Krystel is a Philippines national who has spent the last two years working in the Climate Change Commission, Office of the President of the Philippines as a Development Management Officer. Krystel has a bachelor’s of science in forestry (social forestry and agroforestry) from the College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines. She continued her association at the university as a science research specialist working on a project titled: “Development of a Climate Change Responsive Integrated River Basin Management and Development Master Plan for the Eight Clustered River Basins.” In this role, she was responsible for managing an island in the Philippines where she engaged with local leaders and fisherfolks to formulate innovative solutions and enhance their decision-making capabilities. Her interest in working with communities was supported by a grant from the Forest Foundation Philippines which enabled her to conduct research on climate change coping mechanisms of smallholder upland farmers. She is the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to pursue MSc Island Biodiversity and Conservation at the University of Exeter in partnership with the Jersey International Centre of Advanced Studies (JICAS) in the United Kingdom.