A Dream Come True

I spent the month of June interning as a marine research assistant with Gili Shark Conservation, and it was beyond amazing. I spent my time on Gili Air learning countless marine science skills and gaining experience related to my college degree while surrounded by the kindest, most caring people. I left less than a week ago, and I’m already trying to plan my next trip back!

I am currently in the last year of my Marine and Coastal Biology undergraduate degree. I have been dreaming of having a career where I get to live on a tropical island and study the ocean since I was a little kid, so when I say this program was a dream come true, I mean it wholeheartedly. Interning with Gili Shark Conservation taught me a multitude of skills that I will be able to apply to future internships and my career, such as how to do ROVing and CHI surveys underwater and how to use globally-recognized programs like CPCe to study the health of coral reef ecosystems. The experience I had during my time here expanded my already enormous love for the ocean and marine conservation and made me undoubtedly positive that this is exactly what I want to spend my life doing.

My time here was not only educational but also beyond fun and exciting! The days are filled with laughter, dance parties on the boat ride to the dive spots, delicious meals together, and making priceless memories. Every single person that I met on Gili Air was so welcoming and neighborly; it gives the whole island a warm, joyous energy that you can’t forget. The sense of community and family within Gili Shark Conservation and the Oceans5 team is unparalleled. I was surrounded by so much happiness, kindness, and friendship from the second I arrived; it makes you never want to leave. Musa, Maisy, and Katon were the best teachers and mentors I could have asked for - they are brilliant, compassionate, knowledgeable, patient, fun, and hilarious, and the love they have for the ocean and their careers is contagious. Rose, the program founder, and her partner Andreas were absolutely wonderful and treated me like family. I can hardly even put into words how much I loved being here, but I can definitely say that you have to go experience it for yourself!