Humans of the Aquarium

“I grew up in Virginia. My mom wanted us to learn how to swim, so when I was 10, she signed my brother and me up for classes at a community swimming pool in a neighboring county. But there wasn’t a lot of interaction with the instructors. It seemed like a lot of the kids knew how to swim already, and I didn’t get a lot of instruction. I did another summer of swimming lessons with a friend at a different community pool in that county. That was probably worse than the first attempt. They kept us separated in the shallow end. We were the only two Black kids in the class.

When I was 12, I stayed with my aunt in another county, and that YMCA instructor was wonderful. But I still had a fear of swimming because of how late I learned.

When I came to Seattle, I learned to dive. My eyesight is pretty bad. But things adjust when you’re below water. I was able to see a painted greenling. It’s another world. I was seeing things that I’d only seen on TV.

I don’t dive any more. I only did three or four dives after I got my open water certification. But I’m so glad I did it because that fear was one of the most difficult things to overcome.”

—Angela Smith (she/her), senior water quality specialist and Seattle Aquarium Equity Team member

“I grew up in Seattle and have always been around water. As I’ve traveled to more landlocked areas, I’ve realized how grounding the ocean is and how claustrophobic it can feel without it.

In college, I got my first diving certification. Before that, being in the ocean kind of freaked me out—my imagination running wild, not being able to see the bottom. Diving helped because I was immersed and could see. It was still ominous but it surprised me with all the amazing, diverse creatures and their wild adaptations.

I moved around early in my working life and, whenever I would come back to visit, I’d get a sense of calmness. The combination of water and mountains is peaceful. There’s a color palette to it—a very soothing set of tones.

Being close to the water is similarly soothing. Sometimes you don’t know you need it until you’re out there. We get tunnel vision, stuck in our routines—being around water helps. It’s almost like looking at your life from afar.”

—Ren Riot (she/her), senior aquarist and Seattle Aquarium Equity Team member

“Once, someone asked me why I work in marine conservation. I responded that I followed the path of the river Ganga and it led me to the ocean.

The Ganga is a sacred and vital river in India—flowing from the Himalayas, past my ancestral homes and emptying in the Bay of Bengal. Like many Hindus who live along the Ganga’s banks, I’m deeply connected to the water. I spent my youth playing along the banks, partaking in ancient traditions and festivals. In my early adulthood, I helped research and educate people about the current state of the river. My family and I also traveled all over India, immersing ourselves amongst the diverse people and cultures of our incredible country. From visiting Buddhist temples in Ladakh to tide pooling and scuba diving in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, I loved learning about our peoples’ differences and commonalities.

I strive to inspire people of all ages to connect to the ocean by bridging cultures and transcending differences. I’m driven to co-create space that celebrates the traditions of all cultures, highlighting their unique ties with the ocean. I hope this personal bond leads people to value and build relationships with one another.”

—Manjari Misra (she/her), school and public programs coordinator and Seattle Aquarium Equity Team member

“Being intimate with the environment really grounds me. I’m more relaxed out there than in the city. It was a challenge for me to make connections when I moved to Seattle. As a mixed-race person who was always the new kid on the block because of my military family, I thought I was used to it. But I realize now how isolating it is and how much I want to connect with community.

I think that’s what really stood out for me with the Aquarium’s volunteers, especially the Youth Ocean Advocates. It was through the teens—building relationships with them and celebrating curiosity. I love how they ask the ‘what if’ questions that challenge the status quo of what good conservation work looks like. That’s where a lot of the best creative ideas come from, and I see it as my responsibility as a human being to be curious and humble about other people’s worldviews.

In my early career, I was focused on oceanic animals. Then I realized my curiosity—my joy—of learning about people. My connection to the ocean is still there, but it’s more so by connecting with people—caring about them and caring for them.”

—Christine Froschl (she/her), volunteer training and learning coordinator and Seattle Aquarium Equity Team member

“One of my strongest memories of the ocean is razor clamming. My dad taught me to look for a bubble in the sand. When you see it, you dig quickly because the clams are fast, and they’ll burrow away. I remember running around the beach with my brothers watching for bubbles and chasing after clams. That night, we took them back to our campsite. As the clams cooked, they opened up, like big tongues. Because of my dad, I learned how the ocean sustains our coastal communities as a food source.

My relationship with the ocean has also been influenced by my faith. The Bahá’í Faith teaches that nature is a reflection of the divine. The laws of God are like the ocean, and ‘the children of men as fish, did they but know it.’ It’s life-giving.

But there are a lot of threats to the health of the ocean and therefore to our health. The needs of nature and the needs of people are often pitted against each other—who can harvest and where. But in reality, what’s best for one is what’s best for the other. When we recognize that, we can restore the ocean equitably.”

—Meagan Ashton (she/her), grant and admin specialist and Seattle Aquarium Equity Team member

“I love the outdoors and was always drawn to water. I fondly recall camping near small lakes and ponds as a kid, swimming and holding my eyes open underwater to see what I could discover. Originally from Oak Forest outside Chicago, I was far from the ocean. But nearby was massive Lake Michigan, which felt like an ocean to me. Now living in Seattle and being part of the Aquarium, ‘massive’ and ‘ocean’ have new meaning for me.

Safety wasn’t on my radar early in my career. I couldn’t have predicted worker safety would sync up with my passion for environmental conservation, but I’m glad it did. Voices of marginalized staff are excluded from conversations on safety, just like in conservation. I saw it at my first safety job. That’s when it clicked for me! As a multicultural Latina, I empathized with staff: the exclusion felt and loss of agency over one’s own safety. Together we advocated for accessible safety resources and trainings in multiple languages.

I care about you. Regardless your role or aspirations, everyone deserves to be safe at work. I encourage people to stand up for what’s right, challenge broken systems and allow themselves to be cared for.”

—Coral Tucker (she/her), safety manager