By Helena Bryan

A backwoods hike into Utah’s canyon country isn’t what most grads would choose as a reward for completing a BA with honours. But then, not everyone appreciates nature the way Johnnie Manson does: up close and personal.

Manson’s hikes in the wilderness have led to encounters with all manner of wildlife, including grizzlies, black bear and deer. And to ancient wonders as well.

On his Utah excursion, he found ancestral pueblans, native houses built into cliff sides, and traces of native communities called hovenweep, dating back to the 1200s.

His appreciation of man’s connection with the environment and his comfort on nature’s trails make Manson particularly suited to his chosen career path. After completing an honours degree in anthropology and sociology, he heads to UBC in the fall to earn his Master of Resource Management and Environmental Sustainability.

From there, he plans to work with B.C.’s First Nations on land and resource issues. “I’d like to make sure First Nations have input into what happens on their land and the resources that land contains,” says Manson, a member of the Tla-o-qui-aht (Tofino) First Nation.

Manson wasn’t always so clear about his future and his journey hasn’t been without detours. After high school, he earned his diploma in fisheries aquaculture from Vancouver Island University and worked in that field for a few years before he realized he wasn’t suited to the hard sciences.

After discussions with a couple of trusted professors and some deep pondering about what he really wanted out of life, he decided on SFU and the humanities. He narrowed it down to sociology and anthropology shortly after.

His newfound clarity about direction didn’t make everything easy though. For someone so comfortable in solitude, it wasn’t always easy to bond with other students.

Manson says: “I remember reading that humility is an important part of learning and it wasn’t until I decided I could learn from my peers that I started to make connections.”

And he’s awfully glad he did: “Looking back,” Manson says, “the connections I made at SFU are as important as the degree.”