Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Bookser & Melissa Torres.
Hi Laura & Melissa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Laura: Melissa and I have been friends for years, but we started Marine Life Learning because we shared core values on two things: a belief that the passions and interests kids have should be taken seriously and fostered, and a deep concern about the future of our environment.
My undergrad degree is in sociology and my master’s degree is in education. After decades of seeing a shift of students doing work on screens, I am convinced that bringing kids outside, and bringing them together to have experiences in the natural world is my next right step in education. With the environment facing serious challenges, we need young people who feel both connected to nature and empowered with ideas on how to protect it.
Melissa: I totally agree. I would not have my career today if I hadn’t been fostered by great educators. In middle school, I was so fascinated by the idea of being an astronaut that I fundraised for months to earn the money to go to space camp. During that trip I had incredible mentors and experiences. One of the most memorable was experiencing simulated weightlessness underwater.
I lived near the beach in Oceanside, CA and it wasn’t until that experience that I realized that being in the ocean offered a lot of the same things I hoped to feel exploring space; a whole world that I hasn’t yet been explored. I began the junior lifeguard program that year, where I had great mentors, and, a couple of years later, learned to scuba dive.
In high school, it was another passionate teacher that sparked my love for marine biology. That lead me to enroll in Cal Poly Humboldt. It offered one of the most progressive marine biology programs on the West Coast at that time. I majored in Marine Biology and minored in both Fisheries and Scientific Diving. Now I’m a senior aquarist and dive safety office with the Birch Aquarium, but the passion for my career actually started in middle school,
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Laura: We are investing all our free time, energy and capital trying to bring this vision to life, which requires being very thoughtful about every decision we make, and every experience we are offering to our students. We are not trying to appeal to everyone. I spend a lot of time trying to think about the kids and parents who are already looking for hands-on, nature-based experiences. There are many parents in San Diego that are homeschooling for that reason. Marine Life Learning is also a community provider for some charter schools. We are offering an academic experience but we want it to be something kids are excited to participate in.
Melissa: I am still working full-time at the Birch Aquarium and plan on continuing to do so. This is a challenge in itself just because of timing and scheduling. But, even if Marine Life Learning sparks a life-long love for marine science in just a handful of our students over the years, the effort will have been worth it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Marine Life Learning is a hands-on marine science enrichment program for youth ages 5 to 18, but our classes go beyond teaching marine biology. We design every class as a way to help young people develop meaningful connections with one another as they learn about coastal ecosystems, beach safety, and conservation. We also introduce students to the wide range of careers here in San Diego that are connected to our oceans and coastlines. For this reason, each session we offer internships for high school students.
We believe that creativity and science go hand in hand, so also integrate art into our sessions. Students learn art techniques that offer creative ways to address conservation, recycling, awareness, and other environmental challenges. This reflects our belief that kids learn best when they are fully engaged, mind and body, with the world around them.
Families can learn more about what we offer by going to our website at marinelifelearning.com
How do you think about happiness?
Melissa: Being underwater makes me feel happy, peaceful, and renewed. After swimming in the ocean and seeing all my fishy friends, I always come back feeling like a brand-new person. There is no better feeling.
This kind of peace and connection to nature is missing for so many kids who spend much of their time in front of a screen. While our students may not be underwater during our classes, I hope their experience with Marine Life Learning gives them that same sense of connection to nature, because there is truly nothing else like it.
Laura: What makes me happy is really connecting with other people. I love watching people light up when they are really engaged and connected. I think the world needs more of this, and kids especially need more connection to each other and to the world around them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://marinelifelearning.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/marinelifelearning
