Two Students, Two Journeys, One Shared Purpose

Posted on Thursday, July 30th, 2026

Walk past the Medicine Wheel Garden at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus this summer, and you’ll likely find two students quietly tending the plants, pulling weeds, monitoring growth, and learning from the land itself.

At first glance, Mattea Price and Nicholas Glen might appear to have followed similar paths. Both are studying environmental disciplines. Both love the outdoors. Both are spending the summer caring for one of the campus’s most meaningful spaces.

But their journeys to the Medicine Wheel Garden couldn’t be more different.

That’s exactly what makes them such remarkable examples of the students who choose the Pembroke Campus.

For Mattea, the path began in an entirely different world.

Before enrolling in Algonquin College’s Forestry Technician program, she spent several years working in Montreal’s video game industry as a technical artist, lighting artist, and concept artist after studying 3D Art and Animation. Looking for a career that would reconnect her with nature, she traded computer screens for forests and found herself immersed in ecology, wildlife, forest health, soils, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Today, she maintains an impressive GPA, has earned a place on the Dean’s Honour List, volunteered with the Friends of the Petawawa Research Forest, and developed expertise in tree identification, forest health monitoring, invasive species, and sustainable forest management.

While science now shapes her studies, creativity continues to shape who she is. This August 16, 2026, Mattea will showcase another side of her talents during an art exhibition featuring her acrylic landscapes and wildlife paintings at the Upper Ottawa Valley Heritage Centre. Like forestry itself, her artwork reflects a deep appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the natural world.

Nicholas’s journey followed an entirely different trail.

Originally from Windsor, he spent more than a decade building an incredibly diverse résumé. He worked in commercial sanitation, maintained apartment grounds, served as a security professional at industrial sites and power generation facilities, managed logistics in agricultural operations, and even worked with newly arrived refugees beginning their lives in Canada. Along the way, he developed practical skills in landscaping, safety, operations, and customer service before deciding to pursue his passion for the environment through Algonquin College’s Environmental Technician program.

When Nicholas applied for the Medicine Wheel Garden position, he wasn’t simply looking for summer employment. He spoke about his experience maintaining gardens and landscapes, but also about his personal connection to the space. Already a leader in the campus’s student-led Birds, Bats and Bees initiative, he saw the opportunity as a way to enhance biodiversity around the Medicine Wheel while putting into practice what he was learning in courses such as Botany and Soils & Landforms.

Together, Mattea and Nicholas represent something much bigger than a summer student position.

The Medicine Wheel Garden itself was created as a place for learning, reflection, ceremony, and reconciliation. Caring for the garden requires more than watering plants or removing weeds. It requires patience, curiosity, respect, and a willingness to understand the relationship between people and the land.

Their work is also an example of what makes learning at the Pembroke Campus so distinctive. Classroom lessons don’t stay confined to classrooms. Students are given opportunities to apply their knowledge in meaningful ways that benefit both their own education and the broader campus community.

Whether identifying native species, monitoring plant health, improving biodiversity, or helping preserve an important Indigenous gathering space, Mattea and Nicholas are transforming theory into practice every day.

They also remind us that there is no single path to success.

One found forestry after a career in digital art. Another found environmental science after years working in security, maintenance, and operations. Different experiences. Different perspectives. A shared commitment to caring for the land and continuing to learn.

As another academic year approaches, these two students are a reminder of something we witness often at Algonquin College: extraordinary students don’t fit a single mould. They arrive with unique stories, discover new passions, and leave their mark in ways that strengthen our campus and our community.

Sometimes, that legacy begins with something as simple and as meaningful as tending a garden.

Written by: Jodi Bucholtz, Manager, Community & Student Affairs

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