Prudence Moshabane has not allowed a lack of resources – such as textbooks and workbooks – during her school years hold her back from chasing a meaningful career. Instead, it has taught her to innovate and help those facing the same challenges.

She tutored Life Science and Mathematical Literacy to high school learners in her home village in Limpopo for four years, before pursuing an exciting WWF internship opportunity at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) at Rhodes University in Makhanda at the beginning of 2019.

Prudence holds an Honours degree in aquaculture from the University of Limpopo, which she obtained in 2017.
We asked her to share more about her passion for Aquatic Sciences:

What motivated your career choice?
My interest and love for animals, especially aquatic organisms led me to a career in aquaculture. I interacted a lot with animals when I was growing up. My grandparents bred chickens for food, while my uncle kept pigeons as pets. He was also a fisherman, and I used to watch him fish from a river close to our home when I was around 10 years old.
 
During my undergraduate degree in Molecular and Life Sciences at the University of Limpopo in 2016, I came across a group of students in the animal production department who bred chickens on campus as part of their learning programme.
 
This evoked memories of my childhood. I researched more about animal production until I found my eyes glued to my computer screen – reading about aquaculture. I found it captivating. And, as a result I decided that aquatic farming is the route I want to follow, especially when I learnt that it contributes to the reduction of fishing pressure on wild stock.
 
What do you hope to gain from the internship?
As an intern in the Collections and Management Centre at SAIAB, I hope to gain skills and experience in curatorship, including fish identification, tissue sampling, procurement and administration of loan specimens.

What excites you the most about the internship?
I am excited for the opportunity to learn new skills from other interns and Scientists whose work is different to mine.
 
I also look forward to travelling to places I have never been to. These include going on field trips in areas like Bird Island Nature Reserve to retrieve and deploy animal migration devices; and assisting with sampling at the Sundays River irrigation catchment in Kirkwood near Addo Elephant Park in the Eastern Cape.
 
What do you think is the biggest environmental issue the world is facing right now?
Many countries face water scarcity and poor water quality. This affects both people and animals negatively.

What contribution do you wish to make to the well-being of people and nature?
I would like to provide food to orphanages and day care centres run by non-governmental organisations. I could do this by raising funds, donating non-perishable food, and by starting vegetable gardens.

If you had a chance to change one thing in the world, what would it be?
I would create employment for graduates. It is heart breaking and disturbing to see hard-working people sitting at home due to a lack of job opportunities.

Who do you admire the most and why?
The person I admire the most is my mother, because she grew up in a poor family where both parents were unemployed, but she made sure that she educated herself and continues to help others. She is a professional nurse specialising in Critical Care Nursing Trauma.
 
I also admire her for the support that she gives me in my career and personal life. 

What role do you think your generation could play in creating a better world for all?
My generation should try to make our land a pollution-free space for humans and animals, and conserve water as much as they can.
 
We should always be ready to tackle any challenge impacting our environment, and continue learning new skills and communicating science to our communities.