This profile was part of the Faculty of Public Affairs’ Generation FPA series, which highlighted up and coming alumni who graduated between 2008-2018. The series was published in 2018.
Marija is a Communications Officer in the Ecosystems and Oceans Science Sector at Fisheries and Oceans Canada. She is also an amateur boxer, ranked seventh in the world in the light-heavyweight division.
Marija poses for an official boxing portrait.
When Marija Curran isn’t working in communications, she’s often travelling abroad, competing as a member of Team Canada in boxing. Her most recent bout was at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in India, where she lost to the world champion.
“In boxing, the highs are high and the lows are low,” she says sanguinely.
Curran finds boxing also helps her on the job as a communications officer at Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
“A lot of my job involves priority setting and strategic thinking, as does boxing,” explains Curran, who is currently assigned to the Science Outreach team.
Much of her work focuses on sharing with Canadians the science that helps inform decisions about Canada’s oceans and aquatic ecosystems. She arranges various outreach and communications initiatives like scientist Twitter chats and classroom presentations on important topics such as stock assessment, marine mammal research, and ocean monitoring.
Curran stresses that her Carleton degree helped her better understand and recognize the role communication plays in accountability and transparency.
“We have a democratic responsibility to provide Canadians with the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with their government,” she explains. “My communication degree really helped me understand that this is the backbone of democracy.”
Marija in the studio at Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Curran also says she developed at Carleton the strong research and writing skills needed to prepare briefing notes, develop reports, and write communications content.
“I learned to read a lot of information and crunch it into plain language, which I do every day in my job,” she says.
Now that she’s in the public service, Curran is mentoring current students. She highly recommends that students consider student work placements like the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP).
“It’s such a great way to get massive learning opportunities,” she says. “They learn so much on the job and end up with relevant work experience on their resumes. And we learn a lot from them too!”
Monday, December 10, 2018 in Communication, GenFPA, News
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