Growing up, Seliina was involved in many of the activities offered in the Toronto-Estonian community. “As a kid, my parents signed me up for everything they could,” she said. “I did Girl Guides and Estonian school. I was also involved in the band where I played the flute. During the summer, I went to Seedrioru, Jõekääru, and Kotkajäve, and worked at Seedrioru for two or three years as a lifeguard. I made some of my closest friendships through these experiences!”
Seliina later attended the University of Guelph where she studied environmental engineering. About eight months after completing her studies, Seliina was hired at GHD—a company offering engineering, architecture, and construction services—as a Project Engineer based in Waterloo, Ontario.
“That role is basically looking at data, writing reports, and making decisions for your team’s project. That path in Waterloo didn't entirely appeal to me because I’m a very hands-on person. I don’t like being in the office but love being outside and learning with my hands. So, I asked for more fieldwork and eventually got called out to Kansas to help clean up an oil spill there. It was a big learning experience for me—I was out in the middle of nowhere, working long hours, and had to pretty much fend for myself—but doing that gave me a lot of confidence.”
Following that experience, Seliina was determined to have more fieldwork-based responsibilities, which she accomplished when GHD transferred her to work in Newfoundland. Working in soil and groundwater remediation, her responsibilities vary:
“I do project oversight, which is when we have to essentially be the eyes on the ground to manage the people who are doing the work. That stuff is cool because I get to work around big machinery, which I’ve never done before. I also do drilling and groundwater sampling programs. I also do larger-scale sampling programs—the ones that take me out to the harbour are my favourite, they’re so fun! In those instances, divers will collect buckets of soil, crabs, mussels, or whatever else they find, and we sample it to make sure everything is normal and unaffected by potential spills or chemical leaks. I love those types of jobs because I get to be outside by the water and get to explore the island. I also get to do fun things like go on helicopter rides to remote sites.”
“Now, I’m better at putting up important boundaries, which is also true in my personal life. I’m better at being myself instead of what other people want me to be.”
(Seliina McConville)
Seliina also mentioned some challenges she faces in her role. “I think the main issues come with being a young woman in this field,” she said. “A lot of the time, I’m the only woman on the site, and the youngest with the least experience, so it can be hard to get some ground to stand on when telling other people what to do. It’s also hard to have a sense of camaraderie with the contractors but also have boundaries in place—there have been times where I’ve had to navigate some uncomfortable experiences, but going through those has given me confidence to stand up for myself, which I’ve never been good at. Now, I’m better at putting up important boundaries, which is also true in my personal life. I’m better at being myself instead of what other people want me to be. So, even though this job is hard sometimes, seeing how I’ve grown and changed professionally and personally is one of the most fulfilling things ever.”
Watch Seliina’s episode below, and other episodes on Eesti Elu's YouTube channel.
This article was written by Natalie Jenkins as part of the Local Journalism Initiative.
