As an intern at the South Coast Center, my role was as a docent to educate visitors about local marine life and coastline conservation. I was fortunate to have the South County Coastkeeper, David Prescott, as my internship supervisor this semester. As the Coastkeeper for Narragansett Bay, the Pawtucket River, and the South Coast, my internship supervisor was invaluable to me as an educator and a mentor. I observed him speaking to visitors about our critters as well as conservation efforts he has made such as his most recent project planting salt marsh grasses to help the marsh adapt to sea level rise. I picked up skills educating the public on similar issues and about our animals at the center by learning from Dave and following his example.

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  I was also responsible for maintaining eight fish tanks containing more than thirteen different species of marine animals (and one freshwater Eastern snapping turtle) at the South Coast Center. I worked with another volunteer to conduct weekly water changes, feed the critters, and monitor the health of the animals. Although my internship with Save the Bay does not directly fit in with my major as a Cell and Molecular Biologist, I nevertheless found the experience to be incredibly rewarding by allowing me to strengthen my skills communicating with the public, fundraising, and problem solving while volunteering my time for a cause that I care deeply about.

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  During my thirteen weeks with Save the Bay, I successfully maintained the health and wellbeing of more than 30 critters while interacting with over 100 visitors over the course of the semester. I would welcome them to the center, show them some of the animals in our touch tank including spider crabs, hermit crabs, whelks, and sea urchins. I would also tell them about some of the other marine animals at the center including our enormous snowy grouper and our shame-faced crab. I even developed a helpful brochure which visitors could use to navigate the center and teach themselves or their loved ones a few fun facts about the critters. Some of my other responsibilities included helping kids with bay-related crafts like paper plate sea horses and toilet paper roll octopi. I also sold Save the Bay merchandise including hats and T-shirts and accepted donations from guests who were interested in supporting Save the Bay’s efforts.

 

  Throughout my internship experience I gained many valuable skills relating to fish care and tank maintenance, but I also came a long way in developing various other skills including communication. I learned how to gauge which visitors wanted more assistance and which ones preferred to enjoy their experience at the South Coast Center on their own. Additionally, I was frequently required to use problem solving and attention to detail during my internship because situations arose where my ability to notice small changes (such as a red fin or a bubbler not working properly) meant the difference between life and death for one of the animals.

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  After my internship experience with Save the Bay, my academic and career choices are primarily the same. I still plan to finish my undergraduate degree in Cell and Molecular Biology in December and hopefully I will be accepted into a genetics PhD program in the fall of 2018. I am going to continue volunteering at Save the Bay this summer and hopefully next semester as well. I am really grateful to have had the opportunity to learn some new skills and grow as a student and a professional while working for an organization with such an important mission.