Senior Lab Instructor
Natalie (she/her) is passionate about helping young people explore the world through creativity, curiosity, and hands-on learning. She’s worked with organizations like Science World, Let’s Talk Science, WISE, and Girl Guides of Canada to show that science and engineering are all about imagination, teamwork, and solving real-world challenges.
As a young adult, Natalie helped organize Ladyfest Ottawa, a grassroots arts festival celebrating women in music, film, and the arts. This experience sparked her lifelong commitment to empowering others through creativity and collaboration.
Natalie believes the best learning happens when you roll up your sleeves and try things for yourself. She uses process-based learning to help students build skills, confidence, and a problem-solving mindset they can carry into their next adventure.
As Program Director, Natalie’s goal is simple: to make your Shad experience awesome, meaningful, and full of discovery.
Natalie studied Environmental Engineering at Carleton University and now teaches at the University of Northern British Columbia. When she’s not at work, you can find her hiking forest trails with her wonderfully unusual dog, Dasha.
Youth Worker / Peer Support Worker
Pascale (she/her) attended Shad in 2013 at Shad Dalhousie and has loved this community ever since! Her first year working at Shad was in 2017 at the University of British Columbia. Since then she has worked at Shad McGill and Shad Thompson Rivers University.
Pascale loves Shad because she gets to connect with motivated and intelligent youth through Shad who are excited about contributing to a positive future. She is looking forward to spending time building a kind and supportive community that is transformational and challenges each of us to be our best, and pushes us to discover new interests and connections. She can’t wait to live in Prince George for a month and explore the natural beauty! She loves making art and painting and can’t wait to have some chill music and craft afternoons and of course, go camping!
Pascale currently works in the capacity of a social worker in the fields of youth mental at a youth centre and in domestic violence at a women’s transition house. Pascale has a background in Psychology research and completed a bachelors of Arts and Science in Cognitive Science (Neuroscience) at McGill University and completed a research Master’s in Transcultural Psychiatry at McGill. She is currently working towards my family mediators qualification and will be starting a Marriage & Family Therapy master’s program in Fall 2026. Pascale loves chatting about career decisions and encourages youth to share their big life burning questions!
Outside of work Pascale belongs to a community choir and loves to sing. She is also gym obsessed and loves going to a good hot yoga / pilates class even if she cannot walk afterwards! Something new she is trying this year is playing squash! She loves cooking recipes from cultures all over the world and loves discovering new spices and cooking techniques. If you have some cool kitchen moves please share them with her! On weekends she likes to go for forest walks with her partner and their two dogs.
