Simone Burton, an OSU alumnus, is a key player for the success of Marine and Coastal Opportunities (MACO) at OSU in her role as the Communications and Outreach Coordinator. During her time as a student, she focused specifically on marine science communication and outreach through her courses, honors thesis, various internships, and experiential learning opportunities. Before graduating with a degree in Biology—with the Marine Biology option, of course—Simone had the opportunity to participate in not one, but two faculty-led programs offered by the Office of Global Opportunities.
During Spring Break her freshman year, Simone participated in a week-long faculty-led program called Building Homes and Hope: Nepal. “I chose this program because I was interested in traveling to the other side of the world and immersing myself in Nepal's culture with the direction and community of a faculty-led course, while also helping the local community we visited bolster their economy through a service project.”
Simone also participated in the Ridge to Reef: Sustainable Resource Management in Palau program. “I chose this two-week program because it aligned with my major and my interests in Micronesia's tropical ecology,” she notes.
Although she admits there were too many memories abroad to count, one experience in Palau sticks out in her mind: snorkeling in a jellyfish lake!
“The lakes are naturally saltwater and because there are now no predators that eat the jellyfish in the lakes, they have lost almost all ability to sting! Swimming in clouds of hundreds of moon jellies and golden jellies was an ethereal experience… I know that I could never replicate that experience again.”
Simone can see the impact these programs had on her, not just in creating exciting memories, but in the way her perspective of the world shifted.
“The biggest takeaway I learned from my experiences abroad was that I know so little of the world. My experience growing up in Utah and then living in Oregon is just one experience amongst the billions worldwide. Being abroad expanded my understanding, challenged my assumptions, and reminded me how much more there is to learn, both about my field of study and about myself.”
