I was 10 years old when I first decided to become a marine biologist.  I was at Sea World watching the beluga whales in majestic awe and thinking to myself “these animals are awesome.” I had fallen in love with these animals, with the ocean, and I wanted to learn all I could about them. At first, I imagined I’d become a dolphin or whale trainer and put on shows or I’d just live on a boat and follow pods of whales. When I started college, I started thinking I’d go into research, studying anthropogenic effects on animal behavior or maybe find a cure to coral bleaching.  Fourteen years and a B.S. degree later, I’ve once again chosen a different route.  I love learning about the science behind marine ecosystems, but I was never all that great with the research aspect.  So now I get the opportunity to help promote and share the information that I love with the people who can make the biggest difference… YOU.

We live in an electronic age.  An age where cell phones are basically tiny computers that keep our world in balance – calendars, contacts, entertainment, pictures, videos, etc. Our laptops are smaller, thinner, but have more capabilities than we could have imagined 10 years ago. But best of all, this age connects through the internet.  Geographic and language barriers are broken and we are able to communicate with people all over the world. We can see the joys and sorrows of people from across the globe with the tap of a finger and information can go viral in a blink of an eye.  It’s amazing.

I have the privilege of being the social media coordinator for the Smith Lab at SIO.  I get to work with all the lab members, learn about their projects, sort through pictures of their latest adventures, and research new topics and discoveries that occur every day all over the world. And best of all, I get to share all of that with you – the people who are interested in what we’re interested in. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc., they’re all tools available to help us see the bigger picture: we share this world and it connects us. We provide the information, but only with your help can we make a difference in this world. Don’t get me wrong, swimming with dolphins and training Shamu would have been really cool, but this is far more rewarding.