Australia is not generally a popular destination for Ecuadorians, but Denisse, a self-confessed contrarian, developed a fascination with Steve Irwin and his show the Crocodile Hunter. At 19 years of age she came to Australia on an exchange to study Hotel Management with the an eye to take of the family business.  However, she ended up taking a different path and gravitated towards science, and driven by her passion for animals.  Ultimately this would take her back to Ecuador to study sharks in the Galapagos Islands and then to Tasmania, where she is currently doing a Ph.d relating to marine life and the Antarctic.