Name: Harish Deoghare
Role: Founder and Head
Places where you have lived: India, Finland
Location: Finland
About me:
I have a deep love for the ocean—it’s my happy place. Scuba diving tops my list of favorite hobbies, and I’ve had some amazing underwater adventures in the Maldives, the Andaman Nicobar Islands, and along the Dubai coast. Diving feels like stepping into an alternate universe where vibrant fish dart around their stunning coral neighborhoods. I’ve even had the chance to interact with dolphins, and let me tell you, they’re smarter than some people I know!
My adventures haven’t stopped at the ocean’s edge. I’ve wandered through some of the world’s most mesmerizing aquariums,like Singapore’s S.E.A. Aquarium, the Dubai Aquarium, Sea Life Bangkok, and the National Aquarium in Baltimore, USA. Getting behind-the-scenes tours and watching eye-opening documentaries made me realise just how much damage human activities are causing to marine ecosystems. Climate change and pollution from plastics and chemicals are serious threats to the underwater world I adore.
That’s why starting the Marine Conservation Club has been a labour of love for me—a heartfelt effort to make a real difference. Through the club and its activities, I want to raise awareness and take action to help preserve our blue planet. After all, if we don’t stand up for the ocean, who will?
Name: Patricio Flores-Ryyänen
Role: Lead Administrative Affairs
Places where you have lived: Mexico, America, Finland
Location: Finland
About me: Growing up in an environment where I saw the waters of Mexico, Florida, and Finland allowed me to see firsthand the beauty of our oceans and unfortunately, the threats they face. From snorkeling along the coral reefs of Florida to seeing the beauty of Mexican beaches and cruises in the Baltic, my passion for marine ecosystems has deepened and the creation of the Marine Conservation Club (MCC) has allowed me to take part in the protection of our beautiful oceans. As a proud member of the MCC, I’m driven to protect marine ecosystems around the globe by raising awareness, sharing new knowledge, and partaking in humanitarian efforts.
Name: August Baker
Role: Club Artist
Places where you have lived: Denmark, Indonesia, South Africa, and Finland
Location: Finland
About me: Having grown up living by the beach and then moving around the world, I experienced a wide variety of amazing waters; from the cold mighty waves at the tip of Africa to the stunningly beautiful coral reefs of the Indonesian ocean. However, sadly I’ve also witnessed the opposite side to this, where whole rivers were littered with trash and plastic instead of an amazing thriving ecosystem. Joining the Marine Conservation Club (MCC) has given me the chance to actively contribute to protecting our oceans by raising awareness about these critical issues and actively cleaning. I am passionate about the effort the MCC makes to raise awareness as well as our hands-on work to protect the oceans and the lives within them.
Name: MyeongGoon Hwang
Role: Department Lead Communication & International Affairs
Places where you have lived: Korea, Vietnam, and Finland
Location: Finland
About me:
Pollution has become so widespread that it’s now an unfortunate reality of life on Earth. Being fortunate enough to travel the world, I’ve been lucky to witness both the beauty of nature and its devastation. No matter how remote the coasts I’ve visited, there’s always garbage present. As someone who is outdoorsy, this deeply impacts me and drives me to raise awareness and inspire change. I believe meaningful change starts with shifting people’s mindsets, not just taking action. Working to build Working together to bup the MCC is my way of spreading this message, transforming perceptions, contributing to the overall preservation of the marine ecosystem and making the world a better place.
Name: Faris Alshehry
Role: Club Member
Places where you have lived: Finland, Saudi Arabia, Norway, UAE.
Location: Finland
About me:
I grew up living in many different regions of the world, and I was fortunate enough to get invited to this club because I never really thought about how we are affecting marine life. I hope that this club grants me and other people the chance to stand together and help marine life with all our strength.
Name: Young Goon Hwang (Dave)
Places where you have lived: Vietnam
Role: Organiser
Location: Finland
About me:
I am half korean half vietnamese. I joined around 2 months ago because I have a real passion for the marine life around us and would like to make an impact. Growing up I’ve always had an intriguing feeling when it comes to the topic of marine life so I joined to discover more in this club and to do something really great.
Name: Kaayan Agarwal
Places where I have lived: England, Netherlands, India, Finland
Role: Club Member
Location: Finland
About me:
I am Indian and I came to Finland 6 years ago. I joined this club because I’m passionate about protecting the ocean and its wildlife. I am extremely encouraged to address the problems of climate change and pollution and this club allows me to take action upon it through beach clean ups and awareness campaigns.
Name: Soomin Son
Role: Club Member
Places where you have lived: South Korea, Australia, Finland
Location: Finland
About me:
Growing up in Australia, I was fortunate to be surrounded by some of the most beautiful bodies of water. I was blessed to experience nature at its finest. However not everyone is as connected to or aware of the importance of preserving these ecosystems which is why I am passionate about marine conservation and protecting our oceans for the future. By being involved, I hope to raise awareness and contribute to the protection of global marine environments.
Name: Janani Rajesh Kumar
Role: Club Member
Places where you have lived: India, Poland, Finland
Location: Finland
About me:
As someone who finds student-led organisations inspirational, hearing about the MCC’s goals and achievements made me want to be a part of a team that is generating change, influence, and impact in our modern day society. Furthermore, I want to contribute and provide service to our oceans and marine life; this is something that is very dear to me, as I am someone who values the protection of nature and wildlife very much. Hence, my passion for student-led initiatives combined with my love for the world’s oceans lead me to join the MCC, where I hope to help raise awareness, educate others, and myself, on the pressing issues regarding marine habitats.
Name: Arav Punekar
Places where I have lived: Finland, Denmark
Role: Club Member
Location: Finland
About me:
I am Indian and I came to Finland around 14 years ago. I have joined this club to fulfill my lifelong wish of helping the planet. I care about the ocean and its wildlife, and I shiver at the thought of our wonderful ocean and all the interesting creatures that live in it to be harmed or in the worst case, i’d rather not imagine, our beautiful wildlife becoming extinct. Because of these wishes I have taken it upon myself to join this club and contribute to all of the projects, such as beach cleanups, awareness posters, fund raisers, etc.
