Valesca is a Marine Biology Master’s student at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. She combines her passion for science with her love for scuba through volunteer work with the Reef Life Survey, a citizen science project in which divers take standardized underwater surveys to create important links among marine scientists, recreational divers, and management agencies. At the local level, Valesca co-founded Student Dive NL, an all-inclusive dive club where she takes joy in mentoring beginner divers. Valesca will use this grant towards her Divemaster training in order to become an even better scuba diving mentor for the local community.

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