Interns
eda ekinci
Personal Assistant Intern to the Director
My name is Eda Ekinci and I am a second-year international student studying BA Humanities at Stellenbosch University. I have recently become a House Committee Member for my residence on campus and my portfolios are Sustainability and Social Impact as well as Women Empowerment. I was also chosen as Chairperson for UNASA (United Nations Association of South Africa) a prominent volunteering society on campus.
Skyla Thornton
Media Intern
Skyla Thornton recently graduated from Stellenbosch University (SU) with an honours degree in Earth Sciences (Environmental Geochemistry). Her thesis investigated the iron fertilisation potential of whale faeces, essentially looking at the ability of whale faeces to promote phytoplankton growth in coastal waters.
Skyla has been in diligent and relentless pursuit of a future that would lead to ocean science and environmental activism. With a deep love and curiosity about the natural world and the people within it, she hopes to achieve this through science journalism.
In 2025, Skyla will be interning with science journalist Leonie Joubert and Stellenbosch University’s School for Climate Studies. She recently returned from a 63-day journey to Antarctica, as both a oceanographer conducting ship-based experiments and a science journalist.