Ava is a Master’s student at California State University Monterey Bay and Moss Landing Marine Labs. She grew up in North Carolina, visiting the coast every summer, collecting shells and shark teeth since she was a kid. Since getting her open-water certification in a North Carolina quarry, she’s gone diving in the Caribbean, Monterey Bay, mainland Ecuador, and the Galápagos Islands. For her Master’s thesis, she connects fieldwork techniques like scientific diving with lab-based genetic analysis and computer modeling. Diving deepens her commitment to marine conservation, reinforcing her values and career goals. Following her Master’s, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in marine science and become a university professor, where she can inspire students to develop their scientific passions. She is passionate about coral reef conservation and plans to use this grant to obtain her rescue diver certification and gear, allowing her to further her recreational and scientific diving experience.

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