Tell us a bit about your experience at NU and how it shaped your current interests.
I graduated in August 2013 as an International Affairs and Environmental Studies Dual Major with Minors in Sustainable Business Practices and Spanish. I chose to attend Northeastern because I knew I wanted to get the most out of my college experience and looking back as a graduate, I know I never would have pushed myself as far or had as many incredible opportunities had I made a different choice. During my four years at NU I took advantage of catering my program to my interests. I was fortunate enough to complete a Dialogue of Civilizations each summer to Spain, Chile, Costa Rica, and Cuba respectively, as well as take part in a full semester study abroad in Spain and a coop abroad in Ecuador.
My coops in Boston taught me a lot and were great experiences; however, the most valuable lessons I learned were in ruling out what does not work for me. I had previously been on a path, as many within my majors are, towards government or non-profit in order to generate “good” change. I came to question the setbacks within these sectorsparticularly during these first coop experiences which led me to pursue an alternative path to find more sustainable change. On my third coop I was afforded the opportunity to work with Runa, a social business that works with indigenous farmers in the Ecuadorian Amazon and help them set up a Fair Trade cooperative for the exportation of guayusa tea.
Through all these incredible opportunities my passion for the environment, food and agriculture, cultural preservation, and community development emerged. As a senior I took Prof. Shaughnessy’s Social Entrepreneurship course which helped me see the possibility to fit them all together like a puzzle. I began to consider sustainability as more than just environmental sustainability and business as a necessary part of change. Northeastern taught me how to adapt.
How did SEI impact your next steps after graduation?
Upon graduating I decided to travel to Southeast Asia for four months to see a new part of the world before really getting moving on the whole ‘real job’ hunt. I had envisioned myself eventually moving to either New York or South/Central America and continuing work similar to my experience with Runa and wanted to get a taste of Asia first. I remained interested in the role of Fair Trade and other certifying organizations on incentivizing positive practices. When I decided to get my scuba diving certification I only planned on being on the island of GiliTrawangan in Indonesia for five days. Eighteen months later I have found myself on a path I never could have imagined, building my own social business, SeaMade.
While I wish I had become involved with SEI earlier in my undergraduate career, it has really helped shape how I have progressed post-grad. I realized the importance of holding out for an opportunity that would challenge me, evoke my passion, and have a social impact.I began working with the Gili Eco Trust focusing on artificial reef restoration projects and I started to see the underbelly of a paradise island and its fragility. As tourism has increased to the region, there have been significant strains placed on the environment as well as on the local culture, one of the most significant manifestations being marine debris. At the root of the marine debris problem is a lack of education, awareness and incentive to change. SEI and Prof. Shaughnessy provided me with the framework and confidence to create my own project, and design a social business that I felt could target these issues.
Can you tell us more about SeaMade and what you are working on now?
Along with two friends, I developed SeaMade, a marine debris project that repurposes mainly plastic into high quality products to be sold to the increasing tourist population as souvenirs. The idea brings together local community members with divers/tourists to clean up the sea through collection of marine debris and creates awareness through the sale of the products. As a hybrid business model it will also engage in research and education. In practice, I have come to understand the importance of being able to adapt an idea beyond my own personal vision and instead look through a social lens and focus on how it can best be adopted by the local community.
There is a large disparity between foreign and local values and I became interested in bridging this gap while still preserving culture. Even though we live in paradise, once your eyes are opened, the amount of marine debris and pollution cannot go unnoticed. In a recent study Indonesia was identified as the second greatest producer of marine debris after China; as Indonesia is comprised of islands and a coastline with poor waste management systems, it is understandable why. To attempt to remedy this, we arrange weekly beach cleanups as well as diving expeditions for debris, and track the amount of waste collected and saved. SeaMade has also begun working with school groups to increase awareness and with partner organizations to target waste management.
We have been very successful in the promotion of our initial product, a cosmetic/travel bag made from repurposed plastic bags, canvas tarp, and rice and cement sacks. The opportunity has been very exciting and I am very fortunate to have such a great network and experience behind me. We have also begun working with IDEA, Northeastern’s venture accelerator, and hope that as we continue to grow we can create a lasting business model to help the people and environment of Indonesia.
What have been your greatest challenges?
As a woman in a foreign and predominantly conservative culture I have faced many challenges in getting this project off the ground. We have recently shifted our vision in the hopes that working with women in a cooperative model will empower them in the creation of these products. While we originally hoped to target local fishermen and provide incentive for them to fish responsibly, we have found that working with local women will allow us to better increase awareness and impact. Our other big challenge is having the capacity to scale in order to meet the demand. I have to frequently remind myself that working in Indonesia to get this project off the ground in a sustainable manner with a real social value cannot happen overnight or at the same pace as it might back home. As we develop our model and work with IDEA we hope to have access to impact investors and a larger market. It is always challenging to do something different but also rewarding to break the mold and try.
What advice can you give to current seniors as they head into graduation?
I would encourage new graduates to not confine themselves to what they think they should do. There’s no “right” path so don’t be discouraged or hold yourself back if you feel you are not on it. It is far more valuable to do something you care about, something you can sink your teeth into, something meaningful. It’s such a great big world that you can find many ways to explore and be an active participant.
