For the past couple of months, Palau International Coral Reef Center hosted two interns, Ms. Homani Kubo from Kochi University, Japan, and Ms. Shenna Sengebau, a recent Mindzenty High School graduate taking a gap year before heading to college next year.
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While here, Ms. Kubo’s mentor was a post-doc from the University of the Ryukyus, Dr. Chuki Hongo. She conducted a study looking into the amount of plastic garbage on the beaches of Palau. On the other hand, Ms. Sengebau did not focus on any one department at PICRC. Instead, she chose to gain experience in all aspects of PICRC, from the gift shop to the aquarium to the research programs.
On the last day of their internship, Honami and Shenna gave a presentation on their internship experience, expressing positive comments of their time here. They gained a valuable experience and hope to return to PICRC to intern or conduct research.
Ms. Kubo has gone back to Japan as her classes are starting soon. Ms. Sengebau is still in Palau, busy applying to colleges. Also, because she enjoyed her time at PICRC so much, she has decided to come back to PICRC to volunteer her time, helping wherever she is needed. [/restrict]