Sea Otter Care Intern - Monterey Bay Aquarium - Monterey, CA
(2026-07)
- Provide daily husbandry and rehabilitation care for ill, injured, and orphaned southern sea otters, including food preparation, feeding, grooming dependent pups, behavioral observations, and detailed record keeping.
- Implement species-appropriate enrichment to promote natural behaviors and support animal welfare throughout rehabilitation.
- Maintain quarantine areas and animal habitats by following strict biosecurity, sanitation, and husbandry protocols to ensure the health and welfare of rehabilitation patients.
- Assist with live-stranded sea otter rescues and support rehabilitation efforts from intake through release when applicable.
Divemaster - Monterey Bay Scuba - Monterey, CA
(2026-07)
- Lead guided shore and boat dives for certified divers, delivering comprehensive pre-dive briefings, site orientations, and post-dive debriefs while supporting safe vessel operations, including anchoring, mooring, and docking procedures.
- Fit, prepare, and inspect scuba equipment for guests, troubleshoot gear issues, and assist with equipment setup to ensure safe and efficient dive operations.
- Provide exceptional customer service by welcoming guests, assessing diver readiness, answering questions, and creating a positive, professional diving experience.
- Lead dive groups in accordance with PADI standards, ensuring diver safety, adapting to changing conditions, and responding effectively to diver needs throughout each dive.
Stranding Response Fellow - National Aquarium - Ocean City, MD
(2026-02 - 2026-07)
- Respond to marine mammal and sea turtle stranding events through 24/7 on-call field operations along the Maryland coastline, coordinating response logistics, volunteers, transport, and hotline communications.
- Conduct rescues, triage, health assessments, stabilization, and long-term rehabilitation for stranded marine mammals and sea turtles, providing daily clinical care including animal restraint, behavioral observations, nutritional support, tube feeding, medication administration, injections, and patient monitoring.
- Operate Off-Road Vehicles (OSVs) during beach responses and maintain quarantine and biosecurity protocols to support safe rescue and rehabilitation operations.
- Perform QA/QC of marine mammal and sea turtle stranding database records and develop GIS mapping projects to support stranding response, data management, and research.
- Train and supervise volunteers during field responses and rehabilitation activities while engaging the public through outreach and conservation education, promoting safe wildlife interactions and marine conservation.
Marine Mammals Dive Volunteer - New England Aquarium - Boston, MA
(2024-01)
Former Marine Mammals Husbandry Volunteer Jan 2024 - Feb 2025
- Maintain exhibit habitats and perform solo underwater dives for habitat cleaning and maintenance alongside animals.
- Conduct daily husbandry routines for resident pinnipeds, including feeding, training support, enrichment, and behavioral documentation.
- Design and implement independent enrichment sessions to promote natural behaviors and assess cognitive engagement.
- Deliver conservation-focused presentations and engage directly with visitors to promote marine mammal awareness and stewardship.
Marine Mammal Stranding Intern - IFAW - Yarmouth, MA
(2025-09 - 2026-02)
- Conducted field triage, health assessments, live rescues, and post-mortem responses for stranded marine mammals.
- Assisted with biological sample collection and processing to support diagnostics and research.
- Provided animal care in the Cetacean Intensive Care Unit (CICU), including restraint, behavioral monitoring, and case documentation.
- Supported necropsies and systematic data collection for cause-of-death investigations and long-term monitoring.
- Managed stranding hotline intake, responder dispatch, and field equipment readiness.
Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Intern - New England Aquarium - Boston, MA
(2025-01 - 2025-05)
- Provided daily husbandry and medical care for stranded sea turtles, including restraint for injections, wound treatment, and recovery monitoring.
- Assisted with minor medical procedures and necropsies under veterinary supervision.
- Monitored and recorded behavior, health parameters, and treatments to inform clinical decisions and maintain medical records.
- Administered diets and medications in accordance with treatment protocols; conducted water quality testing and maintained quarantine and biosecurity standards.
- Served as Food Lead, overseeing daily feeds, medication preparation, and training interns and volunteers on feeding and handling.
Marine Conservation Research Assistant - Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center (WSORC) - Utila, Honduras
(2025-05 - 2025-09)
- Led daily research dives, conducting briefings, safety checks, and in-water leadership for interns and program participants.
- Conducted coral reef and megafauna surveys and supported whale shark and dolphin monitoring through in-water observations and data collection.
- Led lionfish removal dives and dissections; trained interns in safe handling, data recording, and ecological impact assessment.
- Delivered classroom presentations and field briefings on reef ecology, marine conservation, and invasive species management.
- Supported intern coordination and NGO operations, contributing to scheduling, outreach events, and daily field logistics.
Research and Divemaster Intern - Indo Ocean Project (IOP) - Raja Ampat, Indonesia
(2024-05 - 2024-08)
- Completed PADI Divemaster certification alongside intensive marine research training in coral reef ecology, elasmobranch biology, manta and turtle ecology, and survey methodology.
- Conducted underwater visual censuses (UVCs), reef fish and elasmobranch surveys, BRUV deployments, and photo-ID for long-term monitoring projects.
- Performed coral reef health assessments, benthic cover surveys, and water quality testing; supported coral nursery care and outplanting efforts.
- Led marine debris removal dives, documenting debris types and contributing data to international citizen science databases.
