 It was always a struggle for me to meet expenses. My father wasn't around, my mum couldn't support me financially. My grandfather had a big part in raising me. When he passed away, though, his loss really hit me hard. I graduated, but I also felt lost. Then I was invited to do honours in Queensland, but without the scholarship, I couldn't afford the move. Since graduating, I have been applying my studies in Nepal, Mongolia and Tasmania protecting wildlife. In Nepal, I founded the Red Panda Trust. There was a time when I thought my entire dream of being an ecologist was over. The Griffith Future Scholarship helped me believe in myself again, because it revealed that other people believed in me. Last year, I was fortunate enough to receive a Sojourn Monash scholarship to attend the University of Oxford. I am so grateful for the Griffith Future Scholarship and the impact it has had on my life. It helped take me where I am today, and I just can't thank donors enough.