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Next fall, new resource and environmental management alumnus Ella Magnussen is headed to the big apple to work at the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations.

 鈥淚鈥檒l be working on sustainable development issues, which is incredibly exciting and closely connected to everything I鈥檝e studied in REM,鈥� she explains.

Magnussen is a student athlete who came from Norway to swim on SFU鈥檚 Swim and Diving team four years ago.

While she started out studying biology, she realized that SFU鈥檚 School of Resource and Environmental Management was a better fit for her interests due to its interdisciplinary applications to sustainable problem-solving.

鈥淥ne thing I found especially interesting was that Norway was mentioned in many of my classes, often as a leading example in discussions of sustainability, energy systems and environmental policy,鈥� Magnussen recalls. 鈥淭hese are areas I could see myself working in, and it made me feel even prouder to be Norwegian.鈥�

Throughout her degree, Magnussen balanced her studies with a demanding training and competition schedule, learning discipline and time-management鈥攁nd resilience, too.

It was especially challenging in her first year, when she was adjusting to life in a new country.

鈥淪peaking a different language every day and building a new support system so far away from home was difficult,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淥n top of that, I was trying to balance a heavy academic workload with early morning swim practices and training.鈥�

Even though it felt overwhelming at the time, looking back, she says those challenges ultimately became some of the most rewarding moments of her undergraduate degree.

鈥淏y my second year, I felt much more confident and started seeing the results of all the hard work I had put in,鈥� she says. 鈥淏eing an international student, student-athlete and part of the REM community pushed me outside my comfort zone in the best possible way.鈥�

Her favourite moments throughout the past four years, however, were those she spent getting to know new friends and peers and hearing their perspectives and stories.

鈥淭hose conversations have been incredibly interesting and are something I鈥檒l really carry with me.鈥�

In one class lecture, Magnussen remembers being excited and honoured to share stories of her own travelling experiences when one of her REM professors, Scott Harrison, gave her the opportunity.

鈥淏eing trusted to speak in front of my peers was both exciting and meaningful,鈥� she says.

After graduation, Magnussen wants to continue to welcome new opportunities, experiences and challenges鈥攊n New York City and wherever else her life takes her.

 鈥淚 think a lot of personal growth comes from putting yourself in unfamiliar situations, whether that means travelling, studying abroad, applying for a job somewhere new, or simply saying yes to experiences that feel a little intimidating at first,鈥� she reflects. 鈥淭hat mindset has probably shaped my experiences more than anything else, and it鈥檚 something I hope to continue carrying with me moving forward.鈥�