If a girl loves the sea, she will love it forever. And my devoted passion will lay between the grains of sand forever, radiating love from back when I was 7.
If a girl loves the sea, she will love it forever. And my devoted passion will lay between the grains of sand forever, radiating love from back when I was 7.
Algae - natural lifesaver, yet ill and thrown away
What’s harming the Black Sea?
But even as a child, I noticed things that didn’t sit right. I started asking questions—first to my parents, then to teachers, then to books.
What’s harming the Black Sea?
I remember stepping onto the sand and being hit by a strange, pungent smell—like rotting algae and chemicals mixed together. It clung to the air, to my clothes, to my skin. The water didn’t feel safe anymore. That summer was when I stopped simply loving the sea and started worrying for it. I didn’t know the term “eutrophication” back then.
Algae - natural lifesaver, yet ill and thrown away
Algae - natural lifesaver, yet ill and thrown away
What’s harming the Black Sea?
But even as a child, I noticed things that didn’t sit right. I started asking questions—first to my parents, then to teachers, then to books.
What’s harming the Black Sea?
I remember stepping onto the sand and being hit by a strange, pungent smell—like rotting algae and chemicals mixed together. It clung to the air, to my clothes, to my skin. The water didn’t feel safe anymore. That summer was when I stopped simply loving the sea and started worrying for it. I didn’t know the term “eutrophication” back then.
Algae - natural lifesaver, yet ill and thrown away
Algae - natural lifesaver, yet ill and thrown away
What’s harming the Black Sea?
But even as a child, I noticed things that didn’t sit right. I started asking questions—first to my parents, then to teachers, then to books.
What’s harming the Black Sea?
I remember stepping onto the sand and being hit by a strange, pungent smell—like rotting algae and chemicals mixed together. It clung to the air, to my clothes, to my skin. The water didn’t feel safe anymore. That summer was when I stopped simply loving the sea and started worrying for it. I didn’t know the term “eutrophication” back then.
Algae - natural lifesaver, yet ill and thrown away
I remember stepping onto the sand and being hit by a strange, pungent smell—like rotting algae and chemicals mixed together. It clung to the air, to my clothes, to my skin. The water didn’t feel safe anymore. That summer was when I stopped simply loving the sea and started worrying for it. I didn’t know the term “eutrophication” back then.
I remember stepping onto the sand and being hit by a strange, pungent smell—like rotting algae and chemicals mixed together. It clung to the air, to my clothes, to my skin. The water didn’t feel safe anymore. That summer was when I stopped simply loving the sea and started worrying for it. I didn’t know the term “eutrophication” back then.
That sense of purpose only deepened when I had the chance to speak with a NASA scientist at an international conference. We discussed how algae could support coral polyps, helping sequester CO₂. It was surreal. I was just a teenager, yet I had entered the conversation. The pressure was intense, but it also made me feel alive—like nature had chosen me to listen, respond, and act.
I was often exited to study more and dizzy inside, because I understood how bad everything is. I couldn’t let that foul-smelling green summer remain unanswered. I began researching ways to restore aquatic ecosystems and eventually reached out to a professor developing aeration systems for water reservoirs in Ukraine.
Helping test methods to bring oxygen back to struggling waters made me feel, for the first time, like I wasn't just observing nature’s decline—I was part of its defense.
A sea you remember
A sea you remember
An iceberg of a Black Sea and a girl.
An iceberg of a Black Sea and a girl.
But even as a child, I noticed things that didn’t sit right. I started asking questions—first to my parents, then to teachers, then to books.
I grew up in Odesa, where the Black Sea wasn’t just a view—it was a part of life. Salty air, cries of seagulls, warm waves licking the shore—this was the soundtrack of my childhood.
That feeling stayed with me. I began asking myself:
how can I help others feel this same connection to the sea?
That brainstorm inspired to my current project: an interactive encyclopedia for Ukrainian youth about marine life of the Black Sea. I looked inside—at my own journey, my fears—and then reached outside, to share that story in a way that can spark curiosity and care in others.
A seagull - mascot of Odesa
An iceberg of a Black Sea and a girl.
A seagull - mascot of Odesa
A sea
you remember
I grew up in Odesa, where the Black Sea wasn’t just a view—it was a part of life. Salty air, cries of seagulls, warm waves licking the shore—this was the soundtrack of my childhood.
I was often exited to study more and dizzy inside, because I understood how bad everything is. I couldn’t let that foul-smelling green summer remain unanswered. I began researching ways to restore aquatic ecosystems and eventually reached out to a professor developing aeration systems for water reservoirs in Ukraine.
That sense of purpose only deepened when I had the chance to speak with a NASA scientist at an international conference. We discussed how algae could support coral polyps, helping sequester CO₂. It was surreal. I was just a teenager, yet I had entered the conversation. The pressure was intense, but it also made me feel alive—like nature had chosen me to listen, respond, and act.
Helping test methods to bring oxygen back to struggling waters made me feel, for the first time, like I wasn't just observing nature’s decline—I was part of its defense.
That feeling stayed with me. I began asking myself:
how can I help others feel this same connection to the sea?
That brainstorm inspired to my current project: an interactive encyclopedia for Ukrainian youth about marine life of the Black Sea. I looked inside—at my own journey, my fears—and then reached outside, to share that story in a way that can spark curiosity and care in others.
If a girl loves the sea, she will love it forever. And my devoted passion will lay between the grains of sand forever, radiating love from back when I was 7.