Mariam did her Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, Chemistry and Zoology. As an undergraduate, she was immensely enamoured by the wonders of Genetic Engineering in Marine Biology. Her fundamental desire and passion were to look at conservation through the lens of genetic evolution. Currently working as a Scuba Diving Instructor in a delicate and diverse ecosystem, Mariam realises that a conversation on conservation needs to be had from stakeholders that are a part of the environment, land or marine. She calls the Andaman’s her home and is currently working towards a future where she hopes to give back to the local communities as much as they have given to her. As a freelance instructor with extensive experience in India and the Maldives, she is also now slowly making her way back into the world of academia, concentrating on understanding the structures that make local island communities a part of the dialogue around conservation and sustainability. She believes that there are multiple ways of approaching a problem. Solutions are more accessible when one thinks locally as the most significant change happens in one’s backyard.