Image via Mogesh Sababathy
Passion was what drove Mogesh Sababathy, one of the unsung heroes in the DIGIyin Saathanai Hero-kkal campaign, to become a finalist for the Commonwealth Youth Awards for his work in marine biology at just 23 years old.
Mogesh spent his childhood growing up surrounded by the sea in Labuan and his family would drive out to the beach on weekends. Sure enough, he developed an interest in learning and exploring the ocean since he was six years old.
However, after spending so much time at the beach, he felt disappointed when he found trash and debris like plastic scattered all over the sea shore. Since then, he decided to be part of the solution and contribute his part in the community.
Image via Mogesh Sababathy
“I love everything about the ocean. It provides us plenty of vital resources for us to survive. It also brings me so much of joy and humbles me, reminding how small I am as compared to nature, and makes me appreciate the wonders of the world even more,” Mogesh shared.
This fueled his drive to study marine life and landed him a Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Biology with distinction from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT).
In 2017, Mogesh co-founded Project Ocean Hope with his fellow marine biology students at UMT. This youth-led group aims to raise the visibility of ocean issues and environmental conservation among Malaysian youths through campaigns and youth leadership training.
Image via Mogesh Sababathy
Image via Mogesh Sababathy
A year later in 2018, he served as the Program Director of Project Ocean Hope’s first event focusing on waste management. The event achieved tremendous success, attracting interest from different backgrounds including students, lecturers, vendors, and even local fishermen, as well as both government and non-government environmental organisations.
One of the most significant projects executed by the group was the Ocean Hope School Tour programme. The team would visit at least five schools in Terengganu every six months to create awareness among the students and educators on marine life, conservation and sustainability of the ocean.
These events soon became the group’s flagship programmes, which earned them national recognition, including being recognised as an active ocean conservation group by the Malaysian Youth Council.
Image via Mogesh Sababathy
Image via Mogesh Sababathy
Over the next few years, the group continued to run educational community projects to reduce littering and unsustainable fishing practices. They also conducted an ocean literacy webinar series in collaboration with Sustainable Ocean Alliance on waste management that has impacted over 10,000 people across 15 countries.
Recently, Mogesh’s passion and effort earned him a spot as a finalist of the Commonwealth Youth Awards 2021. He beat nearly 1,000 other submissions to make it to the top 20 list, joining other youths from over 18 countries.
Image via Mogesh Sababathy
Falling under the ‘SGD 15 – Life Below Water’ category, Mogesh was speechless when he first found out about the good news.
“To be very honest, I didn’t expect to be selected as a finalist for this prestigious award, especially after reading about the award and its previous recipients. All of the past finalists were incredibly talented and they’ve all been doing amazing work for the betterment of the community around them,” he revealed.
“Nevertheless, I’m glad not only because they recognise my work but also because they have given equal attention and recognition for initiatives concerning the environment just as other matter.”
Image via Mogesh Sababathy
According to the Commonwealth Youth Awards website, top finalists from each region will be announced as the regional winner at the official awards ceremony on 10 March, which will be held virtually for the first time. Out of the five regional winners, one outstanding individual will be awarded the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year.
Regardless of the result, Mogesh is already making waves for Malaysia with his efforts in Project Ocean Hope. Although the project started as an initiative to promote ocean awareness in Terengganu and the East Coast, the team hopes to expand nationwide.
Image via Mogesh Sababathy
Since he has already graduated from his studies, Mogesh now serves as the team’s mentor. He aims to continue expanding and building a strong youth community across the country who are passionate about the ocean.
“My future direction is also to encourage new attitudes around ocean conservation and get more people to have a responsible and informed behavior towards the ocean and its resources,” he explained.
Besides leading Project Ocean Hope, Mogesh is currently working as a research assistant at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). He also hopes to pursue postgraduate studies in marine biotechnology, specifically in stem cells and cellular biology, utilising marine resources for the benefit of humanity, such as discovering drugs and strategies to cure diseases.
We wish you all the best at the finale, Mogesh! We’re rooting for you!
As part of the DIGIyin Saathanai Hero-kkal campaign, we’re constantly looking to share stories of Malaysian ‘superheroes’ that live amongst us.
If you know a hero or if you have an inspirational story about overcoming challenges, we’d love to hear from you. Just submit your story at RAAGA’s website or click the image above.