Rachel Elser

She graduated from Keyano College’s Power Engineering co-op program and now works as a Senior Operation Advisor/Start-Up and Commissioning Leader for Syncrude/Suncor’s – Mildred Lake Facility. YMM: What is the most rewarding part of your career? RE: I think it’s a combination of a few things. Collaboration and workplace relationships are a huge part of it. I spent years supporting our business in designing, constructing, and finally placing new refinery assets online for the first time which utilizes a large number of people with different backgrounds, ideas and opinions. Then we reach the culmination of those years of development, planning, and decisions that come down to 30 days of intense activity to place a new asset online is exciting. Having everything come down to a singular event is a huge success for all parties once completed. In addition, taking the lead on developing all the initial documentation with regards to training, how to operate, and how to manage the asset post-start-up sets the framework for 20+ years of operation. That core information, I believe, always remains the same and leaves its own unspoken legacy. Beyond that, I work on several projects at a time and there is always another to replace the workload when a project gets completed. The conversations are always changing, there is so much continuous learning, and the assignments always have new opportunities and challenges to overcome. YMM: Tell us about your volunteer experience in the community. RE: All my time with the Fort McMurray Social Dance Club is volunteer. Even though dance classes require a registration fee, the instructors (myself and Seville Kwan) volunteer our time to teach. The registration fees support the venue utilized. I have and will continue to volunteer as needed to provide coaching and mentoring for children’s sports programs. Typically, this is supported due to my children’s involvement during the season. I have also supported and volunteered with YMM Pride whenever possible since 2021. This also expands to peer support after YMM Pride events, creating connections between individuals. Supporting our community theatre in Swamp Rat Experience’s production of Rent in November 2023 is a lifetime experience, and I hope it’s not the last.  Volunteering has increased more and more over the last several years has my interest piqued for more opportunities that I look forward to investing my time in. YMM: What does community mean to you? RE: Community is like those circular ripples in a pond. Each ring is a characteristic in your life that you choose to have surrounding you. All these rings support you at the center as you embark through daily life. And you may be part of another person’s ring supporting them. These rings and the interactions between them make up an individual’s community. Choose the rings wisely and determine how close or far away they are from the center. YMM: What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken? RE: Deciding that the best path forward for myself so that I could feel fulfilled in my daily life was to identify as “transgender” and socially transition. It took a tremendous amount of effort to deconstruct parts of my previous identity and form a new identity while trying to preserve my relationships. YMM: What are you most grateful for? RE: Since deciding to socially transition and identify as transgender, I believe I have managed to maintain all my former relationships and improve most of them. I did not lose any friends or family members, my coworkers still respect, support, and collaborate with me, and my children love me every day. I am grateful that choosing the hardest road I could fathom has only benefited me, and that my network of relationships chose to continue participating in my journey.