Written by Pegi Pavletić, Croatian GLOBE Alumni
Four years ago, as a Croatian GLOBE team of Medical high school in Rijeka, Megi Pavletić, Dina Bolkovac, our professor Tatjana Holjević and I, Pegi Pavletić visited 2nd Student research exhibition in Maryland, USA. That was an exciting opportunity for us as students in medical branch of studies, to experience ecological experimental work and gain further knowledge. That is where we stepped into contact with Hawkins school in Texas and their GLOBE team: Madison Jaco, Hope Hughes, Allyson Edwards and their mentor Audra Kay Edwards. They offered a fresh insight into their ecological projects and we connected quickly. That is why we continued to collaborate on several projects that followed. We couldn`t re-connect in person with most of the team, but we still communicate online. I would say that the GLOBE never left me, nor my friends, after I finished high school, and Megi and I went on to universities and have continued to be actively involved in ecology preservation.
We have since been involved in founding a GLOBE Alumni association on state level and have held may presentations on our work, ecology and climate. Now, I am a leader of EcoLab project at the level of University of Rijeka, which is the largest ecology project at the University; I am fighting to create an open concept ecological laboratory for all of the students at the University, as a leader of the Office for Science and in high schools and I have gotten a place in Journey 2017, a KIC Climate School which is the largest ecology summer school in Europe. Also, I am to recieve a bachelor degree in October, based on my bachelor work: “Research of the sea in port Delta and possible infrastructure improvement“, based on GLOBE practices. Megi is also actively involved in projects regarding ecology and ecology congress on her faculty, while Dina strongly supports ecological goals and tries to implement them in her everyday life as much as she can. I would say that what most inpired us are the people who think alike and who carry the passion for ecology improvement. They created a safe and durable community of supporters and they inspire us to continue with our work. I would say lots of it came by collaborating with Hawkins school and their mentor Audra who always asks us to step in and grow with their students, she gives us opportunity to matter on a larger scale and the girls we are now close friends with are here every step of the way to help us be better and to strive for exellence in this particular field, just as we support them. Our collaborations, wether through webinars, videos or experiments is successful because we are all friends and we want to stay in touch doing something that makes us all happy. Then we are disciplined but relaxed, responsible but we have fun and it why our relationship and our passion never fades.
