Katherine Martin (she/they) is an inspiring ocean industry worker employed with Ashored Innovations as a Production Specialist. Not only working with Ashored, she also is a full-time student at Dalhousie University, studying for a bachelor of science in Biology. Katherine is CWOIL's first success story. After meeting with CWOIL's Executive Director, Cathy Hogan, Cathy encouraged Katherine to pursue a career in ocean technology. Katherine already had an interest in biology and oceans, and after talking with Cathy, Katherine knew which direction her career would go.
Growing up in Nova Scotia, an Atlantic province in Canada, Katherine was destined to make big waves in the ocean industry. Attending the H2O conference in June of 2022, she made excellent connections and became inspired by ocean industry professionals, including OceansAdvance Executive Director Cathy Hogan. When speaking with Cathy, she explained how Cathy sparked her interest in the ocean industry world. Even though the conversation was brief, Cathy felt Katherine had huge potential and wanted her to exceed professionally and personally. Being a young queer person in the ocean field can be challenging, as there is not a significant amount of diversity in the industry. But that did not stop them. Katherine is one of four women employed with Ashored, and feels she brings the diversity we need in the oceans sector. Katherine explains that diversity is crucial to any establishment as it allows for a new range of perspectives on various topics. Sometimes it can be intimidating being a part of the minority, but she is a strong and impactful individual — a shining example of what the oceans industry needs.
Katherine believes that the best way to be an ally for those in the minority is by making space at the table for their opinions and ensuring they are heard. Give them the platform they need to be heard and provide opportunities for those of the minority. Engaging those who are underrepresented in the sector can offer a new perspective on the task at hand as they have had a different experience than most of the majority.
Katherine has represented herself well in her career and continues to do so. They aspire to do work with climate change and sustainable development. Aiming to move her education even further after graduation, possibly moving on to a grad certificate or an ocean technology program, she wants to pursue both professional and personal goals.
Having these tough conversations about the importance of diversity and being open to all kinds of people is essential. Katherine proposed making the ocean field more inclusive by ensuring these minority groups are heard. Others should continue educating themselves on gender, sexism, racism, Indigenous communities, and more. We all have one common goal: protecting and conserving our oceans and making the industry thrive. We must include marginalized peoples in these conversations about ocean conservation success.
When touching on diversity and climate change, Katherine and I discussed how the two go hand in hand. Those affected the most by climate change are underrepresented and looked past — just like climate change. An afterthought that should be directed at the forefront of all conversations related to oceans. Those who are the most impacted by climate change should be the ones that have the floor when talking about these issues, as they are the ones experiencing it first-hand. Climate change being a global issue means a diverse range of affected peoples and impacts. A diverse group is essential to fix the problem we all face together.
Providing diversity in the workplace can be beneficial to the employer and the employee. We all seek to see someone successful that looks like us or has been through similar challenges. When we can relate to a person with similarities to us, it gives us a sense of acceptance. A welcoming feeling we hope to have not only in our careers but throughout our lives.
When touching on mental health, it never occurred to me as a form of disability. I have always seen it as something to work through rather than an aspect of yourself that should be accommodated in the workplace. But Katherine helped me open my eyes to how mental health is a neurodivergence that should be addressed in the workplace to provide a more inclusive and accessible environment. If the oceans industries can offer a barrier-free workspace for all and supply resources to those needing it, it is a significant aid in work production and efficiency. It makes the workplace an inclusive environment that recognizes everyone has individual needs—thinking more equity than equality. She explains how equity and equality can generally be confused by most. While equality is essential, so is equity. We are all unique and diverse, and if we apply these differences to the workforce, we can all benefit and create a powerful task force. Accessibility is not only for those with physical disabilities but as well as mental disabilities.
Katherine’s biggest inspiration for her success is her sister, Meghan. Meghan is currently a Ph.D. student in Biomedical Engineering at Dalhousie University under the supervision of Dr. Sara Wells. They explained how Meghan and Dr. Wells are incredibly inspiring, as they consistently break barriers as women in STEM with their research in tissue mechanics and heart remodelling. Both are incredible role models for those looking to pursue a STEM career. Meghan and Katherine have been most supportive of each other after their parents passed, bringing them closer together and making these two women incredibly strong and inspirational. Katherine says she would not be where she is today without her sister.
The future looks bright for Katherine as she continues to break boundaries, just like her inspirations. She is now an inspiration to us all at CWOIL. She is a strong figure representing the ocean industry well. We look forward to seeing the future of Katherine and her sister. It will be exciting to see how she will continue making the ocean industry a more diverse career space.
We will see you at CWOIL, Katherine, and cannot wait, as our first success story is coming to join the conversation in St.John's, Newfoundland.