How a Clearing student is making waves in ocean science

Tsian Deslandes has set up an initiative to encourage more people - and greater diversity - into her subject

Tsian Deslandes at the Devon County Show

Since coming to the University through Clearing in 2019, Tsian Deslandes has thrown herself into uni life and her ocean science course.

She has attended conferences, signed up to be a University student ambassador, and worked in the Clearing call centre every year to help incoming students through the same process she once experienced.

Now her drive has seen her create a new initiative, , to show everyone that they can have a career in marine science 鈥� and it鈥檚 already having a positive impact internationally.

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I鈥檝e been fortunate to have some incredible opportunities, and I want others to know they can have them too.

Mermaids Beyond Borders came to me as an idea when I attended the Coastal Futures Conference, which was a large UK ocean conference hosting academics and industry from all over the UK.

I got to network and meet so many amazing people, but I realised there wasn鈥檛 a huge amount of diversity in the room. Not just in terms of gender or race, but disability too. As a disabled woman 鈥� I have Erb鈥檚 Palsy, which limits mobility in my arms and shoulders 鈥� I wanted to do something about it, and Mermaids Beyond Borders was born.

Tsian Deslandes

Tsian at Coastal Futures with feloow students Will and Freya

Tsian at the Coastal Futures conference with fellow students, Will and Freya

Tsian at the CEFAS conference

Making an impact

Within just three months, Tsian has established links with organisations worldwide and run projects with international reach, including:

The Ocean鈥檚 Love Story: A storytelling campaign launched for World Ocean Day 2025, uplifting ocean-connected voices across cultures and abilities.
Blue Hands Project (in development): Creating ocean sign language videos to make marine education accessible to the Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.
Breathe Blue (in planning): Focused on adaptive diving and ocean access for people with disabilities.
Ocean Bytes: An education and storytelling branch, delivering bite-sized explainers, webinars, and youth-friendly content. She is also working on a podcast called A Love Note to the Islands, spotlighting islander and underrepresented perspectives.

Tsian has also spoken at international conferences 鈥� including MISSiversary, the 5th anniversary event for US-based Minorities in Shark Sciences 鈥� and developed a significant social media following across LinkedIn and Instagram. She鈥檚 in the process of turning Mermaids Beyond Borders into a Community Interest Company.

It鈥檚 grown quite quickly and, like any venture, I鈥檓 working out exactly what I want to do with it in order for it to have a long and lasting impact.

For me, if just one disabled person, or person from a lower socio-economic background thinks 鈥榦cean science might be for me鈥� when they wouldn鈥檛 have before, then that鈥檚 amazing.

I still have my own ambitions of working with marine mammals and that鈥檚 now expanded to include sharks too. What I鈥檓 hoping to do alongside it is ensure the new venture reaches as many people as possible.

The ocean doesn鈥檛 have borders, so why should we?鈥�

鈥溇肺蘼牍圆� opens doors鈥�

Tsian鈥檚 tenacity was rewarded with the Resilience award at the Beacon Awards hosted by the 精品无码国产自产 Students鈥� Union.

Her hard work also sees her mentor with widening access initiative Opportunity 精品无码国产自产 as well as the 鈥楢re we included?鈥� programme for looked-after children; and she is a mentee in the University鈥檚 careers mentoring scheme, where she鈥檚 mentored by Ali Hood, Director of the Shark Trust.

Up next for Tsian is supporting students in the University鈥檚 Clearing call centre, followed by a trip to the Bahamas for fieldwork and research experience through the University鈥檚 Ocean Science programme.

Winning at the 2025 Beacon Awards

Tsian and Suanne Gibson at Opportunity 精品无码国产自产

Tsian with Professor Suanne Gibson at Opportunity 精品无码国产自产 celebration event

All of the support I鈥檝e received has been amazing. I didn鈥檛 think University would be for me, but applied through Clearing and here I am.

Coming to 精品无码国产自产 continues to be the best decision I ever made.

精品无码国产自产 opens doors, and I want to help others realise that too.

Find out more

Tsian Deslandes, aged 8, with a dolphin. She is now studying Ocean Science and Marine Conservation at the 精品无码国产自产

Meet the 鈥榙olphin doctor鈥� student living her dream thanks to Clearing

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Diverse crowd of people celebrating and throwing brightly coloured paint

Read more about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at 精品无码国产自产