May featured student mentor—David Christopher
Our May highlighted mentor is David Christopher, Marine Education Specialist for Delaware Sea Grant at the University of Delaware. David has worked in the marine education field for 20 years, and has been at the University of Delaware for the past two years. As Marine Education Specialist David does a lot of different things. He gives tours and programs for K-16 groups at the University of Delaware Lewes campus. He also conducts education programs offsite and virtually. These programs are about a wide variety of topics including marine careers, wetlands, marine habitats, invasive species, and wind energy. David also conducts teacher professional development and creates classroom lessons. David adds, “I should also mention I am the NMEA President-Elect.” David says that he loves to learn, and his job gives him an opportunity to work with a variety of people including other Sea Grant staff, local educators, and University of Delaware researchers. He adds, “Every day I fell I am learning something new.”
David’s academic career includes a B.A in Biology from St. Mary's College of Maryland and an M.Ed. from Goucher College. He adds that college degrees are not the only training that helped him in his career. He said, “One of the most impactful experiences for me was an environmental education internship with Pickering Creek Audubon Center.” David picked St. Mary's College because it was a small school and he was interested in studying biology. He says, “They have a great Biology program.” David went to Goucher for his Masters again because it was a small school, and he was very interested in getting an education degree so that he could serve schools and teachers better.
When asked what advice he would give to his younger self, David responded,
“I wanted to work in the environmental education field ever since I was in middle school. I took a few detours along the way, but I eventually made it. So what I would tell my younger self is ‘stick with it and you will eventually get there, but make sure you learn as much as you can along the way.’ Every job I have had has taught me something even if it was not related to my current career.”
David adds, “This has been a great field to be in. I have met so many amazing people from all over the world.”
Are you interested in connecting with David and asking more questions? NMEA Student members are given the opportunity to connect with our student mentors! Email us to find out how to become a student member: students@marine-ed.org.
We also would like to announce that the NMEA Virtual Student Conference Registration is now open! We would love for you to join us for the Virtual Student Conference. The conference is scheduled for July 15, from 2:00-5:00 Eastern/11:00am-2:00pm Pacific/8:00-11:00am Hawaiian. The registration fee is $5 plus NMEA Student membership if your membership is expired/expiring soon. There is also a special membership discount right now in honor of the Ocean Decade. All memberships are $20 off with the discount code listed on the NMEA website. (That makes the $25 student membership fee only $5!) Check out the NMEA website for more information on the Virtual Student Conference and membership. We hope to see you soon!