I grew up right on the coast in Perth, Western Australia and I’ve always had a love for the water and ecosystems beneath the sea. I completed my bachelor’s degree in biology and played field hockey at Kenyon College, Ohio. Despite Ohio being a landlocked state with a sea of corn in every direction, my love for the marine environment didn’t falter and in my junior year I chose to study abroad through the marine resource studies program at SFS Turks and Caicos (Spring 2020). During my SFS directed research project, I studied the impact of land-based anthropogenic actions on decreased size and age distribution in the queen conch (Lobatus gigas) around South Caicos and then went on to do my senior thesis on cryptic female choice in marine organisms at Kenyon.

I got my Advanced Open Water scuba diving certification through SFS TCI, and I still love to get out on the reef in my free time – whether that is tide-pooling, snorkeling or diving. Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I realize that we have the Great Barrier Reef right at our doorstep!!

Since graduation, I have also lived and worked in the UK, West Australia, Cambodia, Thailand and here in Far North Queensland (FNQ). Some of my favorite experiences were working as a tour guide in an Aquarium in Shark Bay where my excitement for all the cool adaptations of marine organism reignited and I fell in love with science communication. I also had an incredible adventure working with SFS in Cambodia and Thailand on their Elephants of Southeast Asia program. This job has brought me a lot of once in a lifetime experience but what I love most about SFS is how involved we are in creating a unique experience for students through a hands-on and remote field setting. I’ve grown up in Australia but have never experienced anything quite like working in the rainforest in FNQ!