Sharene Shafie

What Program did you graduate from and when? 

CRCP major and minor in Sculpture & Installation – 2016 

SFI Master’s - 2018 

What is your current title or role? (ie. freelance designer, art practitioner, etc.) 

Research Coordinator – Ryerson Urban Farm Living Lab 
 

Why did you choose to attend OCAD U? 

I love art and wanted to pursue it. I thought I wanted to be a Curator and was excited about the art studios at OCAD U and being able to create. I thought OCAD U was the place to be for art. 

I chose to continue on at OCAD U after speaking to my mentor, Alia Weston, who suggested that I apply to SFI. 
 

Please briefly describe your current job/practice. 

I am working with the Ryerson Urban Farm Living Lab to help support the research that takes place on the farm, which is located on the rooftop farm at Ryerson University. I was brought on to create a framework to better support research on the farm. 

How did you get started in your career?  

While I was in SFI, i sought out an internship with Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. They are working in the green infrastructure space, host training and conferences – and that helped put me in touch with the right people. As I was finishing my master’s I took the Urban Farm Training Program through Ryerson Urban Farm and I interviewed the Farm Manager as part of my research for my master’s program. I let them know of my interests. The year after I graduated from SFI, a role came up that was appropriate for me based on the research I was doing for my master’s program. I’m glad they thought so too :) 
 

What were your policies regarding internships, volunteering, and paid work? 

I think volunteering is great. A lot of the time when you are going into a new industry that you may not have experience in often times the org you are volunteering with is doing you a service. I believe that volunteering has its place. Recognize when you are getting value from an opportunity and when you are adding value. Recognize when the shift needs to be made for receiving compensation. There’s a fine line between that and being taken advantage of. If you already have credentials, you should be paid for the expertise that you are bringing to the table.  
 

What do you enjoy most about your work? What is the most challenging aspect of your work? 

I enjoy working outside with an amazing team. Working outside with plants, growing food is extremely worthwhile/rejuvenating. We get to cultivate plants and it’s a beautiful process. The act of growing one’s own food is very empowering to have that connection to and the food that you’re consuming. 

The challenge is working within a large institution where there’s a lot of layers of policy and protocol, which can feel limiting in ways, however, there is a lot of security in that. 

What skills or relationships developed at OCAD U helped you participate in your field? Is there anything you would have done differently? 

I would've used the studios as much I could. It’s an incredible resource that you won’t have access to once graduate. I would have also sought out opportunities and a meaningful network. The community is the most valuable thing you can get out of post-secondary education.  

There is nothing I would’ve done differently – only things I would’ve done more of.  
 

What are the key responsibilities you maintain for your practice?  

Staying up to date on research, I read a lot. My role requires me to be up to date on current literature so I can speak from an informed place. Advocating – this kind of work can be inherently political. It is important to recognize your privilege and the greater conversations that are happening so that you can have a positive influence on these conversations. 
 

What are your personal and professional goals for the coming years? 

My contract is coming up in February after 2 years. I would love to have job security and a salary with health benefits. To support meaningful research on the farm.  

For the past year and a half, we’ve been laying the groundwork in order to have research happen in a user-centric, community-driven way. I would love to see these things through and support research in this way.