Nature and Conservation Society: President

I'm llina, and I'm a first year BASc Arts and Sciences student. I am standing for the position of President because I am very passionate and about nature and conservation, as well as the environment in general. Therefore, I am very keen to be involved in organising and facilitating engaging activities for members of the Nature & Conservation Society to partake in.

As an intern with WWF Singapore, in which I helped create content for and facilitate their citizen science Cyber Spotter Programme, which enables volunteers to spot and report online illegal wildlife listings. I am also a volunteer with the Herpetological Society of Singapore (HSS), and have operated a booth at multiple events, including the Festival of Biodiversity, to educate members of the public about the importance of reptiles and amphibians in the ecosystem. Additionally, I have a very strong interest in wildlife photography, and enjoy doing this in my leisure time.

In fact, around the beginning of Term 2, I gave a conservation talk to members of NatSoc about illegal wildlife trade, reptile and amphibian conservation, as well as my work with WWF and HSS.

If elected, I intend to help plan events such as seminars by experts (perhaps by engaging with my former colleagues), conservation talks by students, guided nature walks, and pub socials. I would also do my best to ensure that the society runs smoothly, within its Constitution, and act as the primary point of contact between the union and society members.

I have really enjoyed being a part of Nature and Conservation society this year and I would like to be able to contribute more to the society, as well as the running of its events in the next academic year. Having attended the annual conference in February, I was inspired by the diverse range of speakers discussing their contributions to conservation efforts, and I would love to play an active role in organising next years event!

Nature has been an integral part of my life so far and is something I'm partly able to study through my geophysics degree. This summertime I am also hoping to go to Bosnia to volunteer with Salamander conservation, and I would like to help other members of the community discover similar volunteering opportunities.

Joining the bird-walks each week have also been a highlight of my time so far, and I would hope to continue them along with other park walks next year!