I’m Hannah Lightley,
I've been working for the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust as an Outreach
and Research Assistant,
and I studied Marine Biology here at the University of Hull.
A day to day for me is being
out on the boat where I'm looking for whales and dolphins and monitoring
their distribution and their abundance to help conserve the population.
I also do a lot of public engagement, so going out and giving talks to locals
and to different schools and
organiSations about the whales and dolphins in the Hebrides.
So for me, I think definitely a big highlight
was seeing killer whales off Scotland.
So I didn't think that I'd ever
be able to see killer whales in the wild.
So one of the most memorable things whilst I was studying here at Hull
was doing the Scarborough field trip.
So when we were out there, we got up really early and
we went out to Marine Drive, which was down by the coast
and we were looking for whales and dolphins and porpoises
and we ended up seeing Harbor porpoises, which was great.
And it wasn't something that was sort of timetabled for us to do.
We just did it off on our own and that was great and really
solidified why I chose to study here at Hull,
having those opportunities.
Studying Marine Biology at the University of Hull
really put me in the best position to start my career and the information
and obviously what I learned here at Hull was second to none.
All the practical experience that I gained was invaluable.
Also, being able to talk to lecturers who are really passionate
about their field and all the different
opportunities of volunteering
and getting involved, and I'm working for like
different campaigns.
I think that if you were thinking of studying marine biology,
Hull is a really great place to do that.
Obviously I got the degree here
and I wouldn't be in the position I was today if I didn't have that degree.
So yeah, I owe a lot to Hull and I'm very grateful.