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The Our World Underwater Scholarship Sociery have announced that WIlliam Arlidge is to be the 2010/11 OWUSS Scholar. William is 23 years old from Wellington, New Zealand and has a Bachelor of Science from the Victoria University of Wellington majoring in Marine Biology, Ecology and Biodiversity.
The Selection Panel feel that William has the strength of character and determination to excel in his role representing the Scholarship Society and, as with all our Scholars, past and present to continue with a career in or around our oceans and marine environment.
Here is a personal biography by William;
"Since a very early age I have had an affinity with the water. My family would often get me to relate my dream job to family friends. People would often expect a five year-old boy to have aspirations to become a fireman, or an astronaut, but would laugh in surprise when I would proudly state, "when I grow up, I want to become a marine biologist!" |
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I have always been interested in the interactions between animals in nature, and in July 2005 this led me to enroll at Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) in a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Marine Biology, with a second major in Ecology and Biodiversity. After completing my second year of university I found my true passion for the underwater world, I decided to do my Open Water Diver certification and was instantly addicted. I found everything about diving enthralling, it allowed me to enter into the environment that I had been studying on paper, to gain a first hand account of the ecological interactions that my lecturers had excitedly explained to me. Since my first breath taken on a regulator I was hooked, and I knew then that diving would play a major role in the rest of my life. After my Open Water certification I instantly signed up to do my Advanced Open Water Diver certification, adamant I hadn't had enough.
Having finished my Bachelor Science at the end of 2007, I went on to begin my Masters of Marine Biology. Focusing on reef-building corals, looking at viral communities associated with corals in relation to environmental impacts. I was fortunate to undertake my data collection on Palmyra Atoll in the Central Pacific, and Coconut Island, Oahu, Hawai'i. Following my field research I became a dive club member of my local dive shop, and was offered an internship to complete my Divemaster. The experience that I gained via my internship was invaluable, making a number of valuable contacts and dive buddies along the way. During my internship I also undertook my Enriched Air Nitrox certification, opening the door to technical diving. I also volunteer with a program called Educating Kids About Marine Reserves (EMR) throughout the summer. I find volunteering extremely rewarding, as I feel that education plays a vital role in long-term conservation.
Whether diving in the warm waters of the Poor Knights, or in the near zero visibility in Wellington harbour - I always try to take something new from every experience. The more I dive the more my love for the underwater world continues to grow exponentially, a passion that is inseparable from my want to make a difference in conserving the marine ecosystem. I feel prepared both in my diving skills and my mental attitude towards tackling the role of becoming the next OWU Australasian scholar. This is a role that I will take on with all the passion, enthusiasm, interest, and drive that I hold for the underwater world." |
