all these experiences and the end of my Master’s journey. It brings together my scientific background, my love of teaching and my commitment to community education. It serves as a companion to my workshops, providing reliable information, resources and tools for understanding blue‑green algae. It also allows communities to book future workshops with me and continue learning at their own pace.

In many ways, this website represents the heart of my journey — using science and education to help people feel informed, empowered and connected to the waters around them.

Contact

kelseyhiggs7@gmail.com

(902)759-1044