_{Meet Ype Bakker, a soon-to-be student in our BSc Global Responsibility & Leadership programme. His story reflects our community’s spirit and takes you on a visual adventure through the Sky Islands. Click to dive in!}

Read Ype's article on the Sky Islands.

But first, a quick introduction

Hi everyone! My name’s Ype Bakker. In September I’ll be starting Global Responsibility and Leadership (GRL) at Campus Fryslân. Before, I studied Media and Culture at Utrecht University (UU). After writing my thesis and going on a semester exchange to Belfast, I took a gap year to travel the world and think about what I wanted to pursue next. The largest chunk of my sabbatical I spent doing farmwork in Australia. I was amazed by the country’s beauty but also experienced first-hand the effects of climate change on nature and society. My experiences prompted me to look for an interdisciplinary and internationally-oriented study which would help me build towards a future in which I could effectively contribute to the preservation of our amazing planet. Eventually, my search brought me to Leeuwarden.

A little under two months ago, I visited a dear friend of mine in the United States. He’s a wildlife biologist and together with his wife he manages two nature sanctuaries in southern Arizona, in a region known as the Sky Islands. I had been to one of the sanctuaries before and noted that upon my return things had changed. I was alarmed by the bad state the land was in. My love for the Sky Islands spurned me to write this article. I think it’s important that more people are introduced to the region’s unique biodiversity and are made aware of some of the mechanisms that threaten it. I also think that this article is a great opportunity for me to introduce myself to YOU! Students, teachers, alumni, I’m looking forward to meeting you all next term.          

Ype

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