It is the classic story of a girl who leaves home to attend college abroad, who learns a lot, then brings home the knowledge to better her community.  The star of this story is Sierra Bettis. 

Bettis spent the summer as an intern with the University of Guam (UOG) Sea Grant program and will return to the University of Arizona (UOA) to earn her degree in Hydrology in December. 

More important to Bettis is what will occur after she receives her diploma and turns her tassel on the UOA stage.  

“I just really wanted to come home.  I’m from here, but after I graduate, I really want to work here and help out here doing environmental hydrology,” said Bettis.  “I have always wanted to come home and help and do whatever I can to make things better.  That has always been the plan.” 

During her internship, Bettis worked closely with the Guam Restoration of Watershed (GROW) Initiative which aims to develop innovative solutions to reduce land erosion and subsequent sedimentation on downstream coral reefs.  

“The GROW team is amazing; they really helped me out.  They are the tree experts but they do everything,” explained Bettis. “I’ve learned a lot of things.  Now, I can identify tree types and identify native trees and being able to apply what I have been learning and actually making a difference has been great.” 

Bettis’ contributions to the GROW Initiative include mapping out over 1000 native trees planted by GROW in the Ugum watershed to improve watershed and coral reef health. This data set will help the group monitor the trees over a number of years and help improve watershed restoration strategies over time. 

Bettis spent two months as a part of the program and says that the knowledge she gained as a part of the internship with UOG Sea Grant is invaluable.  She says that the internship also opened her eyes to the need for more preservation and protection practices.  

“The erosion here is not just from flooding, it's from off-roading and poaching and fires. It's something we really need to drive home,” explained Bettis.  “What’s happening here is natural, but what people are doing is making it happen faster. We have to try and protect what we have.  We want to be here and we should take care of our island.” 

As Bettis prepares to return to school for the final leg of her journey to graduation, she reflects on the internship as a great way to spend her final college summer.  

“With my family being here, this was part vacation,” she joked.  “Overall, this experience has been amazing.  I am so happy to have the opportunity to use what I know to help out and help the project grow even further.   It has been great helping out and knowing there is still so much room to do more for our island.”  

For more information on the GROW Initiative or the UOG Sea Grant Program, visit www.uog.edu/seagrant.