Chan Yi Ying is a fourth-year undergraduate student from Xiamen University Malaysia, pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Environmental Chemistry with Honours. She has a variety of different interests, ranging from art to paleontology to marine science, all fields directed towards her appreciation of and desire to understand the world around her. Catching caterpillars and beach trips in her childhood days, Yi Ying has grown up with a deep curiosity and concern for the natural environment and the role she could play in helping to preserve it.
As an aspiring marine scientist, Yi Ying has had a lot of experience in her coursework doing seawater sampling, but has had limited exposure to river monitoring. Because of this, she sought to gain new experiences and soft skills for her internship, as well as test the waters of working life within an organization. Yi Ying is considering a future in marine research, and one often-overlooked aspect of research is communicating findings to the public, which is a skill she hopes to develop by taking part in environmental campaigns.
With her internship in Water Watch Penang, she hopes that she can gain experience in conducting environmental education programmes and promote sustainability awareness to the general public. No man is an island, and positive change can only be achieved if we work together as a society, supporting and uplifting one another. Yi Ying hopes that with her brief contribution to Water Watch Penang as an intern, she can make a difference and inspire others to do the same.