O’Neill Sea Odyssey recently hired a diverse and talented team of Marine Science Instructors. To help introduce our teachers, students, donors, and community members to the new team, we will be spotlighting an instructor each month. Meet Chanel Robles! Chanel joined our team this past fall with two Master’s Degrees in Education from UC Santa Cruz and Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from UC San Diego. Continue reading to learn more about Chanel!
Interview with OSO Instructor – Chanel Robles
How did you become interested in ocean conservation? My interest and passion for ocean conservation began during my undergraduate years. Having attended UC Santa Cruz provided me with an opportunity to learn about marine and coastal sciences through classes that also offered field work. I am passionate about learning more on how interdisciplinary perspectives and solutions can address real-world problems.
Why do you feel environmental education is so important today? Through my involvement with my community both in the United States and México, I have become even more aware of the social, economical, and environmental injustices that are occurring which have created overexploitation of our natural resources. There is a need for people of the community to become active participants in the decisions made that impact their lives and the environment. Environmental education is one way in which children, youth, and the community can better understand environmental issues and take part in decision making.
What do you enjoy most about working at OSO? I enjoy being able to teach students about the marine life that can be found in Monterey Bay in a contextualized manner. We have an amazing opportunity to take our students on a boat and have the ocean be our classroom. I also enjoy being able to instill a love for plankton and be able to look at our plankton samples underneath a microscope!