Motivation for Studying Marine Environment and Resources.

As a boy, I'd listen to my father talk about how he self-funded his education and how it paid off with his appointment as a library officer. My father's experience gave me a determined disposition for hard work, especially academically, by introducing me to professors and his younger superiors' for role-modeling. In retrospect, these qualities were reinforced during my family's separation, and by providing emotional support to my parents, taking the initiative on responsibilities, understanding the family's financial status to manage myself both home and in school, and where to seek help were profitable outcomes of how challenges shaped my personality. I started my undergraduate degree amidst the emotional trauma of the separation and took the matriculation exams again for a place in the science/ medical faculty. Choosing to study Fisheries was from self-reflection and consultation with my role models, through which I realized that excellence is from the determination for making a positive impact. This, I shared with younger students by collaborating with ENACTUS (the worlds' largest entrepreneurial body) to create a symposium that fosters students' interest in agriculture through innovative projects and seminars for entrepreneurs to share success journeys with current students. I value the transformative power of education, and the transition I experienced while growing up helped me imbue the habit of appreciating my opportunities. I believe that a better society depends on individual decisions to take positive actions that contribute to the welfare of other people, which I will always do.