MESC Alum Overcomes Literacy Challenges to Operate Spacecraft

Fri. Aug. 8, 2025

Wolf, a graduate of the Master in Environmental and Social Change (MESC) program, was raised in a community where public education was strongly discouraged.

By age 14, Wolf would watch children pass by on school buses and wonder how her life might be different if she went to school. She asked to be allowed to attend school, but her requests were denied.

Instead, Wolf worked as a child and teen — sometimes juggling up to three jobs — and left home at 18. Despite being barely literate, Wolf felt an overwhelming urgency to earn a high school diploma. “With every passing year, I started to panic about how far behind I was,” said Wolf. “At age 21, I dragged myself to the Adult Education Centre in Selkirk.”

From there Wolf went on to earn her highschool diploma, a bachelor's degree, master's degree, and land herself a job operating the Mars rover.