WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.520 I feel like I'm an entrepreneur within the organization, 00:00:02.799 --> 00:00:05.740 given the chance also to create new things. I 00:00:05.740 --> 00:00:08.800 do not want the foundation to be only dependent 00:00:08.800 --> 00:00:17.300 on government subsidies. Tyson Lopez, a visionary 00:00:17.300 --> 00:00:21.300 conservation leader, proud Arubano, and since 00:00:21.300 --> 00:00:25.940 2023 appointed CEO of Aruba Conservation Foundation. 00:00:26.539 --> 00:00:29.359 Aruba is very new in conservation of nature. 00:00:29.460 --> 00:00:32.799 In 2019, we created the Marine Protected Areas 00:00:32.799 --> 00:00:35.380 of Marine Park. In the past 30 years, we lost 00:00:35.380 --> 00:00:39.100 maybe 80 % of our coral coverage. Now as the 00:00:39.100 --> 00:00:42.770 head of... ACF is leading the charge to preserve 00:00:42.770 --> 00:00:46.070 Aruba's protected areas through innovation, education 00:00:46.070 --> 00:00:49.890 and community engagement. Whenever you are going 00:00:49.890 --> 00:00:51.990 to a higher position, you have this thinking 00:00:51.990 --> 00:00:54.590 about, am I enough? Can I do this? What will 00:00:54.590 --> 00:01:02.630 be the result of it if you fail? People, welcome 00:01:02.630 --> 00:01:09.980 to the Sunside Kingdom show. Welcome, Mr. Tyson. 00:01:10.219 --> 00:01:12.379 Thank you. It's a pleasure for me for being here 00:01:12.379 --> 00:01:16.980 on your podcast and to be able to share what 00:01:16.980 --> 00:01:19.840 I've experienced so far. And like you said, also 00:01:19.840 --> 00:01:23.159 to make sure that we can inspire others also. 00:01:23.239 --> 00:01:26.780 Yeah. Give them some inspiration, motivation 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:31.920 to do their best also. Yeah. My true motivation 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:34.819 in creating this podcast, as I mentioned many 00:01:34.819 --> 00:01:38.829 times before, it's that... So, well, we spoke 00:01:38.829 --> 00:01:43.230 off camera and I can say your age. Yeah. OK, 00:01:43.310 --> 00:01:46.829 OK. So you're 38. I'm 40. So we're about the 00:01:46.829 --> 00:01:49.290 same age and definitely the same generation. 00:01:49.290 --> 00:01:52.189 Right. So the millennial generation. And I remember 00:01:52.189 --> 00:01:57.530 when when it was our time coming up there, we. 00:01:58.310 --> 00:02:01.129 At least in my experience, there weren't many 00:02:01.129 --> 00:02:05.489 that we could look up to that at least. felt 00:02:05.489 --> 00:02:08.909 like they were relatable or sharing their stories 00:02:08.909 --> 00:02:12.169 in an interesting way that that you could really 00:02:12.169 --> 00:02:17.219 like. sort of get that inspiration from and understand 00:02:17.219 --> 00:02:22.979 how to navigate your journey. So that's the main 00:02:22.979 --> 00:02:26.259 purpose of the podcast is to interview so many 00:02:26.259 --> 00:02:29.699 different stories that we start to have documented 00:02:29.699 --> 00:02:35.599 knowledge sharing of different individuals from 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:39.699 the six islands and also Suriname. Indeed. I 00:02:39.699 --> 00:02:44.030 think when I grew up also, It was not about sharing 00:02:44.030 --> 00:02:49.770 back then. So a lot was shared, but not with 00:02:49.770 --> 00:02:52.629 the general public or not with the younger generation. 00:02:53.030 --> 00:02:55.909 So indeed, for me, that is also very important 00:02:55.909 --> 00:02:58.669 now to make sure that the younger generation 00:02:58.669 --> 00:03:01.969 coming after me, that I can share a lot of my 00:03:01.969 --> 00:03:06.310 experiences and provide advice also. Awesome. 00:03:06.370 --> 00:03:11.569 So tell us a bit more about who is Tyson Lopez 00:03:11.569 --> 00:03:16.629 today and what keeps you busy now in 2025? What 00:03:16.629 --> 00:03:19.210 keeps me busy? Well, nature keeps me busy in 00:03:19.210 --> 00:03:23.479 this case. I mean, I'm the CEO of Aruba Conservation 00:03:23.479 --> 00:03:27.020 Foundation, the foundation that manages one fourth 00:03:27.020 --> 00:03:30.060 of the island as a terrestrial protected area, 00:03:30.240 --> 00:03:33.699 but also 0 .2 % of our territorial waters. So 00:03:33.699 --> 00:03:36.219 it's a big responsibility to be the person in 00:03:36.219 --> 00:03:39.500 charge that has such a mandate from the government. 00:03:39.719 --> 00:03:43.180 Yeah. So that keeps me busy day in, day out. 00:03:43.240 --> 00:03:45.620 I mean, everything that happens, people will 00:03:45.620 --> 00:03:49.319 call you and yeah, you'll have to react in one 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:53.139 way or the other. But that's what keeps me busy. 00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:57.080 So is it a particular area of Aruba or is it 00:03:57.080 --> 00:03:59.580 the entire island? No, it's scattered around 00:03:59.580 --> 00:04:02.060 the island. So the majority of it is concentrated 00:04:02.060 --> 00:04:04.539 at the national park. Yeah. But it's scattered 00:04:04.539 --> 00:04:07.020 all over the island. So could you just name a 00:04:07.020 --> 00:04:11.159 few of them? So it's Sassarvici Dunes with the 00:04:11.159 --> 00:04:13.300 wetlands. Also Salinha Drive, Salinha Cerca. 00:04:13.639 --> 00:04:16.459 The dunes that's like by the lighthouse. Behind 00:04:16.459 --> 00:04:18.660 the lighthouse, yes. So that area is a protected 00:04:18.660 --> 00:04:21.540 area. It is protected because of high biodiversity 00:04:21.540 --> 00:04:25.699 and ecological value also. But we have, for example, 00:04:25.699 --> 00:04:27.839 the reef islands, the mangrove islands on the 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:31.740 south coast of Aruba also. The south coast. So 00:04:31.740 --> 00:04:35.560 then we're talking San Nicolas? It starts behind 00:04:35.560 --> 00:04:37.339 the airport going all the way to San Nicolas. 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:40.519 Oh, okay. So the full reef island behind that 00:04:40.519 --> 00:04:44.480 part is in our management area. So it's scattered 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:47.120 all over and it makes it very dynamic also to 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:53.230 manage. Interesting. And earlier you were mentioning 00:04:53.230 --> 00:04:56.509 that, so under your leadership, what has been 00:04:56.509 --> 00:04:59.730 some of the biggest changes that has happened? 00:05:00.470 --> 00:05:09.110 Yeah, so I started in July of 23. So what we're 00:05:09.110 --> 00:05:12.350 doing is that we have finally, after 20 years, 00:05:12.430 --> 00:05:14.959 a strategic document, a strategic plan. where 00:05:14.959 --> 00:05:17.660 we want to go for the upcoming 10 years. So there's 00:05:17.660 --> 00:05:20.399 more like a vision and a strategic plan of how 00:05:20.399 --> 00:05:22.899 to get it done. So before becoming the CEO already, 00:05:23.019 --> 00:05:26.279 I was assigned with the project to come up with 00:05:26.279 --> 00:05:30.240 a strategic document, a vision. So what was your 00:05:30.240 --> 00:05:31.939 role before becoming CEO? I actually used to 00:05:31.939 --> 00:05:34.420 be the sustainable recreation manager. Okay. 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:37.360 But because I'm such an eager person and wanting 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:40.560 to learn, I kind of pushed myself into having 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:47.220 this. task given to me so for sustainable recreation 00:05:47.220 --> 00:05:51.540 manager so recreation i'm thinking about activities 00:05:51.540 --> 00:05:55.379 so yeah it's about how to reduce the impact of 00:05:55.379 --> 00:05:58.740 recreation within the protected areas okay okay 00:05:58.740 --> 00:06:01.879 so it's managing people it's managing activities 00:06:01.879 --> 00:06:05.779 providing new uh experiences also for the visitors 00:06:05.779 --> 00:06:08.920 yeah so i've been doing that i started in i think 00:06:09.160 --> 00:06:14.100 It was May 2019. If I may sidetrack you for a 00:06:14.100 --> 00:06:16.939 moment. So for instance, like those that are 00:06:16.939 --> 00:06:20.000 running on the ATVs in particular areas to make 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:24.680 sure that... That's a hot topic, right? I mean, 00:06:24.699 --> 00:06:28.279 that's some of the fun in my memory that I had 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:30.879 in Aruba, but I could imagine that certain areas... 00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:34.000 Basically, the UTVs and ATVs are prohibited to 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:38.180 enter the national park. We banned that in 2020. 00:06:39.049 --> 00:06:41.550 Okay. And that was part of my work that I had 00:06:41.550 --> 00:06:44.769 to do also to come up with a regulation. I mean, 00:06:44.790 --> 00:06:48.990 I can draw policies. So I had to do some desk 00:06:48.990 --> 00:06:51.029 research in order to introduce such a policy. 00:06:51.529 --> 00:06:54.949 So it's not possible to go from like the gold 00:06:54.949 --> 00:06:57.569 mine straight down to San Nicolas side anymore 00:06:57.569 --> 00:06:59.850 because you pass through the national park. You're 00:06:59.850 --> 00:07:02.850 not allowed to. So I actually did that then before 00:07:02.850 --> 00:07:06.600 it was bad. Yeah. So everybody did it. that was 00:07:06.600 --> 00:07:09.540 um actually it's to reduce the impact yeah yeah 00:07:09.540 --> 00:07:13.139 yeah of this vehicle and it's because this vehicle 00:07:13.139 --> 00:07:15.699 there's there's so much that that is the issue 00:07:15.699 --> 00:07:19.420 and we i approached a sustainable transport framework 00:07:19.420 --> 00:07:23.160 uh doing this uh policy so it's the intention 00:07:23.160 --> 00:07:27.160 is to make sure that more visitors or more people 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:32.980 per tire per modar so it reduces the the erosion, 00:07:33.259 --> 00:07:36.160 whatever impact it might have. So that was the 00:07:36.160 --> 00:07:39.939 intention to increase the amount of visitors 00:07:39.939 --> 00:07:44.000 per vehicle. How you do it is very... This might 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:46.500 be a completely sidetracked, crazy question, 00:07:46.680 --> 00:07:51.959 but I think the first time I visited Aruba, the 00:07:51.959 --> 00:07:57.060 natural bridge was still... How long ago did 00:07:57.060 --> 00:08:01.519 it... It collapsed? Yeah. I'm not sure, but it's 00:08:01.519 --> 00:08:04.300 a long time ago. More than 20 years ago, for 00:08:04.300 --> 00:08:08.500 sure. More than 20 years? Yes. Yes. Yeah? Yes. 00:08:08.740 --> 00:08:12.939 Okay. So was it already? My first visit was in 00:08:12.939 --> 00:08:19.139 2011. So that's about... 2011. That's 14 years 00:08:19.139 --> 00:08:22.889 ago? Okay, perhaps. For some reason, I feel like 00:08:22.889 --> 00:08:24.829 it was still there. But then by the time I came 00:08:24.829 --> 00:08:30.129 in 2016 -ish, then it was definitely collapsed. 00:08:30.149 --> 00:08:34.389 So I'm not sure. Okay. But was there any type 00:08:34.389 --> 00:08:38.529 of correlation between like the... Okay. A bit 00:08:38.529 --> 00:08:41.929 of a sidetrack question. But yeah. So basically, 00:08:42.409 --> 00:08:45.029 my position used to be then sustainable recreation 00:08:45.029 --> 00:08:49.970 manager. But then COVID hit. So the same year... 00:08:50.200 --> 00:08:54.759 basically, 2019. So the organization went into 00:08:54.759 --> 00:08:59.360 a restructuring. So a lot of people had to leave 00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:02.100 the organization. And hence, also more responsibility 00:09:02.100 --> 00:09:06.740 fell on my lap. So at a certain moment, I was 00:09:06.740 --> 00:09:09.440 sustainable recreation, marketing manager, sales 00:09:09.440 --> 00:09:14.360 manager, doing strategy. But yeah, I think at 00:09:14.360 --> 00:09:17.440 the end, it was a very... A blessing in disguise. 00:09:17.700 --> 00:09:19.820 Yes, a blessing in disguise. But also, I think... 00:09:20.190 --> 00:09:22.889 Because you take up those challenges, you learn 00:09:22.889 --> 00:09:26.250 more and you position yourself also better in 00:09:26.250 --> 00:09:28.389 the organization. And moving forward, you have 00:09:28.389 --> 00:09:31.409 a bigger set of skills also and tools that you 00:09:31.409 --> 00:09:36.009 can use in the future. So that was where I started 00:09:36.009 --> 00:09:39.669 at the Aruba Conservation Foundation. And afterwards, 00:09:39.809 --> 00:09:47.960 the CEO actually left during the pandemic. So 00:09:47.960 --> 00:09:51.059 we had an interim CEO and eventually they opened 00:09:51.059 --> 00:09:54.440 the position and I applied for it. I applied, 00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:57.460 that's another story, but I applied on the last 00:09:57.460 --> 00:10:00.519 day that you could have applied. And basically 00:10:00.519 --> 00:10:04.120 I applied because a friend of mine called me 00:10:04.120 --> 00:10:07.779 and asked me for my advice. Like, do you think 00:10:07.779 --> 00:10:13.539 I can apply for becoming a CEO? And when he asked 00:10:13.539 --> 00:10:16.860 me that question, I was like, so. He thinks that 00:10:16.860 --> 00:10:20.019 he can be the CEO. So why am I thinking that 00:10:20.019 --> 00:10:24.720 it's not possible? So that triggers me if he 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:29.860 ever sees this podcast. I'm sorry. But that triggered 00:10:29.860 --> 00:10:33.240 me to go home. Well, I mean, if he's a true friend, 00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:35.500 then you can also just tell him, thank you for 00:10:35.500 --> 00:10:40.000 inspiring me. But yeah, that triggered me into 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:43.019 thinking that I might also be able to do it. 00:10:43.960 --> 00:10:47.179 I think in that case, you sometimes doubt yourself, 00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:50.960 your skills. And whenever you are going into 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:54.320 a higher position, you have this thinking about, 00:10:54.360 --> 00:10:58.019 am I enough? Can I do this? What will be the 00:10:58.019 --> 00:11:03.039 result of it if you fail? So, yeah, I said, like, 00:11:03.059 --> 00:11:06.200 I'm not going to limit myself. So I applied and 00:11:06.200 --> 00:11:09.320 then went through the interviews and the interview 00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:11.639 sessions. And eventually I was offered the job. 00:11:12.190 --> 00:11:14.549 which for me was really amazing because after 00:11:14.549 --> 00:11:18.470 creating a strategy, I will be responsible for 00:11:18.470 --> 00:11:21.889 implementing the strategy. And that is what I'm 00:11:21.889 --> 00:11:25.210 doing day to day now. So I keep a tap on the 00:11:25.210 --> 00:11:28.110 strategic projects that we're doing, keep a tap 00:11:28.110 --> 00:11:29.970 on all the departments if they're performing 00:11:29.970 --> 00:11:33.409 according to what we said we would do. And that's 00:11:33.409 --> 00:11:36.830 just amazing for me to see the vision becoming 00:11:36.830 --> 00:11:41.860 a reality. It's a slow process because... It 00:11:41.860 --> 00:11:44.960 takes time to learn how to work with strategies 00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:48.419 and implementation plans and strategic budgets, 00:11:48.700 --> 00:11:51.039 so multi -annual budgets, all those things. But 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:55.139 yeah, I'm doing it and I'm enjoying it so far. 00:11:57.200 --> 00:12:01.539 From the reactions I'm getting. You're doing 00:12:01.539 --> 00:12:03.840 a pretty good job. I'm getting positive reactions 00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:07.460 from people that I know. And they're telling 00:12:07.460 --> 00:12:09.940 me I'll just keep on going. Well, you also came 00:12:09.940 --> 00:12:14.639 recommended. Because since I've been on Aruba, 00:12:14.639 --> 00:12:17.440 I've been asking some of my trusted sources for 00:12:17.440 --> 00:12:21.759 names of inspiring persons. So your name was 00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:25.759 mentioned among those. And then we dived in and 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:27.929 did a... bit of research and said okay yeah i 00:12:27.929 --> 00:12:30.250 think i think there's an interesting story here 00:12:30.250 --> 00:12:33.929 i think i'm a very active person and i don't 00:12:33.929 --> 00:12:38.809 want i don't like sitting still yeah um i'm always 00:12:38.809 --> 00:12:44.980 up to something Yeah, so I'm always busy. I think 00:12:44.980 --> 00:12:49.179 I might be sitting still when I'm dead, but I 00:12:49.179 --> 00:12:52.200 think as long as I'm alive, I'm enjoying life. 00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:55.000 There's lots to do. So what are some of the biggest 00:12:55.000 --> 00:12:59.320 achievements you would say in your career? In 00:12:59.320 --> 00:13:04.659 my career, if I think my full career. So I started 00:13:04.659 --> 00:13:07.080 working at the government of Aruba in the prime 00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:14.090 minister's office back in 2000. I think one of 00:13:14.090 --> 00:13:16.009 the achievements back there, because I used to 00:13:16.009 --> 00:13:18.909 do public diplomacy, so it's not about relations. 00:13:19.210 --> 00:13:21.710 So you don't get the achievement would be assigning 00:13:21.710 --> 00:13:26.750 of a MOU with this institution or that institution. 00:13:26.909 --> 00:13:31.190 So it's basically that. But I remember one that 00:13:31.190 --> 00:13:34.509 I was really proud was, and it's basically a 00:13:34.509 --> 00:13:38.649 new afterwards through Twitter. is that an MOU 00:13:38.649 --> 00:13:40.389 that was signed between the government of Aruba 00:13:40.389 --> 00:13:42.929 and Goldman Properties, I think it's called. 00:13:43.710 --> 00:13:47.690 It's the developers of Wynwood in Miami. Oh, 00:13:47.710 --> 00:13:50.970 okay. And the intention was then to bring the 00:13:50.970 --> 00:13:53.809 developers on the island and talk to potential 00:13:53.809 --> 00:13:57.470 investors on how to create such a neighborhood 00:13:57.470 --> 00:14:01.149 on Aruba, a creative neighborhood on Aruba. So 00:14:01.149 --> 00:14:06.210 back then, I felt like it's an achievement. But 00:14:06.210 --> 00:14:09.889 there's multiple moments also. Afterwards, I 00:14:09.889 --> 00:14:15.629 went to work at the park or at ACF. And I mean, 00:14:15.750 --> 00:14:18.929 when I finished everything, every time you finish 00:14:18.929 --> 00:14:22.149 something, it feels good. Yeah. And I think you 00:14:22.149 --> 00:14:25.250 have to enjoy those highlights. Like when I finished 00:14:25.250 --> 00:14:27.950 the corporate plan and was approved. Enjoy the 00:14:27.950 --> 00:14:29.509 big wins and the little wins. And the little 00:14:29.509 --> 00:14:34.149 wins. Like, for example, recently I did execute. 00:14:34.970 --> 00:14:37.590 renovation project of one of our infrastructure. 00:14:37.950 --> 00:14:40.309 And I'm actually celebrating also. It's a small 00:14:40.309 --> 00:14:43.350 project, but I believe in celebrating all these 00:14:43.350 --> 00:14:47.070 small things in order to keep you also energized. 00:14:47.129 --> 00:14:53.049 And I mean, that's really the key when just in 00:14:53.049 --> 00:14:55.850 life in general is enjoying the overall journey. 00:14:55.929 --> 00:14:58.570 Yeah. And along the journey. Not the destination, 00:14:58.610 --> 00:15:02.480 just the journey. The destination in true, true 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:06.399 fashion is death. That is the reality. So we 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:08.580 got to enjoy the whole journey. That is the reality. 00:15:08.759 --> 00:15:13.240 And I think very quickly you just work towards 00:15:13.240 --> 00:15:16.539 a destination. Like, I want to do that. And you 00:15:16.539 --> 00:15:19.179 do not enjoy the current moment. Yeah. And the 00:15:19.179 --> 00:15:21.899 small moments. So learning to be more present. 00:15:22.259 --> 00:15:26.820 Yeah, yeah. For sure. Awesome. Yeah, now as a 00:15:26.820 --> 00:15:31.929 CEO. The organization is in the right path. I'm 00:15:31.929 --> 00:15:34.549 happy that financially we're doing very good. 00:15:35.009 --> 00:15:37.450 On our strategic implementation also is going 00:15:37.450 --> 00:15:42.590 very good. So for me, those are wins that I see 00:15:42.590 --> 00:15:45.490 that, yeah, I'm on a good course. Yeah. And that 00:15:45.490 --> 00:15:49.769 is going good. Awesome. Awesome. Yeah. So now 00:15:49.769 --> 00:15:52.669 we might be getting into a bit of a deeper question. 00:15:52.809 --> 00:15:59.940 All right. So. The off -camera, we were talking 00:15:59.940 --> 00:16:04.720 about entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship. So 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:09.720 you're definitely in an intrapreneur position 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:13.379 right now, but that element has always been there. 00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:20.059 But looking at your current position and then 00:16:20.059 --> 00:16:22.620 also where some of your thoughts and visions 00:16:22.620 --> 00:16:24.980 are for the other things that you want to achieve. 00:16:25.789 --> 00:16:30.370 How connected do you feel to your purpose in 00:16:30.370 --> 00:16:35.970 life in your current career? Yeah. I mean, purpose. 00:16:36.190 --> 00:16:40.629 It's a deep question. It's a deep question. Sometimes 00:16:40.629 --> 00:16:45.190 I wake up, what is my purpose? But no, I think 00:16:45.190 --> 00:16:49.230 I'm very much aligned right now with what I want 00:16:49.230 --> 00:16:53.830 to do and what is my contribution also to society. 00:16:54.779 --> 00:16:57.779 I think that is what keeps me going day in and 00:16:57.779 --> 00:17:01.500 day out because it's a challenging job. But I 00:17:01.500 --> 00:17:04.559 think with determination and passion and purpose, 00:17:04.819 --> 00:17:10.460 you will continue going. And what I find very 00:17:10.460 --> 00:17:13.059 beautiful is that indeed we talked about entrepreneur 00:17:13.059 --> 00:17:16.460 and entrepreneur. I feel like I'm an entrepreneur 00:17:16.460 --> 00:17:19.779 within the organization given the chance also 00:17:19.779 --> 00:17:23.200 to create new things. So that also fuels me. 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:27.160 Every time I do something new, it's like, yes, 00:17:27.180 --> 00:17:30.779 I'm doing this. And the convincing of my ideas 00:17:30.779 --> 00:17:34.640 also, the creation of every idea that I created 00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:38.400 so far. So it's really nice and it keeps me energized 00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:42.420 also. I think I told you also that I've been 00:17:42.420 --> 00:17:45.759 raised in a very entrepreneurial family. So I 00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:47.980 think that's something embedded in you somehow. 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:52.359 And you need to get that flame going. And working 00:17:52.359 --> 00:17:55.900 in an organization is different. I always say 00:17:55.900 --> 00:17:58.579 the foundation is my company. And sometimes I'm 00:17:58.579 --> 00:18:01.559 like, okay, it's not your company. So check out 00:18:01.559 --> 00:18:05.579 for a moment. But a lot of times when I talk 00:18:05.579 --> 00:18:09.700 to others, I mention this, that for me, the foundation 00:18:09.700 --> 00:18:13.579 is a business. Being a foundation is just a texting. 00:18:14.140 --> 00:18:19.380 But it is a business. And I do not want the foundation 00:18:19.380 --> 00:18:23.680 to be only dependent on government. subsidies 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:27.019 so i really want us to be as commercial as possible 00:18:27.019 --> 00:18:29.900 in order to generate as much as possible for 00:18:29.900 --> 00:18:32.319 the conservation nature so that is back towards 00:18:32.319 --> 00:18:35.880 uh what i care a lot about because i care deeply 00:18:35.880 --> 00:18:40.619 about nature um i love it i'm in i'm hiking almost 00:18:40.619 --> 00:18:43.200 every weekend i go to the beach almost every 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:47.240 weekend so that is my moment also and for me 00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:51.349 to be able to conserve that is amazing So actually, 00:18:51.589 --> 00:18:53.809 there's something interesting in there when you 00:18:53.809 --> 00:18:59.450 unpack that a bit. Because you're conserving 00:18:59.450 --> 00:19:02.089 nature, so there's also a whole sustainability 00:19:02.089 --> 00:19:06.450 aspect to it. But the foundation, you're also 00:19:06.450 --> 00:19:08.950 looking for ways to make the foundation itself 00:19:08.950 --> 00:19:12.869 more sustainable outside of just the regular 00:19:12.869 --> 00:19:16.789 funding. Yeah, so it's both. It's the sustainability 00:19:16.789 --> 00:19:19.650 on the environmental sense to make sure that... 00:19:19.900 --> 00:19:23.059 nature will still be there and thrive and prosper. 00:19:23.220 --> 00:19:25.779 But also for the foundation that takes care of 00:19:25.779 --> 00:19:29.359 it also will still be there and thrive and prosper. 00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:33.640 So that combination for me, I find very amazing. 00:19:33.700 --> 00:19:37.279 It gives me energy. It gives me also headaches, 00:19:37.420 --> 00:19:41.259 but it gives me energy to continue going. Yeah, 00:19:41.259 --> 00:19:45.980 awesome. So you mentioned you really love nature. 00:19:46.670 --> 00:19:49.210 So let's tap back to the moment when you first 00:19:49.210 --> 00:19:52.609 discovered that. When was that? Growing up here 00:19:52.609 --> 00:19:56.609 on Aruba? Yeah, yeah. So we're going as far back 00:19:56.609 --> 00:19:59.029 as you can remember. I can remember. From maybe 00:19:59.029 --> 00:20:01.809 seeing the first, what they call, Lagadishis? 00:20:03.230 --> 00:20:06.950 To the Pega Pegas? To the lizards? To the snakes? 00:20:07.950 --> 00:20:11.490 Oh, I hate snakes. But you grew up seeing a lot 00:20:11.490 --> 00:20:16.630 of them? So basically, I am the only... male 00:20:16.630 --> 00:20:20.809 within the family so um oh i can relate yeah 00:20:20.809 --> 00:20:25.069 so i had a lot of time outside of the house so 00:20:25.069 --> 00:20:29.230 back then i'm not i'm not a gamer so and in our 00:20:29.230 --> 00:20:32.049 day and time i think it was nintendo 64 and then 00:20:32.049 --> 00:20:35.509 playstation so it's early yes early gaming and 00:20:35.509 --> 00:20:39.109 i was a person that was really outside um and 00:20:39.109 --> 00:20:41.789 i remember i would just go into because we lived 00:20:41.789 --> 00:20:44.650 also close to nature so i just go and explore 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:48.180 I think it was last month that I told my mom, 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:50.500 you remember I used to go back there and I showed 00:20:50.500 --> 00:20:53.460 my mom. And she was like, when was this happening? 00:20:54.359 --> 00:20:59.359 When you were working? Oh, I never told you that. 00:20:59.480 --> 00:21:04.960 Yeah. I thought you knew. So early on already, 00:21:05.160 --> 00:21:09.660 I felt something really nice to explore and discover 00:21:09.660 --> 00:21:15.589 in nature. So with that lens. And afterwards, 00:21:15.710 --> 00:21:21.569 I became also a Boy Scout. Yeah. So then also 00:21:21.569 --> 00:21:25.329 you do a lot of activities in nature. But continuously, 00:21:25.869 --> 00:21:28.650 I would go back to nature, even when I was working. 00:21:28.910 --> 00:21:31.509 But this exploring you is doing that mainly alone 00:21:31.509 --> 00:21:34.170 or you did that with your friends? I did it mainly 00:21:34.170 --> 00:21:37.109 alone. So with Boy Scouts, obviously in a group, 00:21:37.170 --> 00:21:39.990 but mainly alone. In the neighborhood and stuff? 00:21:40.109 --> 00:21:43.009 In the neighborhood. So behind my parents' house, 00:21:43.109 --> 00:21:47.609 there's enough... The nature behind it. What 00:21:47.609 --> 00:21:51.049 you call that? It's Kunuku's or Mondi's? Mondi's. 00:21:51.049 --> 00:21:54.490 And there were also a watering hole, so a dam, 00:21:54.670 --> 00:21:57.950 where you capture water. And I would go there 00:21:57.950 --> 00:22:03.690 and explore. And it was really nice. And I want 00:22:03.690 --> 00:22:07.210 to say also, afterwards... So as a kid, it was 00:22:07.210 --> 00:22:10.109 more recreational. But afterwards, when I started 00:22:10.109 --> 00:22:13.650 working, for me, hiking became... became something 00:22:13.650 --> 00:22:17.430 more for me to relax and unwind and de -stress. 00:22:17.509 --> 00:22:22.230 Yeah. And also... So more mindful. More a mindful 00:22:22.230 --> 00:22:29.670 experience for me. Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. So with 00:22:29.670 --> 00:22:34.809 that being said, how would you say your Caribbean 00:22:34.809 --> 00:22:39.250 roots have influenced the way that you carry 00:22:39.250 --> 00:22:45.319 yourself throughout your career? I think from 00:22:45.319 --> 00:22:47.900 a Caribbean roots, but also because we are a 00:22:47.900 --> 00:22:52.559 multicultural island. You can see things from 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:56.660 different perspective. And that is what is one 00:22:56.660 --> 00:23:00.299 of my strengths. I can sit with a fisherman that 00:23:00.299 --> 00:23:03.099 does not agree with, for example, a policy that 00:23:03.099 --> 00:23:05.460 we want to introduce and still understand for 00:23:05.460 --> 00:23:09.140 him and try to convince him. uh what is it that 00:23:09.140 --> 00:23:12.680 we want to do so our whoever a tour operator 00:23:12.680 --> 00:23:16.819 uh whoever it is because i i take things from 00:23:16.819 --> 00:23:20.400 multiple angles i want to know also what is it 00:23:20.400 --> 00:23:22.900 that you want to tell me what is it that you're 00:23:22.900 --> 00:23:25.640 thinking and i think that that part and i think 00:23:25.640 --> 00:23:29.160 that again the curiosity part comes in and um 00:23:29.160 --> 00:23:34.299 yeah and also I'm very realistic that we are 00:23:34.299 --> 00:23:37.400 a small island and it comes with its limitations. 00:23:37.599 --> 00:23:39.640 It comes with its challenges. And its challenges 00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:43.440 about understanding, but also opportunities are 00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:49.339 very much less. But yeah, so I'm very much rooted 00:23:49.339 --> 00:23:53.039 in the reality, you could say. Everything moves 00:23:53.039 --> 00:23:56.799 a bit slower. We talked about it. But it gives 00:23:56.799 --> 00:24:02.170 me a better... When you need to do changes, you 00:24:02.170 --> 00:24:05.910 need to have buy -in and support. And I think 00:24:05.910 --> 00:24:09.410 that skill set of talking to people, convincing 00:24:09.410 --> 00:24:12.470 them to get the support for the change is what 00:24:12.470 --> 00:24:16.410 I can do very well. Yeah. So let's take a little 00:24:16.410 --> 00:24:24.380 quick... quick history because i don't i think 00:24:24.380 --> 00:24:27.000 we forgot to touch on that because we touched 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:29.619 on the childhood but then we kind of went more 00:24:29.619 --> 00:24:34.380 the nature experience um your schooling what 00:24:34.380 --> 00:24:36.440 was your schooling trajectory like so you did 00:24:36.440 --> 00:24:39.079 high school here in uh in aruba yeah so i did 00:24:39.079 --> 00:24:41.960 high school here in aruba and afterwards i went 00:24:41.960 --> 00:24:45.579 basically to curacao so because i want to to 00:24:45.579 --> 00:24:50.980 become a fiscal economist but At that time, I 00:24:50.980 --> 00:24:55.400 was a very party goer. So Curacao was like a 00:24:55.400 --> 00:24:58.400 free time for me. But very soon I stopped also 00:24:58.400 --> 00:25:01.779 and came back to the island. And then I did accountancy 00:25:01.779 --> 00:25:06.039 basically for a year. And afterwards I did my 00:25:06.039 --> 00:25:08.099 first, my bachelor that I finished is organization 00:25:08.099 --> 00:25:10.359 governance and management. Okay. At the University 00:25:10.359 --> 00:25:14.140 of Aruba. Yeah. Then I went to work for two years. 00:25:14.200 --> 00:25:16.559 And then I went to the Netherlands to do my master 00:25:16.559 --> 00:25:19.619 in international development studies. Okay. And 00:25:19.619 --> 00:25:23.180 could you expand a bit on what international 00:25:23.180 --> 00:25:27.740 development studies entail? So I'm going to start 00:25:27.740 --> 00:25:30.579 first on why I chose it. There was a certain 00:25:30.579 --> 00:25:32.799 moment that because I was working for the government 00:25:32.799 --> 00:25:38.440 in public diplomacy and I was advised to do international 00:25:38.440 --> 00:25:44.839 relations. But I see myself not as a talker. 00:25:44.920 --> 00:25:48.200 I see myself more as a doer. And I didn't want 00:25:48.200 --> 00:25:50.589 to be... become a talker i don't want to become 00:25:50.589 --> 00:25:53.369 one of those people that just talk about a lot 00:25:53.369 --> 00:25:56.369 a lot talk about great ideas but never do it 00:25:56.369 --> 00:26:01.390 doesn't do shh exactly so then i was like okay 00:26:01.390 --> 00:26:04.349 if i'm gonna do this and also i had at that moment 00:26:04.349 --> 00:26:09.609 a very strong commitment to wanting to to have 00:26:09.609 --> 00:26:13.190 some impact and some change on the island on 00:26:13.190 --> 00:26:16.039 the island yeah And that is why when I chose 00:26:16.039 --> 00:26:19.079 International Development Studies as my master 00:26:19.079 --> 00:26:23.400 degree, because it takes basically, you create, 00:26:23.539 --> 00:26:25.720 you take everything from a development perspective. 00:26:25.920 --> 00:26:28.920 So how can you benefit? What is it intervention 00:26:28.920 --> 00:26:31.500 you can do to benefit the community? What intervention 00:26:31.500 --> 00:26:35.599 can you do to benefit a marginalized group within 00:26:35.599 --> 00:26:38.720 the society? So that's how you come about designing 00:26:38.720 --> 00:26:42.240 projects and so on. So in principle. when you 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:44.539 finish such a study you either be working at 00:26:44.539 --> 00:26:50.180 the world bank or un yeah and our eu uh eu parliament 00:26:50.180 --> 00:26:53.279 or commission so that is the the type of study 00:26:53.279 --> 00:26:57.200 that i i did um but yeah i came back to the island 00:26:57.200 --> 00:26:59.420 because i i know that i can use that skill set 00:26:59.420 --> 00:27:05.039 also on the island awesome i think when when 00:27:05.039 --> 00:27:09.420 we grew up is that or i grew up in an environment 00:27:09.420 --> 00:27:12.779 that They were constantly telling me, like, hey, 00:27:12.859 --> 00:27:14.200 you're going to be the change. You're going to 00:27:14.200 --> 00:27:17.900 do things. And that basically was ingrained in 00:27:17.900 --> 00:27:21.900 me. But who was telling you that? Was it your 00:27:21.900 --> 00:27:28.359 parents, the community? It was. Well, I grew 00:27:28.359 --> 00:27:31.539 up in a family where my grandmother is a schoolteacher. 00:27:32.579 --> 00:27:36.410 And a very strict schoolteacher. Okay. So education 00:27:36.410 --> 00:27:40.250 was always a strong component within my family. 00:27:40.490 --> 00:27:44.130 A must. And I think if you talk to my cousins 00:27:44.130 --> 00:27:46.769 these days, they would also tell you like it 00:27:46.769 --> 00:27:50.710 also felt like a competition. Like who is the 00:27:50.710 --> 00:27:53.869 ones that finished a master's study? My grandma 00:27:53.869 --> 00:27:57.309 is not going to see this podcast, I hope. But 00:27:57.309 --> 00:27:59.329 it's such... She's still alive? Yeah, she's still 00:27:59.329 --> 00:28:01.450 alive. You got to send it to grandma, man. No. 00:28:02.970 --> 00:28:07.009 But actually because... She had in her living 00:28:07.009 --> 00:28:11.170 room pictures of all of us finishing high school 00:28:11.170 --> 00:28:14.789 with our diploma. Picture of all of us that finished 00:28:14.789 --> 00:28:17.750 bachelor with our diploma. So the next challenge 00:28:17.750 --> 00:28:19.750 was you want to be on the picture with a master 00:28:19.750 --> 00:28:24.710 diploma. So that was like psychological manipulation. 00:28:30.150 --> 00:28:35.230 Grandma was gangster. Yeah, I guess those techniques 00:28:35.230 --> 00:28:37.609 work. I talked to a cousin once and he was like, 00:28:37.730 --> 00:28:41.490 yeah, we were always forced to compete on academics. 00:28:41.490 --> 00:28:44.230 So how many of you guys did a master's then? 00:28:44.490 --> 00:28:51.549 One, two, three, four, five. Five of the 13. 00:28:51.829 --> 00:28:55.269 Oh, wow. I think we were. And then bachelors? 00:28:55.750 --> 00:28:59.769 More. So I think that would be six or seven. 00:28:59.809 --> 00:29:02.549 Okay. And now I wonder how many we are. But yeah, 00:29:02.630 --> 00:29:11.890 I have cousins that finished TU Delft and Utrecht 00:29:11.890 --> 00:29:14.250 University also. I have one that just finished 00:29:14.250 --> 00:29:17.369 also in TU Delft. So we were always forced in 00:29:17.369 --> 00:29:20.869 going the extra mile for education. And I'm very 00:29:20.869 --> 00:29:24.579 thankful also about that because... Perhaps she 00:29:24.579 --> 00:29:28.619 does not know or understand, but that is what 00:29:28.619 --> 00:29:31.900 makes you more resilient and sustainable as a 00:29:31.900 --> 00:29:35.079 human being. Because you have that always to 00:29:35.079 --> 00:29:38.759 fall back on. So I think that is really, really 00:29:38.759 --> 00:29:42.099 nice as a component. Let's clap it up for grandma. 00:29:44.619 --> 00:29:48.019 Yeah. So actually, this is kind of perfect for 00:29:48.019 --> 00:29:52.400 my next question. Because that's about mentors, 00:29:52.720 --> 00:29:56.599 which mentors that you've had along your journey. 00:29:56.740 --> 00:30:00.500 It seems that grandma, I'm not sure if it was 00:30:00.500 --> 00:30:03.160 a close or just from a distant, I was knowing 00:30:03.160 --> 00:30:06.279 in the back of your mind, like, hey, you got 00:30:06.279 --> 00:30:10.680 to get that education. So, yeah. Can you describe 00:30:10.680 --> 00:30:14.240 any of the mentors that you've had? So as growing 00:30:14.240 --> 00:30:17.680 up, I'm sure my family was a great influence 00:30:17.680 --> 00:30:22.529 on me. My grandma indeed was one of them, but 00:30:22.529 --> 00:30:25.730 not because of the education, but everything 00:30:25.730 --> 00:30:30.470 that she did around it. So they had a supermarket, 00:30:30.750 --> 00:30:33.309 they had a restaurant, they were into business 00:30:33.309 --> 00:30:35.710 and doing different activities. But wait, grandma 00:30:35.710 --> 00:30:38.069 was a school teacher with a supermarket, with 00:30:38.069 --> 00:30:40.269 a restaurant. Yeah, but she's married also, so 00:30:40.269 --> 00:30:43.160 my grandpa is there. Okay, okay, yeah. And these 00:30:43.160 --> 00:30:46.420 things happen. And my uncles had their own businesses. 00:30:46.500 --> 00:30:50.680 My dad also had his own business. So I grew up 00:30:50.680 --> 00:30:58.059 in that environment. Perhaps that was also ingrained 00:30:58.059 --> 00:31:02.619 in us that we do not want to be working at the 00:31:02.619 --> 00:31:05.900 government for the government. Okay. That you 00:31:05.900 --> 00:31:10.420 need to become someone more independent and entrepreneurial. 00:31:10.859 --> 00:31:13.240 Because that comes with it also. A lot of stress, 00:31:13.279 --> 00:31:16.359 but also that. So it was ingrained in us also, 00:31:16.480 --> 00:31:20.960 that component. But along my trajectory, I had 00:31:20.960 --> 00:31:26.599 different mentors. Yes, I'm on. So I mentioned 00:31:26.599 --> 00:31:30.940 that... As a teenager, I was a very party -goer 00:31:30.940 --> 00:31:34.240 teenager. So I didn't do much other than party. 00:31:34.240 --> 00:31:37.000 You enjoyed your teens. I enjoyed my teens. Thank 00:31:37.000 --> 00:31:40.140 God I did back then. But a certain moment... 00:31:40.140 --> 00:31:42.740 Because you know what they say, right? If you 00:31:42.740 --> 00:31:45.480 didn't enjoy it in your teens and 20s, then you'll 00:31:45.480 --> 00:31:48.200 be the old man trying to go to all the parties 00:31:48.200 --> 00:31:50.099 right now. With the youngsters, yeah. With the 00:31:50.099 --> 00:31:53.859 youngsters. You got it out of your system. I 00:31:53.859 --> 00:31:55.500 got it out of my system. And now you can focus 00:31:55.500 --> 00:31:58.119 on other things. So now I'm older, I can say 00:31:58.119 --> 00:32:01.259 these things. So I used to party before I turned 00:32:01.259 --> 00:32:05.240 18. Okay. So I think the first time I entered 00:32:05.240 --> 00:32:09.420 back then CNR's Frogs was when I was 13. Right, 00:32:09.420 --> 00:32:14.809 13. Damn. And I was going to say, I started partying 00:32:14.809 --> 00:32:18.230 early too. At 14, I was entering the club. So 00:32:18.230 --> 00:32:22.210 you beat me. Side note, I went for the first 00:32:22.210 --> 00:32:24.630 time when I was 13 with a cousin of mine who's 00:32:24.630 --> 00:32:29.230 older. And she actually left me behind. Oh my 00:32:29.230 --> 00:32:34.970 God. Yeah, that's a side note. So what I was 00:32:34.970 --> 00:32:37.930 going to say is that a certain moment, basically 00:32:37.930 --> 00:32:41.849 I got... partying out of my system and I switched 00:32:41.849 --> 00:32:46.170 as a human being. I became like a nerd, I would 00:32:46.170 --> 00:32:50.589 say, a geek. I would dive into books and read 00:32:50.589 --> 00:32:53.309 more. So for example, I would come out with mentors 00:32:53.309 --> 00:32:57.509 such as professors that are at Harvard coming 00:32:57.509 --> 00:33:01.269 up with new ideas. So it's true, like the books 00:33:01.269 --> 00:33:03.789 and the research, like those became like sort 00:33:03.789 --> 00:33:06.289 of distant mentors. I would follow up on everything 00:33:06.289 --> 00:33:08.450 that Steve Jobs used to be doing. Oh yeah, me 00:33:08.450 --> 00:33:13.099 too. I have his book and I read it almost often 00:33:13.099 --> 00:33:16.559 when I need that inspiration. But I would follow 00:33:16.559 --> 00:33:20.940 big tech and corporate people on what they're 00:33:20.940 --> 00:33:26.779 doing. So when I was in college or doing my bachelor, 00:33:26.940 --> 00:33:30.660 I was reading Harvard Business Review. I was 00:33:30.660 --> 00:33:36.900 doing more of that component. So I think every... 00:33:38.119 --> 00:33:41.140 Part of my life, I would have a different mentor. 00:33:41.279 --> 00:33:45.440 Yeah. And right up till today, I realize now 00:33:45.440 --> 00:33:48.940 that I have a mentor also. And it's on governance 00:33:48.940 --> 00:33:53.759 level. She's an older lady. Yeah. So did you 00:33:53.759 --> 00:33:55.859 come to that realization just as I asked the 00:33:55.859 --> 00:33:57.599 question? No, I actually came about it yesterday. 00:33:58.079 --> 00:34:02.059 Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And because I like mentors 00:34:02.059 --> 00:34:07.109 that are strict on me. I do not like that you're 00:34:07.109 --> 00:34:10.409 just talking cute with me. No, I want you to 00:34:10.409 --> 00:34:13.730 teach me for me to become better. And for example, 00:34:13.769 --> 00:34:17.849 there's like this whole thing going on on corporate 00:34:17.849 --> 00:34:19.670 governance on the island, how to make institutions 00:34:19.670 --> 00:34:26.409 work better and be more integer. And this lady 00:34:26.409 --> 00:34:30.320 is a... legal person. And she knows and understands 00:34:30.320 --> 00:34:34.599 this very well. And I love talking to her. Because 00:34:34.599 --> 00:34:39.280 I have to do this for my job also. And I realize 00:34:39.280 --> 00:34:42.820 the knowledge sharing that's happening and experience 00:34:42.820 --> 00:34:44.920 sharing that's happening right now, I'm really 00:34:44.920 --> 00:34:48.840 blessed to have this person. And I think for 00:34:48.840 --> 00:34:52.760 everything that you go through, every moment 00:34:52.760 --> 00:34:57.550 in your life, someone will appear. And if you 00:34:57.550 --> 00:34:59.869 recognize it, yes or no, that's up to you, I 00:34:59.869 --> 00:35:02.110 think. True. And if you want to grasp it, yes 00:35:02.110 --> 00:35:03.989 or no, it's also up to you. It's also up to you. 00:35:04.030 --> 00:35:06.710 So that's why for this person, I was like, yeah, 00:35:06.769 --> 00:35:09.550 I'm going to grab you. She actually told me that 00:35:09.550 --> 00:35:12.250 she's going to live in the Netherlands in a few 00:35:12.250 --> 00:35:14.489 years. Okay. And I was like, okay, I need to 00:35:14.489 --> 00:35:18.170 get as much as possible from you. But yeah, I 00:35:18.170 --> 00:35:21.130 think... But then what's also interesting, because 00:35:21.130 --> 00:35:24.230 it's something that I try to tell people often 00:35:24.230 --> 00:35:27.079 enough, like... Your mentors don't always have 00:35:27.079 --> 00:35:29.940 to be there with you physically. No. There's 00:35:29.940 --> 00:35:33.559 always a extra dynamic that happens when they're 00:35:33.559 --> 00:35:36.360 there with you physically. But you can also find 00:35:36.360 --> 00:35:40.940 those mentors from books or from online presence, 00:35:41.079 --> 00:35:44.880 etc. And having that mixture definitely helps 00:35:44.880 --> 00:35:47.940 to develop you as a human. And especially because 00:35:47.940 --> 00:35:50.960 we are small islands. Yeah. There's not a lot 00:35:50.960 --> 00:35:54.269 of mentors. Yeah. Or the thinking is not that 00:35:54.269 --> 00:36:02.869 advanced. And I think my strength and how I position 00:36:02.869 --> 00:36:05.809 myself also is because I try to absorb as much 00:36:05.809 --> 00:36:08.510 as possible from the international world what 00:36:08.510 --> 00:36:11.750 is happening out there. Because then you localize 00:36:11.750 --> 00:36:14.010 it here. But if you're not someone who's reading 00:36:14.010 --> 00:36:17.710 or not viewing these things. You'll get stagnant. 00:36:17.710 --> 00:36:20.949 Exactly. Your reality is different. And I think 00:36:20.949 --> 00:36:23.829 that is the edge. It stays that or then it starts 00:36:23.829 --> 00:36:26.769 to shrink. But if you constantly are out there 00:36:26.769 --> 00:36:30.409 searching for new ideas, information. Just to 00:36:30.409 --> 00:36:34.570 put it in perspective. Imagine if your vocabulary 00:36:34.570 --> 00:36:39.449 was just 10 words. Compared to a thousand words. 00:36:39.829 --> 00:36:43.440 Your reality is much bigger. If you have a thousand 00:36:43.440 --> 00:36:47.000 word vocabulary. So for me that's it. Constantly 00:36:47.000 --> 00:36:50.380 trying to read something. Learn something. Ask. 00:36:50.500 --> 00:36:56.300 I also try to ask a lot. I love doing that. Awesome. 00:36:56.840 --> 00:37:04.199 And also I like. So. I like. Trying to get experiences. 00:37:04.260 --> 00:37:11.400 Out of older. Experienced people. I use it. channel 00:37:11.400 --> 00:37:14.460 it also immediately to younger peers. So give 00:37:14.460 --> 00:37:17.980 me an example, if you can. Yeah, of course. So 00:37:17.980 --> 00:37:22.119 for example, now I have a colleague who asked 00:37:22.119 --> 00:37:25.699 me basically, can you mentor me? I was like, 00:37:25.800 --> 00:37:28.119 I don't do mentoring. I'm sorry. I don't know 00:37:28.119 --> 00:37:31.900 how to start. But I use a lot of insights that 00:37:31.900 --> 00:37:35.659 I get from older on how to run business and so 00:37:35.659 --> 00:37:38.320 on because he has a business and he wants to 00:37:38.320 --> 00:37:42.059 expand. So I channel that. into, okay, now I'm 00:37:42.059 --> 00:37:44.519 providing you this advice. He doesn't know that 00:37:44.519 --> 00:37:47.260 basically I use other people's wisdom in order 00:37:47.260 --> 00:37:52.079 to do that. But yeah, I have this thing that 00:37:52.079 --> 00:37:55.880 as much as if you share it, someone will use 00:37:55.880 --> 00:37:58.500 it. Yeah. And it will be beneficial for someone. 00:37:58.679 --> 00:38:06.619 Yeah. Awesome. So if we're going to jump back 00:38:06.619 --> 00:38:11.480 in time one more time. And we're going to tap 00:38:11.480 --> 00:38:13.960 into... I hope not too much because then I would 00:38:13.960 --> 00:38:16.880 not remember. Well, we're going to tap back into 00:38:16.880 --> 00:38:20.019 possibly the party version of Tyson. Ah, the 00:38:20.019 --> 00:38:24.019 party version. Because the 18 -year -old you. 00:38:24.760 --> 00:38:29.539 So if you look back now at the 18 -year -old 00:38:29.539 --> 00:38:33.159 you, with all your experience, all of the knowledge, 00:38:33.280 --> 00:38:38.000 all of the mentors that you've had, and your 00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:42.159 current position and vision for the future, what 00:38:42.159 --> 00:38:45.019 type of advice would you give 18 -year -old Tyson? 00:38:45.599 --> 00:38:51.360 I would tell him, you partied enough. Thank God 00:38:51.360 --> 00:38:54.360 you got that out of your system. So you started 00:38:54.360 --> 00:38:58.679 at 13, 18, five -year run. It's good enough. 00:38:58.840 --> 00:39:01.219 It's good enough. But as an advice, I would say, 00:39:01.320 --> 00:39:08.039 yeah, just... Make sure you have your ambitions 00:39:08.039 --> 00:39:13.219 strong because I think that is why I'm here today 00:39:13.219 --> 00:39:15.440 in my position and also everything that I'm doing 00:39:15.440 --> 00:39:20.079 is because I have a drive. Know your purpose. 00:39:20.159 --> 00:39:24.059 We talked about purpose. I must say that that 00:39:24.059 --> 00:39:28.340 changed also with that transition of 18. Before 00:39:28.340 --> 00:39:30.280 that, I was like, yeah, I'm going to become a 00:39:30.280 --> 00:39:32.840 consultant. I'm going to win a lot of money and 00:39:32.840 --> 00:39:35.219 I'm going to drive this awesome Mercedes. And 00:39:35.219 --> 00:39:36.840 I was like, yeah. And then afterwards, I was 00:39:36.840 --> 00:39:42.300 like, huh, do I really need that? But I think 00:39:42.300 --> 00:39:45.079 I would advise him just to stay put. Life is 00:39:45.079 --> 00:39:49.300 tough. I always say like your life is just like 00:39:49.300 --> 00:39:52.039 your heartbeat. It goes up, it goes down. It 00:39:52.039 --> 00:39:55.059 goes up and it goes down. And for the down times, 00:39:55.199 --> 00:39:58.059 make sure you try to pull yourself back up. Do 00:39:58.059 --> 00:40:03.019 not dive into it. And for those up times, celebrate 00:40:03.019 --> 00:40:06.420 them. Be thankful about them. But remember, there 00:40:06.420 --> 00:40:10.500 will be a down time coming back up. So with that 00:40:10.500 --> 00:40:14.380 also, for me, it's more to keep myself also in 00:40:14.380 --> 00:40:19.860 check of not being too cocky about my results. 00:40:20.760 --> 00:40:25.980 I'm very content and humble of what I do, but 00:40:25.980 --> 00:40:31.760 also I want to do more. And I know I can't do 00:40:31.760 --> 00:40:36.300 a lot without others. So I need others also to 00:40:36.300 --> 00:40:39.400 be able to do more. And I think having a humble 00:40:39.400 --> 00:40:44.820 position makes it more possible for you to continue 00:40:44.820 --> 00:40:50.690 going. So let's circle back to 2025. And let's 00:40:50.690 --> 00:40:57.010 look towards 2030. Is there any particular aspects 00:40:57.010 --> 00:41:00.510 of what you guys are working on right now that 00:41:00.510 --> 00:41:05.650 you can share? Yes, of course. I mean, the strategic 00:41:05.650 --> 00:41:10.469 document is public. In that sense, I'm very transparent. 00:41:10.809 --> 00:41:15.289 I have all financial statements and reports public 00:41:15.289 --> 00:41:19.519 on our website. So the organization is going 00:41:19.519 --> 00:41:22.980 to expand in the upcoming years. Because how 00:41:22.980 --> 00:41:28.900 big is it today? So we have 57 employees. 57 00:41:28.900 --> 00:41:31.539 employees. That's quite some employees. But then 00:41:31.539 --> 00:41:35.139 in which areas? So we have different departments. 00:41:35.820 --> 00:41:38.579 Most of them are rangers on a terrestrial level. 00:41:38.800 --> 00:41:42.849 Okay. So what's the number like of rangers? I 00:41:42.849 --> 00:41:47.150 think we have about 20, 22. Okay. 22. Oh, if 00:41:47.150 --> 00:41:50.190 I add the Marine Ranger, also 23. Okay. So 57, 00:41:50.469 --> 00:41:55.090 23. Yeah. So 24 now left. Yeah. So between that, 00:41:55.110 --> 00:42:00.409 we have, I think, 10 sales ladies. And what are 00:42:00.409 --> 00:42:02.769 they selling? So the entrance tickets, but in 00:42:02.769 --> 00:42:05.730 the future, we will be doing a gift shop. Okay. 00:42:05.809 --> 00:42:09.130 Yeah. So a concept store where I want to blend. 00:42:10.079 --> 00:42:12.559 the concept the gifts of sort of merchandising 00:42:12.559 --> 00:42:16.820 with uh educational component um so there's a 00:42:16.820 --> 00:42:20.179 lot that is going to happen in the upcoming 10 00:42:20.179 --> 00:42:24.159 years a lot is also dependent on funding so i 00:42:24.159 --> 00:42:27.059 have to make sure that financially we are strong 00:42:27.059 --> 00:42:30.099 enough to be able to carry out all our ideas 00:42:30.099 --> 00:42:32.820 yeah so for example right now we only have um 00:42:32.820 --> 00:42:38.190 adikok national park as the park component but 00:42:38.190 --> 00:42:40.769 we want to develop at least two different parks 00:42:40.769 --> 00:42:44.150 okay so um we want to develop one at bobali plus 00:42:44.150 --> 00:42:47.070 uh where we will have like a boardwalk that you 00:42:47.070 --> 00:42:49.849 can walk around for burgers to see migratory 00:42:49.849 --> 00:42:52.650 birds and also native birds uh we have an area 00:42:52.650 --> 00:42:55.050 because that's that's close by here right that's 00:42:55.050 --> 00:42:58.010 close by to the high -rise hotels yeah so the 00:42:58.010 --> 00:43:00.010 idea is also to have a proper visitor center 00:43:00.010 --> 00:43:03.130 there and that the team would be then wetlands 00:43:03.130 --> 00:43:05.659 because that's what it it originally is yeah 00:43:05.659 --> 00:43:08.880 um and then there's another area also we want 00:43:08.880 --> 00:43:11.760 to create our marine conservation center and 00:43:11.760 --> 00:43:14.039 hopefully next year i'm gonna we're gonna do 00:43:14.039 --> 00:43:16.579 a groundbreaking on that okay and the marine 00:43:16.579 --> 00:43:19.920 conservation center is basically a place where 00:43:19.920 --> 00:43:24.440 we will cultivate corals cultivate conch cultivate 00:43:24.440 --> 00:43:28.380 different species seagrass restoration also different 00:43:28.380 --> 00:43:31.420 species to be put back in nature in order to 00:43:31.420 --> 00:43:34.679 restore biodiversity within the marine protected 00:43:34.679 --> 00:43:39.199 area. What is the current situation like on the 00:43:39.199 --> 00:43:43.179 marine biodiversity of Aruba? Yes. Actually, 00:43:43.340 --> 00:43:46.760 Aruba is very new in conservation of nature. 00:43:46.940 --> 00:43:50.219 So if you compare Aruba to, for example, Bonaire, 00:43:50.300 --> 00:43:54.320 Bonaire started 50, 70 years ago. Wow. They were 00:43:54.320 --> 00:43:58.260 the pioneers. Yeah. Aruba... since 2000 we have 00:43:58.260 --> 00:44:02.000 the national park and it was in 2019 that we 00:44:02.000 --> 00:44:04.300 created the marine protected areas of marine 00:44:04.300 --> 00:44:09.179 park oh wow so it's very new so um so a lot was 00:44:09.179 --> 00:44:12.199 damaged then a lot was damaged so we have different 00:44:12.199 --> 00:44:15.400 research uh i talked also about it that in the 00:44:15.400 --> 00:44:20.079 past uh 30 years like we lost maybe 80 of our 00:44:20.079 --> 00:44:24.440 coral coverage and so we need to restore uh that 00:44:24.440 --> 00:44:28.119 ecosystem in order for it to thrive and um that 00:44:28.119 --> 00:44:30.960 work we need to do it on land in a in a conservation 00:44:30.960 --> 00:44:34.420 stand so it would be like a lap where we do these 00:44:34.420 --> 00:44:37.099 we grow them but the intention is also blended 00:44:37.099 --> 00:44:40.059 with education so people would can go into the 00:44:40.059 --> 00:44:43.159 lab and actually learn what is being done and 00:44:43.159 --> 00:44:46.900 also contribute to restoring nature and the thing 00:44:46.900 --> 00:44:49.119 is about restoring about nature conservation 00:44:49.980 --> 00:44:53.300 Is that you're doing it for dual purposes. You're 00:44:53.300 --> 00:44:56.519 doing it for nature itself. But you're also doing 00:44:56.519 --> 00:45:00.679 it for mankind. For future generations. And also 00:45:00.679 --> 00:45:06.500 for resources. For example. If I restore corals. 00:45:06.800 --> 00:45:09.880 And the coral reef. You will get more fishes. 00:45:10.699 --> 00:45:15.199 Yeah. You will get that. And then fishermen can 00:45:15.199 --> 00:45:17.809 also be happy. the community can have healthier 00:45:17.809 --> 00:45:21.269 uh food intake and for example on terrestrial 00:45:21.269 --> 00:45:25.289 level it is known it is research that going on 00:45:25.289 --> 00:45:28.289 a walk in nature reduces stress reduces anxiety 00:45:28.289 --> 00:45:32.769 and i think those are components that we challenge 00:45:32.769 --> 00:45:36.389 uh it's a challenge these days um as a as a small 00:45:36.389 --> 00:45:39.170 community so it's a conserving nature has its 00:45:39.170 --> 00:45:42.670 dual and even for example uh for tourism like 00:45:42.670 --> 00:45:45.750 there's a lot of research out there also that 00:45:45.750 --> 00:45:50.130 is conducted on our island and that tourists 00:45:50.130 --> 00:45:52.769 come here for nature. I mean, they come here 00:45:52.769 --> 00:45:55.929 for beach, right? So beach is nature. Beach creation 00:45:55.929 --> 00:46:01.389 is a natural process. And that is also to make 00:46:01.389 --> 00:46:05.469 sure that your economic viability of the tourism 00:46:05.469 --> 00:46:09.010 industry will continue for decades. That is also 00:46:09.010 --> 00:46:14.210 a strong component of the job. Yeah. Awesome. 00:46:17.460 --> 00:46:21.539 Well, Mr. Tyson, I'd like to thank you very, 00:46:21.599 --> 00:46:26.260 very much for being on our podcast. Are there 00:46:26.260 --> 00:46:29.179 any closing words, advice that you would want 00:46:29.179 --> 00:46:33.570 to give? youngsters coming up now also thinking 00:46:33.570 --> 00:46:37.469 about perhaps uh entering a career within the 00:46:37.469 --> 00:46:41.889 the nature conservation space yeah uh or or maybe 00:46:41.889 --> 00:46:44.869 young arubians or or those from the other islands 00:46:44.869 --> 00:46:48.110 that might be looking to uh expand their career 00:46:48.110 --> 00:46:53.650 what what what advice would you uh um yeah i 00:46:53.650 --> 00:46:57.329 mean one thing i can say and that that was also 00:46:57.329 --> 00:47:00.769 applicable for me is not to lose hope I mean, 00:47:00.809 --> 00:47:04.429 when I did my studies, it's hard if you go to 00:47:04.429 --> 00:47:08.969 study. It's not easy. And it's not easy, but 00:47:08.969 --> 00:47:10.789 you will get through it. Like there's always 00:47:10.789 --> 00:47:14.170 another day. It can be easy today or it can be 00:47:14.170 --> 00:47:16.989 difficult today, but you will be able to surpass 00:47:16.989 --> 00:47:20.110 it. So my advice would be think about it. You 00:47:20.110 --> 00:47:24.010 might encounter difficult moments, but it's just 00:47:24.010 --> 00:47:27.610 a moment. It's not your life. So coming back 00:47:27.610 --> 00:47:29.809 to what we were saying about the journey, you 00:47:29.809 --> 00:47:32.849 have your wins and then those difficult moments 00:47:32.849 --> 00:47:35.690 might feel like a loss, but in the bigger picture, 00:47:35.849 --> 00:47:38.949 it's just a moment. And when you're studying 00:47:38.949 --> 00:47:40.949 or whatever you're doing, if you're starting 00:47:40.949 --> 00:47:45.150 a business, you might feel like, oh, this didn't 00:47:45.150 --> 00:47:47.329 go well. It's the end of whatever I'm trying 00:47:47.329 --> 00:47:51.650 to do. No, just continue. You need to have your 00:47:51.650 --> 00:47:54.690 determination and your passion in place. Why 00:47:54.690 --> 00:47:58.219 are you doing this? It has to make sure that 00:47:58.219 --> 00:48:01.519 you wake up every day and be able to do it again 00:48:01.519 --> 00:48:02.960 and again and again and again and again until 00:48:02.960 --> 00:48:08.440 you succeed. Yeah. And it's not easy, but I think 00:48:08.440 --> 00:48:13.719 you should try your best at it. And yeah, always 00:48:13.719 --> 00:48:16.900 be hopeful that you will be able to do it. Awesome. 00:48:17.539 --> 00:48:22.739 Thanks for this great advice. So before we close 00:48:22.739 --> 00:48:26.519 off, we need to touch on the social media handles. 00:48:26.599 --> 00:48:30.460 So where can they find you and the organization 00:48:30.460 --> 00:48:33.260 that you represent so beautifully? Yeah, so my 00:48:33.260 --> 00:48:35.639 Facebook is Tyson Lopez. Instagram also is Lopez 00:48:35.639 --> 00:48:39.320 Tyson, actually. On LinkedIn, also you can contact 00:48:39.320 --> 00:48:43.360 me on Tyson Lopez. The handles of our organization 00:48:43.360 --> 00:48:46.519 is ACF, so Aruba Conservation Foundation on Facebook, 00:48:46.639 --> 00:48:51.010 on Instagram, and also on LinkedIn. Like, share. 00:48:51.289 --> 00:48:54.630 We have a lot of content that can be educational 00:48:54.630 --> 00:48:58.670 on our socials. So dive into it if you have any 00:48:58.670 --> 00:49:01.789 questions. Personally, you can just send me a 00:49:01.789 --> 00:49:05.570 message through my inbox. But I'm sure that the 00:49:05.570 --> 00:49:07.710 team at Aruba Conservation Foundation also is 00:49:07.710 --> 00:49:10.150 very happy to assist you with whatever it is. 00:49:10.309 --> 00:49:14.869 Awesome. Well, with that being said, thank you 00:49:14.869 --> 00:49:17.730 very much for being here. No problem. And we 00:49:17.730 --> 00:49:21.840 are signing out. please like comment and subscribe 00:49:21.840 --> 00:49:24.679 but definitely leave some comments let us know 00:49:24.679 --> 00:49:27.340 any questions that we might have missed out um 00:49:27.340 --> 00:49:29.760 what were your thoughts on what was discussed 00:49:29.760 --> 00:49:33.920 today and we'll see you in the next one thank 00:49:33.920 --> 00:49:35.320 you for being here bless