Reina Tyl, Buckeyes Abroad marketing intern, writes:

G’day, mate! My name is Reina Tyl, and I am one of the Buckeyes Abroad marketing Interns for The Ohio State University. I am a third year Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlife student in the School of Environment and Natural Resources.

Spending the majority of my life growing up in metro Detroit and relocating to Columbus for college, I never imagined living anywhere outside of the Midwest. My passion for fisheries and my desire to stay close to my family made a career centered on the Great Lakes seem ideal to me. However, my far-off dream of studying marine biology was rekindled after completing the Sustainability programs in North Queensland and Fiji.

Reina scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef with a humphead wrasse named “Angus”

The highlight of the North Queensland program, for me, was getting the opportunity to spend three days out on the Great Barrier Reef, snorkeling, scuba diving and learning about all of the organisms thriving in that fragile ecosystem. I can check that off of my bucket list! I was lucky enough to be able to take the knowledge I gained on the reef in Australia and apply it another reef system surrounding the Pacific island of Fiji.

In Australia, I gained an appreciation for the careful balance between the rainforest, mangrove and reef ecosystems we explored in North Queensland. I have never been to a more beautiful and fascinating place, filled with people who are so passionate about protecting these fragile ecosystems, in my life.

Reina playing a game with one of the children in Votua Village, Fiji. Photo by Aleisa Torchick.

The highlight of my experience in Fiji was, by far, the homestay. I interacted with a culture so different to that which I’m accustomed, and I learned how the people depend on the coral reef to sustain their traditional way of life. The bond I made with my Fijian family, in only a couple of days, is one that will last a lifetime. I mean that too! I plan to return there some day, and they assured me that they would welcome me back with open arms.

I was a nervous about spending almost seven weeks on the other side of the world because I had never been so far away from home before; however, I was also eager to exercise my independent spirit and discover a world so unlike what I was used to in the Midwest. Although it seemed like a far-off dream before, my passion for marine biology is something I can seriously see myself pursuing after I complete my undergraduate degree due to the experiences and knowledge I gained in the North Queensland and Fiji programs.