Finn Pawlick-Potts

Designer, BSc, MLA (In Progress)

Finn is a member of Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, raised in Calgary, Alberta. He holds a B.Sc. in Zoology from the University of Guelph, and is currently pursuing an M.Sc. in Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph. Finn is a proud Nakota and Ukrainian Canadian, and strives first and foremost to create equitable public spaces and repair relationships between Canadians and Mother Earth. He has worked in the past on leading youth outreach events, has volunteered prolifically in the field of ecology, and seeks everyday to learn more about other indigenous cultures across Canada. He is also a self-taught artist, and hopes to use his skills to support cultural knowledge transfer. (*Disclaimer, the bird in Finn's photo is educational ambassador Freyja from Wild Ontario. Learn more about Freyja at wildontario.ca).

Select Projects

Earth Tending Indigenous Training Program, Undergraduate Thesis - How railways impact Blanding’s turtle nesting behaviors. Supervised by Dr. Jesse Popp & Dr. Jackie Litzgus, University of Guelph Department of integrative Biology May 2024 – April 2025 Railway ecology is understudied despite adversely impacting wildlife, Indigenous Undergraduate Research Assistantship WISE Lab – Dr. Jesse Popp, Indigenous Undergraduate Research Assistantship Young Lab/WISE Lab – Dr. Andrew Young & Dr. Jesse Popp

Services:

Cultural Advisory, Indigenous Community Engagement, Design development, Design ideation, Drafting and details

Education:

B.Sc. Zoology University of Guelph 2025, MLA University of Guelph 2025 – present

Awards and Honours:

SEDRD Entrance Scholarship – 2025

Jane Goodall Canada - Youth Ambassador Award – 2024

Indigenous Undergraduate Research Award - 2022, 2023, 2024

Indigenous Food and Water Scholarship - 2022

Alexis/Millar Western Scholarship - 2020, 2021, 2022

Dean’s Honor List: University of Guelph - 2020, 2021