I’ve been incredibly lucky to grow up in Cornwall so I feel a strong duty of care towards the ocean. As a child, I started making art out of the plastic I found on beaches and set up my first website when I was 11 to raise awareness and funds for the Marine Conservation Society. While studying marine biology at Plymouth University as an undergraduate, I realised how dire the situation really was and how much needs to be done.

In 2017, during my third year, I co-founded a social enterprise called Beach Guardian CIC with my dad. After watching Blue Planet, people wanted to make a change but didn’t know how, so we had the privilege of facilitating local community beach cleans around Padstow – it’s a special thing because everyone feels Beach Guardian belongs to all of us. We’d be nothing without the volunteers who join us on the beach.

Emily was studying at Plymouth University when she realised how dire the situation really was. Photograph: Jody Daunton/Guardian

Since we began, we’ve organised hundreds of outreach events and delivered workshops to more than 12,500 schoolchildren across Cornwall and as far away as Manchester, Kent and Salisbury. For me, it’s been a phenomenal learning curve. I’ve gained experience applying for grants, organising events, and my confidence has grown exponentially through regular public speaking. When someone’s outlook on our throwaway society is changed because of what we do – I feel so inspired.

Now as a postgraduate, my peers are so supportive and some are getting involved with Beach Guardian. I know that if I want to see global significant change, I have to start working with policy and legislation – so my master’s in conservation science and policy at Exeter is giving me enormous insight. I want to learn not just from my lectures but from my peers as well – I’m broadening my horizons beyond just marine biology and I’m always eager to learn more.

It’s undoubtedly hard work juggling postgraduate studies alongside my activism. I have a great support network, and I plan my school bookings around lectures. This year has been intense but I wouldn’t change it – it’s a stepping stone that will help my career by broadening my knowledge, expanding my profile and developing my network.

Beach Guardian has organised hundreds of outreach events since its inception. Photograph: Jody Daunton/Guardian

Volunteering is one of the most important things that anyone can do, especially as a postgraduate student, because it shows potential employers that you have that drive to do something you feel strongly about and put your passion into practice. It opens up doors, too – I’ve made new connections with some amazing people, which empowers me to keep going.

This university is a hub for sustainability expertise. So much peer-reviewed research in sustainability comes out of Exeter, there’s the Centre for Circular Economy that collaborates with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, plus the university is a partner in Tevi (Cornish for ‘grow’), an initiative that aims to gear business towards environmental sustainability.

There has been a real culture shift in awareness about plastic, the environment and the climate crisis. Sustainable solutions must be part of whatever postgrads do in the future. There’s something every profession can do and university courses must reflect this. Every course needs a module about sustainability but even if they don’t, you can still be proactive and sign up to university societies such as Extinction Rebellion – every student has a voice and the power to make positive change and limit their own environmental impact. Of course, we need top-down help from industry and policymakers but everyone can make a difference.