From Freshwater to Saltwater

WHO

Hey! My name is Kasi (pronounced like K. C. ) and I am one of the newest members to join the AmeriCorps team at the Alaska SeaLife Center. I come here from the wonderful Great Lakes region. I went to school in Michigan's Upper Peninsula at Northern Michigan University where I picked up a Bachelor's degree in Zoology and the slightest yooper accent. I also completed a minor in Native American Studies, one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. I had the opportunity to be involved in some campus events, including powwows and food tasters. I even got to learn a few Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) words, such as anishna (what's up), skodeaabo (fire water), and my personal favorite kokoko (owl). One of the best opportunities I had was a project in which I helped organize a campus event bringing Kevin Annett, an advocate for the rights of First Nations individuals, to NMU to speak about his important work. 

Opossum in Rehabilitation

After school, I returned to work at Sarett Nature Center in Benton Harbor, Michigan where I had spent the previous summer.  Living only 25 minutes away I often used to visit this nature center as a child, and once grown, it was amazing to have the opportunity to work there! Sarett not only gave me some of the best practical experience but it turned me into a complete nature nerd! I, who once thought that birders were a slightly odd group of individuals, am now forced to admit that I have become one of them. I got the chance to hang out with some of the best birders in the state (probably the country) and learn alongside some of the most knowledgeable people I  
have ever met. I helped care for Sarett's resident animals, including an 8 foot boa constrictor named Miss Longfellow, an adorable red screech owl, and Gabby, the sweetest cockatoo to ever live (pictured right). I made one more pivotal realization while at Sarett. I had grown up as an only child without any younglings ever around and so I had no aspirations of working with children or becoming any kind of teacher. At Sarett, I began teaching kids about the natural world and I fell in love with it! Which brings me to the Education Department at the Alaska SeaLife Center.    

WHAT

I am one of the Education Members of AmeriCorps at the Alaska SeaLife Center. Which means that I get to spend four days of the week working with kids and teaching them about the marine ecosystem. Not only do I get to teach kids that come to the SeaLife Center, but I also get to teach to classrooms all around the world, including Australia, using our distance learning program! I even get to spend some time around the aquarium talking to guests and answering their questions.

WHERE

Sunset on Lake Michigan

I grew up in a small tourist town located on the southern coast of Lake Michigan. Not wanting to give up a small town atmosphere on the Great Lakes, I decided to attend college at Northern Michigan University on the shores of the beautiful and menacing Lake Superior. After spending three winters in the very cold, very snowy city of Marquette I vowed to move to the south. A little over a year later, I'm in Alaska. 

Pictured Rocks- One of the U.P.'s Highlights!
(colors courtesy of all natural mineral seepage)

WHEN

I arrived for the first time in Alaska on the night of January 28th. I flew into Anchorage after my very first solo flight. Unfortunately, it was late and dark so I had to wait for the sun to come up to truly appreciate where I was. And oh man did the sun come up! The skies were perfectly clear and I walked out of my hotel and saw my first mountains! They were just outside the city, so close, or so I thought until I got onto the Seward Highway and into Seward on January 30th and the idea of mountains nearby took on a whole new meaning. There are mountains everywhere, right next to the highway, right outside my window. I get to see some of the most spectacular sights every single day!

WHY

Why not? The Alaska SeaLife Center is the only public aquarium in Alaska and it is unique when compared to other aquariums around the country (or at least the few I have been to). Not only is it a public aquarium with enclosures displaying Alaskan sealife, such as anemones and sea stars (that you can touch!), Stellar sea lions, harbor seals, and ten species of sea birds, but there is a complete research facility dedicated to learning about these animals. There is also an entire department dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned and injured animals from the wild. Not to mention, an awesome education team that provides day programs, nocturnes (you can sleep at the center!), outreach programs, and distance learning! The Alaska SeaLife Center has it all! Here I get the opportunity to teach about all these amazing animals and the world in which they live! Not to mention all the other wonderful things I get the chance to do while volunteering with AmeriCorps, like helping out at the Iditarod!

Added bonus: Look where I get to live!

 Oh and in conclusion: Seward is actually warmer than the U.P. although I think there might be just a little bit more snow here.