I was trekking through the Lambusango Forest in Buton, Southeast Sulawesi Indonesia with several other scientists when I received long hoped for news. There are small patches of 3G coverage out in the forest and we happened to stop in one of them for a break. It was there I got the “congratulations!” email from Tony Green. I was extremely happy that I am selected for the YSEALI Fall Professional Fellow 2018 and I couldn’t stop grinning all the way back to the village.

I will be placed in Tallahassee at Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, where my primary focus will be sea grass restoration. In the future, I wish to oversee a similar seagrass restoration project, in the coastal city of Bontang. to help combat the degradation many coastal areas of Indonesia are experiencing.

By joining this fellowship, I hope to improve my interpersonal skills, gain applicable knowledge for my future career, and increase my abilities as a scientist. I am so excited to meet another fellow from ASEAN and exchange cultural knowledge and experiences with them. In the end, I hope we can create as many good memories as possible and with that experience we can contribute greatly to our communities.

Arin’