Experience North 2021 (Summer)

Born and raised in Timmins, Bailey discovered her love for Northern Ontario and all it has to offer after leaving to complete her undergraduate degree in Toronto. Bailey graduated from York University's Glendon Campus in 2020 with an Honours international B.A. in Political Science. Bailey will be graduating with an M.A. in European and Russian Affairs at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy in the Fall of 2022. Her academic focus is on Canadian and European politics, focusing on sub-state climate change policies in Catalonia, Spain, and Quebec. In her free time, Bailey enjoys camping, biking, golfing and reading. Bailey is looking forward to returning to Northern Ontario and contributing to research and policy studies in the region.

Bailey is a Policy Analyst.

Emma Dingle was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. She is entering her third year at the University of Waterloo enrolled in a Bachelor of Global Business and Digital Art. With a passion for graphic design, Emma often liaises with arts organizations in her community which has provided her with extensive experience in digital art and design. Certified through the British Association of Teachers of Dancing, Emma enjoys spending her free time teaching dance and can often be found singing, dancing and performing. 

Emma is a Graphic Designer. 

William Dunstan is a Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management student at Carleton University, set to graduate in June 2022. During his undergraduate studies, William learned about the wide world of public policy and developed a particular research interest in economic policy and regional development. Professionally, he has worked in several policy-related roles both in the think tank sphere and with the federal government. Originally from Ottawa, William developed a love for Northeastern (or Central) Ontario and the region’s high quality of living during his time as an Experience North intern in 2021.

William is a Policy Analyst.

Born and raised in Cameroon, Vanessa received her first post-secondary education in business in France. Skilled in determining patterns from data, both quantitative and qualitative, Vanessa has a history of working in Data Sciences, Analytics, and Reporting, both overseas and in Canada. She returned to studies at Western University, where she graduated with a second degree in Financial Economics and Global Development Studies, and is now in the process of completing a master degree in Research for Policy and Evaluation. Since the beginning of her Canadian journey, Vanessa came to be inspired by the beautiful human mosaic and the many stories of people like her who made the maple leaf country their home. Passionate about economic development, empowerment, social justice, and social good, Vanessa has a keen dedication to research and community-based projects. She continues her journey in Northern Ontario and hopes to contribute to the development and strengthening of the northern communities.  And in her spare time, she enjoys sci-fi, hiking, and nature.

Born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Matthew recently graduated with a joint degree in Business
Marketing and Business Administration Marketing that were completed in two years & one year
respectively. Matthew will be continuing his education in pursuit of a Bachelors of E-Commerce
in Digital Marketing. Growing up in northern Ontario inspired Matthew to begin his career at an
institute that contributes to the well-being of the residents that live there. In his spare time, Matthew enjoys golfing, spending time with his family & black lab Monty, and exploring Ontario and the rest of the world whenever he can. He looks forward to the opportunity to contribute and engage with the northern community!

Matthew is a Communications Officer.

George was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario. He completed his Bachelors of Economics specializing in Development and in International Political Economics at Carleton University in 2021. He is currently pursuing Master of Arts in Economics at Lakehead University. In his fourth year of Bachelors he had an opportunity to write a paper on a country outlining what projects could be done to improve its economy. That was the moment when he realized that economic development was truly something that he wanted to pursue in the future. Apart from economic development he is also very passionate about International Trade having written papers on subjects such as EU, NAFTA, and TPP. He has previously worked on Parliament Hill as a Members Assistant for 5 years and has also spent a year at the Canadian Real Estate Association as a Government Relations Assistant. At NPI he looks forward to getting a better understanding of what Northern Ontario has to offer because he believes that it is a region that has yet to reach its full potential with respect to what it has to offer to Ontario and Canada.

Outside of work he enjoys the great outdoors and going on long walks. In the past he was a competitive dancer and has a 1^st degree black belt in Taekwon-do.

Michelle Pocion is from Thunder Bay, Ontario, studying full-time at Lakehead University. She will be entering her final year of undergraduate studies in the fall and graduating with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) degree in spring 2023. Michelle has developed an appreciation for experiential learning through university after discovering business case competitions. She has successfully represented Lakehead University at various events and competed against other Canadian universities. Michelle is an avid reader outside of her studies and balances busy student life through fitness and spending time with friends and family (dogs included!). During the summer, Michelle enjoys getting outside and spending time on Lake Superior. Michelle is excited to be joining NPI as an Operations Assistant, where she can utilize her existing knowledge and gain experience in a non-profit setting to assist in meaningful projects in her community.

Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Gillian Sgambelluri has been a lifelong true North citizen. Gillian is currently pursuing post-secondary education at Lakehead University in the Honours Bachelor of Commerce program. Specifically, Gillian’s program has allowed her to develop accounting and finance skills that she plans to put into practice at her position as Assistant Accounting Officer at Northern Policy Institute. She is very eager to advance her career at NPI whilst gaining knowledge about her community and giving back to where she was raised. In her spare time, you can almost always find Gillian at the dance studio where she enjoys teaching and participating in some classes of her own. Throughout the summer, she loves to be out in the sun swimming with her dogs at camp. 

Amelia was born and raised just North of Sault Ste. Marie in Aweres Township. She is currently studying Computer Engineering at the University of Ottawa where she is also building a high efficiency electric vehicle with the uOttawa Supermileage team. As a member of the Electrical team, Amelia is working with her peers to implement a custom-built brushless electric motor controller and to design a data collection system to monitor the energy consumption of the vehicle remotely. Amelia is excited to research the impacts of government policies surrounding e-vehicles in the North with NPI. She loves exploring Northern Ontario and particularly enjoys backcountry camping in Lake Superior and Killarney Provincial Parks.

Martin St-Jules is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Business Administration at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, ON. While studying, he developed an interest in programming as well as supply chains. Raised in Northern Ontario, he has developed deep-rooted ties in his northern community. In recent years, Martin has been able to work with the North Bay Regional Health Center Foundation as a Junior Events Assistant which has enabled him to contribute to his community. He looks forward to continuing to give back to his community while deepening his understanding of it. Martin is an avid reader that also enjoys video production and graphic design.