Raised in the Western Cape of South Africa, Scarlett grew up scurrying through the fynbos and gazing up at the Boland mountains. She has always felt a strong pull to the natural world and is particularly fascinated by creepy crawly critters and human–wildlife conflict. Scarlett believes the way forward in conservation is for people to see themselves as a part of nature, not separate from it.

She has an honour’s degree in Journalism and Media Studies from Rhodes University, and she uses this to engage in both the natural and social sciences. She volunteered for the CederDiv Project at UCT in 2024, which was a formative experience in her conservation journey. Her involvement in the ProteaChange Project at UCT put her in the thick(et) of working with South African flora and fauna, which convinced her further that a career in conservation was her calling. She hopes to use her experience in the Conservation Biology MSc course to contribute to bat ecology research in South Africa.

In her free time, Scarlett goes on multiday hikes and works on her more artistic endeavours, such as photography and illustration. She enjoys camping, ocean swims, and museums.