When Elia was accepted at St. Francis Xavier University, he explored the aquatic resources program. During this time, he particularly appreciated the possibility of having hands-on experiences such as river restoration and lake assessments. Aquatic resources taught Elia about the delicate coexistence between humans and the aquatic environments, all of which tied up in an interdisciplinary degree with Public Policy and Social Research. During his fourth year, Elia was directed to Dr. Adam Lajeunesse. He offered him the opportunity to collaborate through an internship funded by Irving Shipbuilding Inc and the Canadian Department of National Defense. This internship inspired Elia to switch major to political science and move to the Norwegian Arctic for the Law of the Sea program at UiT.

Elia describes moving to Tromsø as a fundamental change and an irreplaceable experience. During this time, Elia discovered an interest in the Arctic and learned about the region’s present and future challenges and growth opportunities. While Norway, Elia could visit the Arctic Council’s Secretariat, located in Tromsø, attended the Arctic Frontiers 2020 conference and the JCLOS 2020 final conference. Elia completed the LL.M with a thesis on floating nuclear power plants to provide an analysis of the existing legal instruments at the disposal of coastal States through a legal doctrinal analysis of international treaties, soft law instruments, case law, national policy, and academic sources. Elia now lives in Calgary, working part-time to collaborate with NAADSN and enrich my interest in the Arctic.

An interesting fact about Elia, one year away from completing high school in Italy, he sent an application to St. Francis Xavier University out of curiosity. The university accepted his application; he then left his home country and started his first year of university before completing high school.