The Starfish Story

(story attributed to Loren Eiseley)

While walking along a beach, an elderly gentleman saw someone in the distance leaning down, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, picking up starfish one by one and tossing each one gently back into the water.

He came closer still and called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”

The old man smiled, and said, “I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”

To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

Upon hearing this, the elderly observer commented, “But, young man, do you not realise that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”

The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it into the back into the ocean past the breaking waves and said, “It made a difference for that one.”

The Scholar: Fedelia Flor Mero

Fedelia Flor C. Mero is 18 years old. She is the youngest of three siblings. Her father is a security guard who earns around 3,000 pesos (71 chf) a month and her mother, a former history teacher, sells homemade candies like yema. Hailing from Butuan City in Mindanao, she is currently a first year BS Fisheries student at the University of the Philippines Visayas.

Fedelia graduated at the top ten percent of her high school class. She was chosen as one of the Ten Most Outstanding Public High School Students of the Philippines for Exemplary Leadership. She is also a recipient of the Gerry Roxas Leadership Award. Last semester, she got a General Weighted Average of 1.705, earning her an honorific distinction of College Scholar from the UP College of Fisheries and Oceanic Sciences.

Fedelia believes that "the fisheries profession is an exciting one" and that "fisheries is one of the most helpful industries in the Philippine economy". She plans to become a researcher, to study law specializing in fisheries policies, and to teach. She hopes of making the Philippines a first world country. She loves to swim, draw, and write.

Fedelia Flor is the first recipient of the UPAAG Scholarship Fund. UPAAG will support her education until the end of the 4-year course, including summer practicum and thesis.

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This profile was based on the bio data and personal essay of Ms. Mero.

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The UPAAG Scholarship Fund

The University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Geneva (UPAAG) is composed of graduates and former regular students from the University of the Philippines, the national university of the Republic of the Philippines, who are residing in Geneva, Switzerland and neighboring areas.

One of its main programs is the UPAAG Scholarship Fund which aims to support deserving underprivileged students in their university studies.

The scholarship is offered to students enrolled in marine science education and research, fisheries, or aquaculture in the UP Visayas. The scholarship covers tuition and miscellaneous fees and allowance.