Sixteen-year-old award-winning marine conservationist Shalise Leesfield is making waves in Port Macquarie, NSW, to protect ocean waters. She founded Shalise's Ocean Support at age 11, advocating for schools to go plastic-free and championing ocean conservation. Her notable achievements include being named the youngest Hope Spot champion by Sylvia Earle, delivering a TEDx talk, and joining diver Philippe Cousteau’s Australian expedition. Shalise’s passion for ocean conservation began at nine when she noticed discarded fishing lines and litter in local waterways, prompting her mission to clean up the ocean and protect marine life. She addressed the marine debris problem in her community by collecting data and securing a $77,000 EPA litter grant to fund fishing tangler collection bins. In late 2022, she received the Sea Hero of the Year award for her nine years of conservation work and is using the award money to support her partnership with 'Living Seawalls.' This project aims to restore her hometown’s urbanized coastline by installing 3D marine habitats on existing seawalls, mimicking natural shoreline ecosystems. Shalise believes in the power of human action to regenerate urban marine environments and biodiversity. She encourages young people to take action for the planet, saying that regardless of age or location, everyone can make a difference.