Have you met Fervone, team lead for WISEST (Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science & Technology)? Spend a few minutes getting to know her better.
What is your first U of A memory?
I visited the U of A to meet a potential supervisor for my master’s, and their grad students took me to HUB Mall for lunch at Academy Pizza. They were a great group of people that welcomed me back later that year to start grad school and made my first memories of the U of A some of the best ones I have.
What’s something your coworkers don’t know about you?
Beyond my immediate coworkers, most people probably don’t know that I love to travel and snorkel. My most breathtaking experience was snorkelling with a manta ray in French Polynesia. It was magical.
What’s your favourite distraction?
Reading. I am an avid reader. Each year my mother and I have a competition to see who can read the most books, and the loser buys the other lunch in the new year.
What’s a weird pet peeve you have?
I hate the sound of other people (and myself for that matter) chewing.
You can invite anyone — alive or dead, real or fictional — to dinner. Who would it be?
My grandparents. I was young when all my grandparents died and I would like to know their stories better. All immigrated to Canada when they were teenagers but never really shared their experiences and didn’t speak of what their lives were like prior to coming to Canada.
What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?
Build your network. Keep in touch with people even when life takes you to new places.
What’s one thing you can’t live without?
Used bookstores and small coffee shops.
What three words describe your U of A experience?
Serendipitous. Fulfilling. Impactful.
About Fervone
Fervone joined the U of A in 2016 to lead WISEST (Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science & Technology) in achieving its mandate to encourage diversity and empower women in STEM. Under her direction, WISEST strategically engages with thousands of students through programming designed to overcome barriers that transform a student’s interest in STEM into education/career choices. Fervone leverages her experiences from STEM education, research, and nonprofit administration as well as lived experience as a woman in STEM to advocate for more inclusive educational and workplace settings.