Sharna tells her story...

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Sharna Aquilina – Acting Wilderness Defender National Sales Manager

Sharna Aquilina – Acting Wilderness Defender National Sales Manager

What motivated you to originally apply for the job?
“I had been working in the corporate world for a number of years and decided it didn’t make me happy, I wanted to do something that made my heart happy, I took off travelling for a few years and while I was away I decided it would be charities. I feel we are so fortunate in life and in Australia after seeing the rest of the world. I wanted to work with environment or animals, where they don’t have a voice, lucky me I got both.”- Sharna

I knew of the great work TWS does and have never looked back.- Sharna

What do you most enjoy about the job?
“I enjoy the fact that I work with amazing, passionate, dedicated, driven and compassionate people. It makes me so proud to work for an organisation such as TWS. To know I am actively doing something and being able to inspire the public to take action. We do have a choice!!!!
I love how your day flies by and you learn so many skills to advance your career in TWS or outside of TWS.”- Sharna

What have been your major achievements?
“I have had so many in my years doing this, I think probably the biggest ones for me would be actually going to these amazing places that we save and seeing them first hand. It really drives your passion and gives you strength. Because of my work too I got to be on the “Rainbow Warrior” as a deckhand on a tour sailing from Auckland around the pacific Islands, which was amazing and actually fulfilled one of my dreams.
Other things would be all the campaign wins we have had; they are all just as exhilarating as the next.
Also seeing success in what I have achieved as a manager and my staff. They make me very proud.”- Sharna
 
What skills have you obtained?
“Oh my goodness, too many to list off. Like I said earlier you learn so much. As a Wilderness Defender Campaigner you learn so much about yourself, I think it is an incredible job to give you life skills. I had always said this is the toughest job I have ever had but the best job I have ever had. You deal with apathy everyday and it is important to turn that into power.

As a manager; I came in with management experience but I worked my way from the ground up. I have learnt so many more skills like recruitment, budgets, strategic planning, and the list could go on forever.”- Sharna

What challenges have you faced & how have you overcome them?
“The biggest challenge I have faced is apathy, but this is why I started doing this job. I feel people just don’t know the information or are left feeling powerless. We have strength and power in all and people can move mountains. We have seen it for years. It is giving this power back to the public and making them stand up and be counted.”- Sharna

“Everyone deserves the right to know what is going on with our environment and everyone needs to stand up, wake up and realise it is their problem too, we all live here. When people have this information I believe 8 out of 10 are empowered to do something.” - Sharna

What motivates you within this position?
“I am motivated by the organisation, the people, the campaigns, the success, the commitment and the laughter.” - Sharna