Lydia's story

"I want to teach a younger generation about how important it is to respect nature and take care of our oceans."

After school I didn’t know what I really wanted to do so I took a gap year, went travelling and worked as a scuba instructor. I spent a few years travelling, and went to loads of different places: Indonesia, the Philippines, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, Mexico. Eventually, though, I decided I wanted to go into conservation and realised I needed a degree, so I chose to come to Essex and study marine biology.

The thing I’m most proud of during my time at Essex is the Yoga and Meditation Society. The society was about to close when I took it over two years ago – now it’s the biggest society on campus, with over 250 members. We run five or six classes a week. I’m really proud of how many people come, and that I’ve created a space for people to do classes and make friends.

It’s definitely given me hope that if I wanted to run a business someday, I know I could do it. I’d like to run an environmental education company for kids, going into schools and running workshops. I always thought I wanted to travel and work abroad, but I’ve realised that I want to make a change here, in terms of how people think and how we work as a society. I want to teach a younger generation about how important it is to respect nature and take care of our oceans.

Conservation has always been a big part of my values; it’s in my core. I’d love to impart that on future generations.