My Story
I come from Spitzkoppe, a small village in Western Namibia located within a conservancy. Growing up in an area dedicated to conservation and rural development naturally led me to pursue a career in the conservation field.
In 2009, I enrolled in a Diploma in Natural Resources Management at the former Polytechnic of Namibia. It was there that I had the privilege of meeting Professor Larkin Powel and Walter Schacht, two visiting professors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, who made a lasting impression on me.
After completing my diploma, I gained valuable experience through an internship with the Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organizations (NACSO). From 2011 to 2014, I participated in a mentorship program, learning the intricacies of community conservation and providing support to communal conservancies.
Following my internship in 2014, I explored various fields, including mining and environmental education, eventually spending five years in groundwater management. However, my passion for community conservation remained. In 2019, I earned a postgraduate degree in Natural Resources Management and returned to community conservation, working with the Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) in Northwestern Namibia until 2023. In this role, I supported rural communities in the sustainable use and management of their natural resources for economic development. From 2023 to 2025, I continued my efforts in rural conservation with the Orange River Karoo Conservation Area (ORKCA).
In 2024, I was honored to receive a Fulbright scholarship to pursue a Master of Natural Resource Science with a specialization in Climate Change and Impacts Assessment at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
My Master of Science research at UNL will focus on determining the changes in the spatial structure of vegetation after a plague in the shortgrass prairie. This involves assessing vegetation composition (species-level, functional groups, diversity) and physical structure (height, biomass, canopy cover) within prairie dog colonies that vary in "time-since-plague." My primary hypothesis is that vegetation structure is significantly altered by plague, and the degree of change depends on the time elapsed since the plague.
Interests
Climate
My country Namibia is one of the dryest countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and the effects of climate change on Namibia has been severe with major droughts experienced in recent years. The effects of climate change is worse for communities that are reliant on natural resources for survival. A specialization in climate change would equip me with the skills required to help affected communities adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Human Dimensions
I strongly believe that conservation without people is possible, and that if we take care of the people, they will take care of their environment.