I had the joy of attending DEMA at the midway point of my scholarship year, to present my mid-year video, to meet so many of the scholarship’s incredible community of sponsors, hosts and family and to network and learn more about the dive industry.
When I arrived, Robin MacFadden Parish, the Vice President of North American Operations for the scholarship society and member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame, walked me around the floor and introduced me to the scholarship’s broader dive community. I had the opportunity to meet people from many of the companies such as Halcyon, Fourth Element, Light and Motion, Reef Photo and Video, Oceaner, and DAN who support the scholarship through gear and program sponsorships.
During DEMA, I had the honor to attend the Women Diver’s Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, where Stephanie Miele of International Training (one of my scholarship hosts) received her inauguration. I also had the chance to attend the NOGI Awards banquet. It was very special to be in the room with so many diving legends who have inspired the world of diving as we know it. During the NOGI awards, I had the joy of seeing Adam Ravetch, a former OWUSS Scholar , receive a NOGI award for Arts. Throughout the week I was meeting former scholars and interns who were doing incredible things around the world.
During the DEMA week, I was able to present my mid-year video at the OWUSS DEMA breakfast. It was exciting to get to share all that I had worked on over the past six months with the scholarship community. I had the opportunity to see many familiar faces and friends.
DEMA was a wonderful opportunity to tap into the diving world at large and to learn about exciting technologies, projects and people that are all inspired by our love for the underwater world.
A huge thank you to Rolex, Our-World Underwater Scholarship Society, DAN, and my product sponsors Aqua Lung, Diving Unlimited International (DUI), Fourth Element, Halcyon, Light and Motion, Nauticam and Reef Photo and Video for making these opportunities possible. I am looking forward to where the rest of the year will take me.
