Taking part in a Wild Coast trail will be a completely new and different experience and add value to my experience as a marine scientist.
Ever since I was a little girl I have always had a fascination with the ocean and all the mysterious creatures that reside within it. This led me to pursue a career in marine biology. I have completed my degree in Marine Biology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2017 and my honours degree in Marine biology in 2018. My undergraduate years have taught me a great deal about the ocean. Not only the science and principles but also the importance and the huge role it plays it our daily lives. From that point onwards I have vowed to try and educate others on this and how important conservation and preservation is. This is particularly important in my family and home town (Tongaat) where people are readily exposed to marine issues.
I really enjoyed my years studying marine biology and I really hope to continue in the marine research field to aid in conservation, I have dealt with microplastics from my third year research and it is an alarming issue that has only been recently addressed. I hope to continue in this field of research and add to the realm of knowledge.
In 2018, I became a part of the Ocean steward’s initiative, which has opened up so many doors for me as a marine biologist and allowed me to meet and interact with so many accomplished and astute scientists from all over the country. This initiative has given me the opportunity to present my research at symposiums and conferences and to be apart of many out-reach projects. I am currently doing an internship at WildOceans, where I am a project assistant.