Over half a year travelling on a journey and the journey has just begun.
I have been opened up to a new way of living – learning and growing.
Living life with intention, inspiration, consideration, understanding,
accepting and being. I have learned that you can put your trust in the
universe and that it will provide.

Even when things aren’t going right, there is a reason, and it’s
taking a step back to understand why.Trust in the world. Trust in
others choices. Know they too have reasons for the decisions
and choices they have made. Respect.

Travelling is a beautiful time to reconnect with yourself and with
others, impacting, inspiring, motivating and sharing.
Freedom.

I do feel this was that journey, living on my own. Being independent
and pulling through.I made it! I did my time! And now I’m
heading back to the real world.

Don’t forget all of this. Continue to breathe and embrace and remember
everything is exactly as it should be. People are on their own paths and
cross when they are supposed to.
But as people’s values and outlook on life change, so do their paths.
So accept. Be thankful for where you are at. You are present. Listen.
Be aware. Be open. Learn.

You could always think that the situation you have been placed
in could be different.
“The grass is always greener on the other side”. But really, the grass
could be worse on the other side, so there is no point in thinking
ahead when the future is always changing.
So don’t create expectations for anything, only for yourself.
Expecting yourself to be grateful with what life brings.
Knowing and remembering that you are your own support system,
willing to receive from your own love.
Smile. Laugh. Feel comfort from your own state.

The way I feel is based on how I choose to perceive and look at
the world. The way my eyes sit, my brain moves.
Balance.

Be aware. Have patience.

I will continue to make mistakes, but I will stop when I’ve learned.
So mistakes are learning and that is okay, as long as others aren’t
affected by my mistakes.

A big lesson is to detach. Let go, and bring in the new.
Look back on memories with a smile for what was, rather than being sad
that what was, is not now.
All things go and that’s okay.

It just pushes me to live in the present and appreciate things,
moments and people for that sacred moment.

Remember your motives. Remember to enjoy. Do what you love. Travel to
explore! Go on adventures!
Stick to your word! Exercise! Dance! Meditate! Breathe! Paint! Sing!
Learn to really play guitar!

You can make anything happen, just have a keen sense of direction.
Time does fly by. Moments occur and then fade. Remember
those moments,for they are special.

When it comes time to say bye, it’s not about the bye, it’s about the
times that were shared during.

Nourish your body with healthy food, friends and the environment.
Be in nature to flourish. Make it your base.
Find time, for as little as there is, there is so much.
You always have enough time to do what needs doing.
One task, one step at a time. Fully commit and invest
your time in any given situation.

To every problem there is a solution. One can either dwell on the
problem or seek for a solution.
The cup is either half full or half empty.
Find the good in all. Make dark into light, and accept.
People experience and understand things differently or perhaps at a
different time.

So stand by your own thoughts, stand by YOUR self.
Be open and always willing to communicate and understand to be at peace.
Warm love. Love for everyone, always, with an open heart and mind.
Ground to the earth and feel its energy.
ONE LOVE

Haris is now on a 16-month paid internship placement with IBM Canada. As a Web Application Developer, Haris is in charge of the coding, design and maintenance of certain parts of the IBM website. “I really like that I’m actually doing something with my education,” says Haris. “I’m working on things like e-commerce websites and applications for phones and tablets. It’s fantastic experience.”

At York, Haris was able to take design courses (a passion of his) while pursuing Computer Science, something that helped him land his internship. “I have always enjoyed design but Computer Science seemed more practical,” says Hairs, “but working at IBM allowed me to combine both.”

Not only did York give Haris hands-on experience in the classroom but it also allowed him to take courses in other subjects, giving him the edge that helped him get an internship at one of the top technology companies in the world.

I began my journey in academia as an undergraduate student enrolled in York University’s Biology program. Having been interested in the outdoors throughout my childhood, I was quickly attracted to ecology- and conservation-based courses. This is where I met my current graduate supervisor.

I had taken a course in animal population biology, which involved a lab session where we captured and banded Black-capped Chickadees at a woodlot on York campus. I was quite interested in avian biology and discussed with the course director, Dr. Bridget Stutchbury, my interest in studying migratory birds for my honours thesis. From here I won two NSERC Undergraduate  Student Research Awards and was able to perform a two-year study on the breeding behaviour of Wood Thrush at a field site in northwestern Pennsylvania.

Following undergrad and this recent experience, I wished to pursue graduate studies in the area of tropical migratory bird ecology. I gained experience in tropical avian biology through a two-month job in Maui, Hawaii working as an avian technician on the endangered honeycreepers that inhabit the Hawaiian Islands.

The species of interest here was a bird known as the Maui Parrotbill that had a remaining population of only 500 individuals. Handling one of these rare birds in the field, I realized the importance of conservation based research and this experience was a big motivator for pursuing graduate school!

Currently, I am an MSc student in Ecology and Evolution within the Department of Biology at York.  As a member of the Stutchbury lab, I have been given the training needed to perform high quality research projects, give conference presentations and analyze information critically and effectively.

I am currently working on a project which investigates the factors enabling migratory birds to acquire territory while wintering in Central America. My study takes me to the remote rainforests of southern Belize where I work with a team of local Mayan technicians studying the wintering ecology of a small migratory warbler, the Ovenbird.

When I’m not in the jungle or analyzing data back in Toronto, I enjoy giving avian presentations at local high schools in the GTA. The goal of these presentations is to inform students of the current plight facing migratory birds, but also to demonstrate that a career in biology is not just limited to the field of medicine. With a plethora of conservation issues facing us today, we are in need of highly educated and skilled professionals willing to take action. By pursuing graduate studies at York University I have made a significant contribution to the field of migratory bird biology.

~Ross J. Kresnik