Born and raised in the Galapagos, I have plenty of reasons to love this place. Not only this is where most of my greatest childhood memories are but is also the place that inspired me to become what I am now – a marine biologist working in conservation and education. Working in Galapagos is an amazing opportunity for me to connect with young people that are as interested as I am in protecting our oceans, as it is a unique opportunity to collaborate with other worldwide scientists and partners with great vision and shared love for the islands.
I love it in Galapagos because I feel this place has so much to offer. I learn and discover something new every single day when I go out to the field. I learn from my students in the classroom, I learn every time I get involved in a new project, and the list could go on and on. But one thing I certainly love is that while challenges are continuously part of the way, there is also always a wonderful group of people willing to work together to overcome any difficulty. And I would not have enough space to name all the people, the ideas, or the institutions here. However, initiatives such as the Galapagos Barcode project, the Galapagos Biobank, or even programs like Connecting with Nature are a tiny example of this. People working together to provide solutions and make this a better place.