Name: Demei Yobech
Village/Island: Ngermid Koror, Palau
Family size: 4 members
School an area of study: Palau
Community College and majoring in Liberal Arts
In my family I am known as the: bookworm and artist.
My favorite non-academic activity: Surfing, reading, paddling, and drawing
I’m really good at: drawing
My career path: I hope to one day be known as a successful artist, commercially and critically. I am interested in many fields of art and I hope to one day be good at all of them.
How did you become aware of the Micronesia Challenge Young Champions: I was introduced to it by Tova Bornovski who wished to employ me for a project that she wished to do.
How have you noticed your village/island has changed in terms of the environment and sea? Palau has always been looking for ways to conserve the environment but in recent years has managed to crank it up a notch. There have been many large discussions between the islands and within the country to help with this cause, such as the Micronesian Chief Executive Summit and the meeting on the conservation of water in Palau. I think that we are really stepping up for the task at hand.
Are you working on any special projects right now? I am currently working with Yalap Yalap on his Ridge to Reef program for fifth graders in Palau. The program is an island wide project that helps educate kids on the conservation areas of Palau.
How is the special project coming along? It is doing well. There are off seasons due to the schedules of each school and we do the project in the beginning of the year and at the end of the school year to test the students advancing knowledge.
What do you hope to accomplish being a young champion? I really hope that the program will help me advance further with enlightening the community about the environment. I’m a big (excuse my language) eco-freak and its very important to me to help the community be more friendly toward the environment.
By 2020, I hope that the Micronesia Challenge will accomplish all its goals.