I am talking about a young man called Ariz Putra. He was my student in our school, graduated and started working for Thalassa as a dive guide. At Thalassa he became a Divemaster and an instructor and when one of our loyal guests Rinie Klein, heard that he was doing so well, she offered him a scholarship to study at the local university.
He finished his study on coral reefs in a record time of just over 4 years, and it would have been faster if Covid would not have slowed the progress down. This month, January 2022 he graduated, and not just that. He did it Cum Laude.
Deze maand, januari 2022, studeerde hij af, en niet alleen dat. Hij deed het cum laude.
On my question what the next step would be, he reluctantly told me that although with a lot of regret, he would not return to Thalassa or become a teacher in the school. He has been invited to further his studies in Japan.
I certainly feel sad to see him go, but am, at the same time, am so proud and happy for him. These success stories make me want to continue what we are doing here with the young people of the villages. I hope more will follow. Thank you, Rinie, without you it would not have been possible.
