We are excited to welcome our Spring 2022 Marine Conservation Interns to REEF! As a part of our team, they will assist with Oceans Explorers Education Programs, outreach events like lionfish derbies, and daily operations around the REEF Campus. They are:

Leslie Nguyen graduated from San Jose State University, where she earned a B.S. in marine biology. In college, Leslie was a member of the marine biology laboratory, where she studied the ecology of tropical coral reefs in Maui. She also volunteered in the animal husbandry department at the Marine Mammal Center, where she interacted with elephant seals and California sea lions, and also realized her passion for marine conservation. She looks forward to sharing her love for the ocean through education and community outreach with REEF. She hopes to eventually start her own nonprofit organization that is aimed towards inspiring, educating, and supporting the next generation of minorities in marine biology and conservation.

Sarah Siddoway earned a B.S. in biology from the University of Utah. She developed a love for environmental outreach while working for Utah's Hogle Zoo, and has also interned with BioEYES, where she taught science lessons to children. During school she worked on a research project studying bird-window collisions on campus, which introduced her to the field of citizen science. After graduating, she continued to volunteer for many local citizen science projects, including monitoring kestrel boxes, conducting raptor surveys, and creating beaver dam analogs. Sarah hopes to one day work for a marine conservation nonprofit, doing either research or outreach. She is excited to combine her passions for citizen science, environmental outreach, and conservation during her internship with REEF.

Our interns are a virtal part of REEF and we couldn’t accomplish our work without them. For more information about the Marine Conservation Internship or to apply for an upcoming semester, visit www.REEF.org/internship.