Aeon understood from a young age that living far inland doesn't make you independent from the world's waters. Knowing this, he took every chance got to further explore his curiosity about the interconnectedness of life on Earth. He sought not only to learn just how much the ocean impacts people who don't live near it, but how those people impact the ocean in return.
This curiosity has taken him on multiple whale-watching tours, to beach clean-ups, and to marine conservation meetings. As his parents, we learned right along with Aeon, and we've remained truly amazed by life under the sea and how critical a role humans have in regards to its health. That said, we supported Aeon when he felt compelled to share his discoveries with family, friends, and peers. He's since been giving presentations at various schools about whales, dolphins, sharks, endangered marine species, and sustainable seafood. These presentations have become a critical component of Aeon for Ocean's mission.
Growing up on the coast, she realized that she – like many of us – was unwittingly part of the problem, so she strongly believes it's time to give back and strives to be a part of the solution by raising awareness to protect the oceans. The knowledge she has gained over the last several years has left her amazed at how wonderful the ocean and its creatures are, as well as the importance of healthy marine ecosystems and the critical role humans play towards its conservatio.
She is a computer engineer and has been in various roles in IT industry. She has been volunteering at Save the Water™ managing technology team and in local schools through various educational programs.
Patrick is an undergraduate at Bowdoin College and is a major in Neuroscience and Philosophy with a focus in mathematics and education. Patrick is an independent researcher for America’s Service Commissions and the Public Education Institute, focusing his work on Statistical Assessment Theory in educational curricula, national testing, and curriculum development. He is a contributor to intervention research in loneliness/social isolation, IDD, and major depressive disorders and is an active member of the American Psychological Association and the Psychometric Society.
Patrick has a great love of the ocean coming from his time growing up on the east coast and believes that oceanic conservation and environmental protection should be on the mind of all people; he believes that such a passion is developed early on in today's youth. In his free time, you can find
Patrick running on trails in Brunswick, Maine or fueling his love of iced coffee in one of the area’s shops with his friends (without a plastic straw of course)!
She is currently working as a Pro Bono HR professional with Save The Water™. She strongly believes that there is nothing that people need in their lives more than water. "Save Water, Save Life"!
Troy holds an MBA in Marketing (Washington State University), a Master’s in Military Science (American Military University), a Bachelor’s in International Studies with a concentration in Latin America (Colorado State University), and an Associate Degree in Biology (Aurora Community College). He has spent the last 14 years working in a wide variety of marketing and communications capacities throughout the world. He worked with the Department of Defense in Latin America on counternarcotics missions as well as subverting human trafficking. In the private sector he has developed strategic marketing plans for Polaris Inc. and Harley-Davidson. Troy believes that educating children and nurturing a love for the environment is one of the best ways to make an impact on our planet for good.
Shanthi pursued her MBA from Carlson School of Managemen. She is an IT professional. She has been paying back to the community for the past 20 years with different non-profit organization such as Dallas Children Museum, American Red Cross, Meals on the Wheel, Edina Art Fair, and so on.
Wei is a master's student in the Learning Technologies Program at the University of Texas, Austin. She uses her eclectic multicultural background in Shanghai’s international market to deliver innovation, quality, and performance and value-creating engaging learner experience by using innovative technologies from China and the U.S. in the design of audiovisual training materials to improve learners' outcomes. She has helped international companies with their online training, customer relations, website development, and project management. Her customer relations and quality management experience have made her a reliable and organized asset with a passion for detail and a great communicator.
Lily is a student at Bowdoin College majoring in English and Education with a minor in Urban Studies. She has served as the Chair of Academic Affairs on the Bowdoin Student Government, where she led a student committee working to implement curricular and policy change on campus. An aspiring teacher, Lily volunteers at a local school and provides childcare during an English language course for new Mainers. She also volunteers on campus with Maine College Circle, a group working to increase college aspirations and awareness for Maine’s rural elementary and middle school students She spends her free time reading, watching movies, finding new favorite bookstores or tea shops, wishing someone would play a board game with her, and finding the best scenic lookouts along the Maine coast, which she feels lucky to live nearby.
Esal is a freshman at Seattle Pacific University and will be doing pre-med there while majoring in Psychology. She loves to volunteer and is always volunteering for anything that she can. At the moment, along with volunteering for AFO, she is volunteering for the United Vision of Idaho and Vocal-NY to text people about resources for COVID and for the BLM movement. She feels really great to educate people on important issues that need attention. In her freetime she enjoys reading, watching shows and movies, and traveling. She has traveled to every continent except Australia and Antarctica of course, but would love to go to australia someday.
Tiana is an undergraduate at The Evergreen State College in Olympia Washington, working towards a BA in biology. She has spent most of her years in school writing academic research papers including topics on snails in riparian habitats, reforming education out of its forced environment into one that focuses on curiosity, and animal welfare. After gaining hands-on experience in the classroom and with state mandated curriculum, she intends on returning to school to receive her masters in education. Education reform is where her true passion lies. The system must change along with the students to ensure an engaging experience that will encourage them to want to pursue education for their own benefit.
As a young child, Marcos was always interested in the computer and technology world. At that time, "Visual Basic" was his first programming language. Even when he didn't understand how to interpret what was in front of me, he started discovering things by himself and was capable of writing small applications. He is a full-stack developer, working primarily with Python, JavaScript, Html, CSS, and SQL. He enjoys staying in front of the computer for long periods of time, working on projects and learning new programming languages and technologies. He strongly believes in staying up to date is essential in this big world. Playing sports is a good way to keep your mind and body healthy as well as relieving stress. He is a big fan of water sports, as he grew up near the ocean. He enjoys surfing, scuba diving, and fishing and his favorite is kiteboarding. He is based in Miami, Florida.
Amy is a recent graduate from University of Minnesota - Duluth with a BA in Environment and Sustainability as well as a BAS in Psychology and two BAs in Hispanic and Latin American Studies. She is passionate about education and climate action and had the opportunity to attend COP 20 in Lima, Peru in 2012. She has volunteered for many different organizations through my service sorority Gamma Sigma Sigma during college days. In her free time she loves to read, hike, travel, and play PC games.
Reika is a researcher and educator whose work spans a variety of disciplines, with her most notable contributions in virtual reality use for clinical research. She has eight years of teaching experience along with five years of experience in virtual reality game development. She prioritizes accessibility in the classroom and creating for broad audiences while using virtual reality as a tool for immersive learning.
Neha has completed her Masters in Human Resource Management and has 6+ years of corporate HR experience. During her free time, she enjoys cooking, dancing, reading books and binge watch and is based in Bellevue, Washington.
She strongly believes that working with Aeon For Ocean would provide her an opportunity to give back to the community and make a difference and quotes - "There is no life without water. It dies if we die".
Kevin specializes in creating and managing marketing communications programming for individuals, corporations and non-profit organizations. Kevin continues to provide communications consulting to mission-centered non-profits that address nutrition and wellness services for the senior citizen population; refugee resettlement services; and conservation. Kevin teaches as an adjunct faculty member for the University of Phoenix and tutors K-12 students in the Chicago school system. Kevin holds a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.
Ashley is an engineer by training who enjoys bringing science and technologies to audiences of all ages. After earning her degree in Chemical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, Ashley began a career in the healthcare technology field, holding a variety of positions spanning clinical research, interoperative clinical support, quality and process improvement, and research and development. In her current position, Ashley serves as a project manager in the R&D department of a surgical robotics start-up, working towards bringing the next generation of minimally-invasive surgery to patients. Ashley was born and raised in Massachusetts and currently resides there with her husband and two young children. She strives to be a continuous learner and aims to bring the spirit of curiosity to all of her work.
Cynthia Ma is a student at McLean High School in Virginia and a dedicated environmental activist. She loves researching environmental sustainability topics, including climate change, sustainable energy, water and energy conservation, desertification, and acidification in oceans. She is currently taking an online course outside of school to learn more about the health effects of climate change. Cynthia is also looking forward to participating in the National Youth Council for Project Green Schools and other clubs and programs in the next few months so that she can create a larger influence in her community and environment. Having researched many environmental topics, her passion for oceans and the environment motivated her to work with Aeon for Ocean. As a Publishing Associate for Aeon for Ocean, she hopes that she can spread awareness about our valuable oceans through writing.
She has completed MFA at SCAD in Illustration, BFA in Art Education at UNC-Greensboro. She has 4+ years of experience in teaching high school visual art, 2 years of stationary production, freelance illustrator. She is currently involved in freelance projects and in free time, she enjoys researching 19th-century writing fiction, creating artwork, gardening, collecting art supplies and small figures, playing with my pet ferrets!
Lacey has a bachelor's degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the College of Saint Benedict, and is a current Dietetic Intern at the University of Minnesota. She is passionate about sustainable eating, supporting local farms, and limiting food waste. Lacey has experience in social media marketing, photography and blog writing. Her motivation for marine conservation developed when she was a child on a trip to Florida and saw dolphins, manatees and sea turtles in their natural habitat. Since then she has returned to Florida almost every year to swim in the ocean and visit her favorite sea turtle rescue. Taking care of our oceans, means taking care of all the creatures that live in it and depend on it!
Michael Conway has over ten years of experience in business development, education, clean energy and entrepreneurship. He owned and operated an English Language Institute in Antofagasta, Chile for five years and managed Corporate Social Responsibility and other projects with local corporations. He has extensive volunteer experience and pro-bono business consulting experience for social entrepreneurs located in Chile, Nepal, and Australia. His passion for the ocean has led him to become a 5Gyres Ocean Ambassador and hopes to find new and innovative ways of keeping our waterways clean. He's currently pursuing an MBA in Sustainability at Bard College.
Shelia is passionate about environmental sustainability and education. She is a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah and is currently working at a non-profit. She has experience teaching and working with NGOs both domestically and abroad. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading, the outdoors, and volunteering.
Nick is a freelance Graphic Designer. He has graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from the Art Institutes International in Minneapolis in 2016. He enjoys walking his dog, spending time with friends, bowling, gaming and reading and his interest areas are graphic novels, animals, Anime, comic book conventions.
She is working as an Illustrator/Designer for the Climate Program Office of NOAA under the Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Division and also have been working with the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos on ocean conservation. Carlyn has over 20 years of experience in scientific/medical illustration, 3-D illustration and animation, Video, ZBrush modeling, 3-D diorama design and fabrication.
Carlyn has held a wide range of freelance contracts for organizations such as the Minnesota Zoological Gardens creating illustration work for several major new exhibits, illustrations of tropical insects for a traveling exhibit designed by Outhouse Exhibits Design firm, wild orchid models for Maltbie Design firm, and for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources developing over 200 illustrations for the state-wide school curriculum package called MNAqua. This award winning curriculum and art package brings the freshwater ecology of Minnesota directly to the students of the state to increase awareness of water as a valuable and intrinsic resource in Minnesota's environment and it's value to people.
She has also worked with Taser International, Kongsberg Submarines, and institutions such as the National Institute of Health, the University of Vermont, National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions. One of her most recent project was designing of exhibits for the Charles Darwin Exhibition Hall in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, which opened in June 2016.