Heritage

My name is Tea Pesheva, I am 27 years old and I’m a Provincial Liaison Officer at the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks in Canada. I originally come from Skopje, Macedonia, where most of my family is based. As a child growing up in Macedonia, I was always lucky to be involved in the international community through attending international schools. For over 13 years I was part of the QSI Skopje (Quality Schools International) family, and it was my first home away from home. In many ways, I was always planning to leave and pursue higher education abroad, but I never truly knew where the path would take me. Right after high school, I decided to pursue my undergraduate studies at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland where I began my real journey into studying the environmental sciences, by doing a Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainable Development. Following those four wonderful years, I then decided to pack up my bags and move even farther to Toronto, Canada to do a Master of Science in Sustainability Management at the University of Toronto. My one goal in mind, the whole time, was to learn the most efficient way to implement water management and help our Macedonian watersheds. Following my educational experiences, I started my professional career in the Ontario Provincial Government through roles in various Ministries.

Success Story

Some of the best memories over the years have been the inspiring people I have met along the way. I admire people’s stories and the lessons they learned and shared. I always try to ask as many questions as I can, because there is always something I can learn or use to support my own growth. Through the years I have always tried to understand what success actually means. It’s such a diverse and unique topic for most people. To some, it will be one’s status and to others a salary number. For me, success means the ability to be adaptive and continue developing myself within my work as well in my personal life. I started as a student, I then went to do an internship at the Ontario Ministry of Environment and then became a Senior Policy Analyst. What does this mean? It means I kept dreaming and continued to work on improving myself. My advice is always: Your success comes from knowing where you envision yourself, and then working to get there! (Taking creative breaks though really helps!)

Macedonia2025/ Giving Back to the Homeland

I am always proud to declare that I come from Macedonia. For one reason it makes me somewhat unique in many circles, but in other instances, it also gives me a different perspective. Not everyone gets the opportunity to put a new perspective on a situation, and often I bring that to the table. While I don’t always feel like I am as connected to my home country or hometown anymore, I know I will always admire where I came from and speak of it to the people I meet. In the long-run, I hope to bring some of that back to my country and help make positive changes, but alas we shall see where life leads me. For now, I make sure to send back my love to my family (parents especially) and share my insight into what I’ve learned “abroad.”