From Sturgeons to Sea Stars: Teaching the Ocean One Visitor at a Time

Volunteering at the Seattle Aquarium through the Youth Ocean Advocates program has been one of the most meaningful parts of my high school experience. The program lets high school students teach visitors about the animals on display, and it starts with training where we learn everything from the animals’ habitats to their behaviors. Once we’re trained, we get to choose different areas of the aquarium to work in and rotate through them over time.

One of my favorite places to volunteer was the Underwater Dome. The huge tank and the 360-degree view always caught people’s attention, and it was the area where guests were most eager to ask questions. It felt like a place where people really wanted to learn. We’d set up an informational table filled with animal models, bones, and other tools to help explain the species inside the tank. One moment I’ll never forget was how often kids would look up, spot a sturgeon, and shout, “SHARK!” without realizing the real shark was one of the tiniest animals swimming above them. It always made me laugh.

Another favorite spot of mine was Life on the Edge, which features a hands-on touch pool with sea anemones, sea stars, and sea urchins. Many visitors were surprised to find out they could actually touch the animals. I loved being the one to encourage them to reach in and explore, especially when they were unsure at first. Watching someone go from hesitant to completely fascinated was incredibly rewarding. It felt like I was not only teaching people about marine life but also helping them create a new kind of memory.

Being a Youth Ocean Advocate showed me how powerful simple moments of learning can be. Whether it was a child misidentifying a fish or a family discovering that sea urchins are safe to touch, those small experiences helped connect people to the ocean in a personal way. And that, to me, is what marine education is all about.