Tyler cultivates change at UWCSEA
Tyler ‘26 and the UWCSEA Foundation Team
15 September 2025
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The UWCSEA curriculum has always tied classroom learning to real-world action, and that combination has shaped my path from early curiosity to actively leading sustainability projects today.
In the vibrant and green ecosystem of UWCSEA Dover, Grade 12 student Tyler is making an impact on sustainability and inspiring fellow students to take action for our planet. He embodies our commitment to environmental stewardship through his leadership of the Incredible Edibles and the Marine Conservation Society.
Through both land- and sea-focused efforts, I aim to promote a holistic understanding of sustainability.
– Tyler '26, Grade 12 student at Dover Campus
From early awareness…
My interest in sustainability started early at UWCSEA. In Grade 2, our yearly trip to the zoo made me fascinated by nature and animals, and by Grade 5, my Expo project on plastic pollution really opened my eyes to the scale of human impact on the environment. Those early experiences planted the seed for wanting to make a difference.
In Middle School, I signed up for the Incredible Edibles service and began to see how sustainability could be applied in a hands-on way. At the same time, family trips where I went snorkelling in places like Mexico deepened my love for the ocean and showed me why conserving it matters.
…to full-on action and advocacy
By High School, I was ready to turn that passion into action and advocacy. I currently serve as the Student Leader of Incredible Edibles, our school’s edible gardening service. I guide Middle School students through the process of planting, maintaining, and harvesting crops in our school garden every Monday after school. This involves lesson planning, managing the garden beds, and mentoring younger students to build their confidence and ecological awareness.
Additionally, I’m involved with the Marine Conservation Society, where I support campaigns and awareness-raising efforts related to ocean health, marine biodiversity, and plastic pollution.
Cultivating plants and passion
Through Incredible Edibles, I’ve helped reinvigorate the school garden space and turn it into a learning hub. When I first stepped into leadership, the garden needed care and organisation. We’ve since revitalised the beds and introduced practices such as covering the beds with dead leaves to promote soil health.
One of the biggest impacts has been student engagement—watching Middle Schoolers go from hesitant to genuinely excited about watering, weeding, and harvesting their crops has been incredible. It’s not just about food; it’s about nurturing care for the environment.
Raising awareness to improve the health of our seas
With the Marine Conservation Society, I’ve helped spread awareness about the impact of microplastics and overfishing through workshops and campaigns. It’s helped me understand that sustainability must be both local and global—and that education is a powerful tool for change.
Making sustainability real
At UWCSEA, we have the facilities to get our hands dirty, and this helps sustainability to come alive.
It’s one thing to read about food systems or study climate change in class, but actually planting a seed, watching it grow, and eating what you’ve grown creates a totally different connection. It gives students ownership over their learning. And I find it so amazing that we can step outside our classrooms and walk over to our garden and start weeding!
In the garden, students learn about ecosystems, pollinators, and composting in a way that sticks. And outside UWCSEA—during our outdoor education trips—we get to connect what we are doing to how the environment is affected by people, and how we can actually make a difference.
A creative breakthrough
A big challenge I faced was getting people interested in the Marine Conservation Society. At first, awareness about the society was low and many students didn’t know how ocean issues mattered in our daily lives. To fix that, we created bright, eye-catching posters with facts about ocean pollution and marine animals and put them up around school. We also made announcements and added interactive activities to our meetings.
Eventually, more students started showing up and getting involved. It taught me that raising awareness in a creative way can really help spark interest and grow a community.
These Sustainability projects have helped me figure out what I care about, and they’ve shown me how I can combine my interests in science, the environment, and education. I’m seriously considering a future in environmental science or marine biology because of these experiences. They’ve taught me leadership, communication, and most importantly, how to inspire others to care too.
Growing both seeds and leaders
Hands-on work in our Incredible Edibles garden at school is great for developing teamwork and leadership skills. Students work together, solve real problems, and learn how their choices—like bringing a reusable bottle or starting a compost bin—can have an impact. Plus, it’s just fun. It really makes education at UWCSEA engaging and memorable.
What excites me the most in my work is that I can actually see the difference being made. Whether it’s watching seedlings turn into full-grown plants or hearing students explain how plastic harms marine animals, those moments of growth remind me why I do this.
Inspired by his mentors
Anyone can be a Sustainability Ambassador — including you!
Tyler shares advice for students who are interested in Sustainability and looking to get involved.
Just go for it! You don’t have to know everything—if you care, you’ll learn along the way. Start with something small, like helping out in a garden or joining a beach cleanup, and see where it takes you. Don’t be afraid to take initiative or share your ideas. Sustainability needs fresh voices.
Being consistent matters—even when it’s hard. You don’t need to be an expert to start leading something. Younger students really look up to you, so your attitude makes a big impact. Every small action adds up—especially in Sustainability.
Tyler's journey at UWCSEA exemplifies how student-led initiatives channel passion into action that makes a difference. Through its relevant concept-based curriculum, supportive mentorship and an environment that facilitates hands-on learning, UWCSEA is empowering students like Tyler to become active agents of change, cultivating a more sustainable future: one plant, one Middle School student, and one awareness campaign at a time.
#UWCSEAGiving invests in a future with possibilities and potential, empowering more young people to be the change they want to see in the world.
Help us go above and beyond for our students.