Catalina came to Thompson Rivers University from Ecuador and began her Master of Science in Environmental Science in 2023 under the supervision of Dr. Courtney Mason and Dr. Kimberly Thomas-Francois. She completed a Bachelor of Science, Major Geography and Environmental Studies (2007), and a Master’s in Geographic Information Systems (2013) in Ecuador.
She is the proud mother of two children. She also has extensive professional experience in the use of cartography and geographic information, mainly for the production of official statistics. She worked in the National Statistics Office of Ecuador and as a Census Cartography and GIS Specialist for the United Nations Population Fund and the Inter-American Development Bank for the Latin America Region.
Her desire to update her knowledge in environmental sciences and the interdisciplinary approach of the program led her to pursue the Master’s Degree at TRU. Her current research focuses on the use of Geographic Information System to assess and monitor sustainability in the Tourism Industry for the Thompson-Okanagan Region.