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Daniela (Dani) Escontrela
PhD Candidate University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Marine Biology NSF Graduate Research Fellow I was born in Venezuela and spent the first years of my life there, frequenting the beach on most weekends with my family. It was these early trips to the beach that piqued my interest in the ocean and made me think about working in the ocean when I got older. When I moved to Florida at 8 years old with my family, my passion continued to develop, especially now that we lived much closer to the |
beach. You could often find me in the water, shaking little clumps of sargassum and looking for little critters.
I pursued this passion and went to the University of Miami (UM) where I got a Bachelors in Marine Science and Biology. Throughout my undergraduate years I worked at a dive shop as a dive instructor, interned with the UM Shark Research Lab, and even had the chance to study abroad in the Galapagos.
Post school, I wasn't quite ready to delve into a graduate degree so instead I moved to Belize where I worked as a field scientist for a year. I then moved to the Philippines where I was a Coastal Resource Management Volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps. After two years there, I moved back to the U.S., this time Washington D.C. where I worked as a Program Associate for the philanthropy The Summit Foundation.
While at this job, I found out I had received the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Reserach Fellowship. I once again packed my bags and this time moved to the island of Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi where I am now pursuing my PhD in Marine Biology. You can find out more about my research here.
I pursued this passion and went to the University of Miami (UM) where I got a Bachelors in Marine Science and Biology. Throughout my undergraduate years I worked at a dive shop as a dive instructor, interned with the UM Shark Research Lab, and even had the chance to study abroad in the Galapagos.
Post school, I wasn't quite ready to delve into a graduate degree so instead I moved to Belize where I worked as a field scientist for a year. I then moved to the Philippines where I was a Coastal Resource Management Volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps. After two years there, I moved back to the U.S., this time Washington D.C. where I worked as a Program Associate for the philanthropy The Summit Foundation.
While at this job, I found out I had received the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Reserach Fellowship. I once again packed my bags and this time moved to the island of Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi where I am now pursuing my PhD in Marine Biology. You can find out more about my research here.