If you ever met ANU graduate Sarah Yani Vann-Sander, you might think there is nothing that a science degree cannot allow you to do.   

“I could definitely spend the rest of my life doing this,” says Sarah, who has taken an unusual path to finding her dream job.

Since graduating with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from ANU in 2009, Sarah’s career highlights have included starting the Western Australian chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, studying energy security at Oxford University, teaching marine science to school children on an island off Los Angeles, launching her own not-for-profit business, and completing her masters degree in Perth.  

“I want to create an impact around the ocean, promoting its conservation by inspiring others.”

And this is exactly what Sarah has done.

Her work is all about creating social change. As a Director of the Surfrider Foundation Australia, she is promoting the conservation of oceans through activism, research and education.

And her not-for-profit business, The Sandswell Movement is focused on creating connections with nature, the self and others through the momentum of surfing.

Reflecting on her time at ANU Sarah says that she started on a quest to create international change in sustainability, but decided that “the best way to create change is to start in your own backyard”.

“That’s why I decided to move back to my home town of Perth.”

It was her science degree that helped her bring these passions to life in her home state of Western Australia.

Sarah says that the guidance, support and opportunities offered to her at ANU were instrumental in giving her the knowledge and understanding to get to where she is today.

“I learnt to integrate all different types of knowledge, from the macro to the micro, across all different areas of science.

“At the end of the day, that is what true sustainability is all about – integrating the social, the environmental and the economic.”

And whilst ANU might not be as close to the beach as Sarah is now, she says that it definitely had its benefits.

“It is one of the only institutions in Australia that encourages you to create new ideas and create things that don’t even exist yet, and for me that’s really special.”