During my freshmen year of high school, I was interested in wanting to learn more about the MBRP program my high school offered. I was provided with information from a senior that there is an after-school program that is student led that are making a change. Through SEALs, I was able to help with the rip-rap project the senior mentor and junior leaders started in 2021. I learned many skills from the data analysis junior leader and senior leader. I was given the opportunity to pass down the skills I learned as the data analysis team leader during my sophomore year and my junior year as a mentor. In my senior year, I was appointed as one of the project managers. The three key skills I learned in SEALs was to manage people, time, and money. 

I was able to participate in the SSRP program opportunity given by the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory during the summer of my junior year. It's a six week program, where many high school students are able to work with researchers to work on research projects in which they collect data from Piermont Marsh. Students work together in order to sample out in Piermont Marsh and in the lab, collect data, graph results, practice presenting at their projects at the end of each week, and presenting to researchers at the end of the program. I was able to learn about marshes and how important Piermont Marsh is for the environment. 

During my freshmen year of high school, I was able to volunteer in taking care of trout fish. With my peers, we tested the water parameters (i.e. ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, salinity). Through this after-school program, I learned how to test water quality, the range of each parameter trout can strive as well as writing down the results. The start of my sophomore year, I was able to go upstate, where we released the trout that we took care of. 

(photo from: https://images.app.goo.gl/gjaSU4CreC488Y5r6) 

During my freshmen and junior year of high school, I volunteered to help clean up after the annual oyster 5k run and serve water for the runners. I was able to have small conversations with some parents who were also helping out and it was a way to step out of my comfort zone. 

(photo from: https://images.app.goo.gl/nL2xX244nJ7at4NU9 )

During my junior year of high school, I volunteered to help with my school's open house. I was able to talk about the CTE program that I was in as well as take a group of students around the school to learn about the CTE programs my school offers. 

(photo from: https://images.app.goo.gl/nL2xX244nJ7at4NU9 )

During my junior and senior year of high school, I was one of the bake sale leaders to raise money for the Cuba trips students from SEALs were doing. We made sure to give announcements for those attending the trip to provide baked goods or help sale the bake goods during their free or lunch periods. 

(photo from google images: https://images.app.goo.gl/6NzNNd2dMazMiQyz5 )