University of the Fraser Valley Student Undertakes Reef Conservation Project Through Queen Elizabeth Scholarship

Danika Vegh, a fourth-year psychology student at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) was exploring short-term study abroad scholarships when she met with a study abroad coordinator who suggested a unique opportunity. “It kind of fell into my lap, but I was on board quickly,” says Danika.

Funded by the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship (QES) program, Danika travelled to Surabaya, Indonesia for an immersive five-month study abroad experience at the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS).

Established in 2012, the QES has been awarded to more than 2,600 scholars from Canada and around the world. Last year, Vancouver Community College (VCC) was selected as a QES recipient for its project Addressing Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific – Leveraging University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP) for Action.

“VCC recently hosted the UMAP International Secretariat, and this project was framed as a legacy initiative to continue the development of partnerships between UMAP Canada member institutions and the UMAP network,” says Chelsey Laird, former Director of the UMAP International Secretariat at VCC. “As a UMAP Canada member institution, UFV students like Danika had the chance to apply for the exchange,” she concludes.

As Indonesia faces increasing threats from rising sea levels, extreme weather, and coastal erosion, Danika’s internship involved both academic knowledge and hands-on experience to understand and respond to these issues. During her semester at ITS, Danika completed two environmental engineering courses and participated in a coral reef restoration research project.

“The field work was hands down my favourite part of the trip,” says Danika. “We travelled to a small island called Gili Noko and snorkeled the coral reef to collect fallen pieces. We then brought the pieces back to our lab, revitalized them, and replanted them in different areas of the reef. I learned everything as I went but my psychology background in research and data collection aligned well with the work we did,” she says.

Outside of her courses and field work, Danika also had a chance to explore Indonesia. “I know this sounds a bit cliché, but the whole experience was life changing for me,” she says. “I got to meet so many different people with different lifestyles from my own and see so many beautiful parts of the country.”