Why I chose to spend my summer saving sea turtles in Greece

Why I volunteered with Wildlife Sense through The Mighty Roar:

If I could go back and tell myself a year ago that I’d book non-refundable flights to go to Greece and make friends from around the world, I wouldn’t have believed it.

Last May and June, I had the incredible opportunity to volunteer in Greece on a sea turtle conservation programme with Wildlife Sense through the Mighty Roar.

I would go back in a heartbeat since seeing a female turtle at 6am on Megas Lakkos Beach was one of many incredible experiences!:

One afternoon in my first-year university accommodation I received an email from Cardiff University listing their available international summer programmes.

So, I went onto the email and I was amazed at the huge range of opportunities that Cardiff offered support and guidance on. Before this email, I hadn’t considered going abroad because to me, the idea of travelling by myself was scary. Still, I was interested and I came across the funky name, ‘The Mighty Roar’. One click led to another and I saw that they offered a two-week programme in Greece, saving the sea turtles. Both opportunities were on my bucket list and without thinking, I immediately applied. 

To my surprise, I was accepted onto the programme and that very day I booked my flights, which was so surreal. Booking with the Mighty Roar was such a great experience as they were so supportive, offering 24/7 contact about any worries and/or concerns. They supported me throughout and even after my programme and to top it all off Cardiff University supported me and paid for it all!

I really recommend going on an international summer programme during your time at university. The Global Opportunities (GO) funding from Cardiff enabled me to live a dream over the summer as cliche as that sounds and I am already making plans to go back this year or next!  

Jess