Meara began her academic career at VIU with no clear goal beyond a minor in math. She discovered that she greatly enjoyed her requisite computer science courses, and this inspired her transfer to UVIC to pursue a BSc with a combined major in Computer Science and Mathematics.
Career-wise, Meara’s early dream was to work at her childhood summer camp, a dream she was able to realize for 3 glorious summers. Around the same time, she began working in libraries and decided to continue in that field while progressing through university. Moving to Nanaimo, to Victoria, and back to Nanaimo again, she has worked as both a page and a library assistant at Vancouver Island Regional Library, Greater Victoria Public Library, and even VIU’s own academic library.
Between summer camp and library service, it soon became clear that she was too much of a people-person for a strictly tech career and she began looking for a job that called on all of her strengths. As you may have guessed, this search led her the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning, where she is excited to bridge the gap between educators, learners, and learning technologies!
Meara leads the VIULearn Student Orientation Project.
If only we had laboratories to produce self-replicating scientists, to explore all the worlds. Ah, but we do! They're called university campuses.
From The Long War by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary numerals, and those who don't.
Unknown math humorist, possibly Ian Stewart