Ando Rabearisoa

Name: Ando Rabearisoa

Department: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

What Award/ Scholarship did you receive? Keeley Coastal Scholarship award

What year do you expect to graduate? 2025

Where do you call home? Madagascar.

With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out? The University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) is a well-known university for its success in training influential alumni in conservation. The Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) Ph.D. program at UCSC develops and implements high-quality integrated solutions to social and ecological challenges for biodiversity conservation. I chose the Conservation Action Lab in the EEB Department to conduct my Ph.D. research. This lab has a strong history of developing and testing conservation interventions and implementing effective solutions at scale. It fits my previous experience as the Marine Program Manager for Conservation International Madagascar.

What is your field of focus? Marine conservation by local communities.

What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz? I want to use my graduate training at the UCSC to increase my leadership in the blue economy and marine conservation in Madagascar. In the future, I will look for new opportunities to implement proven solutions to sustainability challenges, such as Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) at scale across Africa, so that marine conservation benefits people and the marine environment. In addition, I look forward to working with the local academic institutions, NGOs, and government agencies in Madagascar to identify and train emerging conservation leaders.

What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here? I particularly appreciate my experience as a Ph.D. Designated Emphasis student of the Coastal Science and Policy (CSP) Program at the EEB Department. For the first year of my program, I spent tremendous moments with the international students at CSP Program. I learned much about marine conservation and coastal sustainability challenges in countries like Kenya and Indonesia.

What is your one piece of advice for incoming students about life at UC Santa Cruz? Enjoy the beautiful UCSC campus, the city of Santa Cruz, and the surrounding environment.

How will this scholarship impact your academic life /research? This scholarship will allow me to study a new area in my research: mangrove conservation. It will help me to improve my knowledge of spatial analysis and coastal sustainability of mangrove conservation in Madagascar.