Early in his life, Willie Dokai’s passion for fish was sparked while fly-fishing in the mountains of Colorado, where he became fascinated with wild trout and the ecosystems they need to thrive. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2017. During the course of his undergraduate degree, he developed an appreciation for biological fieldwork while working as a wildlife conservation intern at a biological station in Costa Rica, as a fisheries technician with the University of Montana, and as a research assistant for a professor at MSU Denver. After finishing his undergraduate degree, he worked for Colorado Parks and Wildlife as a fisheries technician for a field season before starting graduate school. In May of 2022 he finished his Master’s degree in Fisheries from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Post-graduation, he worked for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as a Fish and Wildlife Technician in Juneau, Alaska. His professional aspirations are focused on the conservation of wild fishes, and working to preserve their ability to persist and thrive in the Anthropocene era.