I went on a cruise to the British Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico for nine days. We were on a tall ship with experienced crew members and learned about oceanographic techniques used to learn more about the health and status of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
This experience was important to me, because I recognize the importance of our oceans and how a healthy can impact and benefit people’s lives. An unhealthy ocean, likewise, can have harmful effects on humans as well, from hurricanes influenced by change and human actions to microplastics in the food chain. Our impact was in gathering data related to zooplankton, which can help us learn and understand diversity in specific areas of the waters and make assumptions relative to marine health.
My in-class learning has mostly revolved around diseases and how the immune system works to fight these. Learning about microplastics allowed me to directly relate what I know about the human body and mammalian physiology to how bodies are affected by plastics in the water.
From this experience, I learned so much about teamwork and what it means to commit to being part of something. The crew members taught me about loyalty to one another and accountability when it comes to ensuring timeliness, resourcefulness, and accuracy. These are traits that I hope to keep in mind and continue to build upon in my future professional career paths.
alumni spread globally
This is what it looked like when we first landed in St. Croix. The weather was so beautiful and warm, and the boardwalk was filled with tourists, including some alumni we met at a local surf shop!
skies as clear as day
This picture shows how blue the sky was every single day out in the water while we were sailing in the Atlantic Ocean. It had been raining on and off all day, but once the sky cleared, we started sailing again for Puerto Rico.