Dr. Sylvia Earle

Maya Nasveschuk

15 Freshmen 

My Unsung hero is Dr. Sylvia Earle. She was a deep sea diver with a deep love of the ocean. Earle was an oceanographer, environmentalist, and marine biologist. Two of her major accomplishments were, helping to create the first underwater habitat, and creating Mission Blue, an organization to protect the ocean, so wildlife can thrive without human interference. When I was reading about her on the website, I had no idea what an underwater habitat looked like or even that it existed, I was intrigued. I decided to choose Dr. Sylvia Earle to learn more about underwater habitats. I’m also interested in climate change and saving the earth. I heard that Mission Blue helped clean up the 2010 large oil spill. My painting shows the achievements of my unsung hero. I made an acrylic painting on a square wood board. My painting has orange, pink, and greenish purple, wavy lines across the center, separating the top of the ocean from underwater. This represents the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. An explosion occurred when drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, causing it to leak a massive amount of oil into the ocean. Dr. Sylvia Earle raised people's awareness about pollution to decrease the amount of future oil spills. Mission Blue, the ocean protection organization, made sure over 2 million square miles were protected. Under the surface of the water, you can see my unsung hero reaching out to touch a dolphin and an underwater habitat in the bottom right corner. An underwater habitat is a structure made for people to live in for a while. It can help with research and observation. Dr. Sylvia Earle, grew up along the New Jersey coast and found she loved the ocean. She ended up going to Duke University and majoring in marine biology. Earle changed the world with her strong passion for the sea. 

Going forward, I know how humans can impact the ocean and its creatures. I feel satisfied knowing that a lot of the ocean is protected from harm. I’m going to a beach cleanup for Surf Rider this Saturday. We are going to clean up trash and waste left behind. Learning about Dr. Sylvia Earle makes me want to be a part of Mission blue. I want to protect the ocean too. I know that if I put time into something, I can achieve the picture I want. That is what happened with my Unsung hero painting, I am proud of the way it turned out.