Growing up in Red Deer, a city steeped in Alberta's oil and gas industry, it felt natural for Chance Park to take a job with an oilfield equipment company after graduating from high school. Unsure of what his ultimate career plans were, the work filled his time and his pockets while he figured out what to do next.
Over his three years on the job, advancing from shop hand to quality control technician, and then to working as a safety rep, he developed an understanding of the industry's importance to the province, and beyond.
"It's the backbone of Alberta and it has a lot of applicability in everything we do day to day, it's where a big portion of our country's money comes from, so it's not going away."
At the same time, Park also knew he wanted to honour his personal passion - a lifelong love of nature. A member of the K'atl'odeeche First Nation in the Northwest Territories, he says he's always felt a deep connection to the outdoors, catching frogs, finding snakes, fishing and exploring.
"I love nature for its complexity, but also calmness; it feels like that's exactly where you're supposed to be."
