Casey is a fantastic young Mancunian who has ambitions of working in conservation.
Her educational journey is all about protecting the future health of our planet and its biodiversity, and it has brought her a fantastic opportunity. Casey applied to the Manchester’s Rising Stars Fund for financial support for her to attend a research expedition to Guyana in South America! Something that, due to the impact of the pandemic and her personal circumstances, she felt to be out of reach. Casey’s Zoology Tutor, Hannah Hartikainen, told us that:
“Casey is passionate about conservation and the use of scientific approaches to safe-guard biological diversity. Her determination to reach her career goals are evident in her grades, motivation and engagement in her academic work. Casey is planning to join a research expedition to South America, which I highly recommend. This would hugely help Casey to develop an independent research project, with strong conservation focus. Working in diverse environments and with a team of professional scientists could end up shaping Casey’s future career. I believe Casey has the potential to become a future advocate for endangered species and habitats.”
Casey’s family circumstances are modest. Despite earning and saving for her research field trip, Casey needed a grant of £2,000 to fulfil her ambition to take part in Operation Wallacea, described as “a conservation research organisation relying on teams of student volunteers joining expeditions for the opportunity to work on real-world research programmes alongside academic researchers”. In STEM as a whole it can be difficult for people from working class backgrounds to succeed given the many barriers they face, which is why we at We Love MCR Charity are ecstatic that we can help remove some of the financial barriers for a young Mancunian like Casey in her chosen field.
In addition, we have added £460 to the grant award, to purchase a Nikon D5600 Digital SLR with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-P VR Lens, so that she can record her findings to a professional standard. Her research work will enable her to complete her MSc and forge a career in conservation.
Good luck on the trip Casey, and we look forward to seeing what we’re sure will be some outstanding pictures of your research!