Junior SeaKeepers 2025-2026 Graduation and Research Symposium

On Thursday, June 11th, 2026, The International SeaKeepers Society’s Educational Outreach team hosted the third annual final Graduation and Research Symposium for our 2025-26 cohort of the Junior SeaKeepers Program at Lowe Art Museum through the University of Miami. The Junior SeaKeepers Program offers a unique marine science program for high school students in South Florida to gain practical experience in oceanographic research while actively participating in marine conservation efforts. Under the guidance of local and global marine science experts, students have explored various marine science topics, honing their skills in scientific research, effective science communication, and community engagement. During the Graduation and Symposium, we celebrated the next generation of ocean ambassadors equipped to comprehend and address the challenges our oceans face on a significant scale.

The main feature of our final Junior SeaKeepers event was the Research Symposium where participants were able to display their scientific posters created over the last few months as a part of their ocean conservation research project. As the last step of this project, students put together high-level scientific posters and were able to present their findings to friends, family, SeaKeepers partners, and local community members in a traditional scientific poster session layout. This opportunity gave students the chance to bring their research experience full circle from project planning, through execution and communication to the public and relevant stakeholders. JSK Public Service Announcement projects aimed at creating awareness around local and global marine conservation issues were also displayed at this event for viewing by our attendees. To finish out the evening, SeaKeepers Educational Outreach team presented our 18 graduating students from 11 South Florida high schools with completion certificates and awarded our three Junior SeaKeeper Scholarships. We want to wish huge congratulations to our 2025-26 honorees for their exemplary program participation, and we look forward to working with them as JSK alumni leadership for next year’s program!

2025-26 Junior SeaKeeper of the Year Awardee: Avani Medina – graduating Senior at College Academy @ Broward College. Avani’s research project was titled: “Quantifying Oyster Growth and Water Quality in Waterways with Recycled Oyster Ropes.” Avani’s PSA project was a digital infographic and call to action about the negative environmental impact of electronic waste, titled “E-Waste and the Environment”.

2025-26 Coastal Champion Awardee: Melanie Gonzalez – incoming Senior at College Academy @ Broward College. Melanie’s research project was titled: “Environmental pollutants and sharks reproductive success in Florida.” Melanie’s PSA project was a digital infographic and call to action titled “Shark Finning: Killing Our Ocean Guardians”, focused on informing the public about the negative impacts of shark finning, and how the audience can offer their help.

2025-26 Conservation Communicator Awardee: Angel Walker – incoming Senior at Miami Arts Studio 6-12 @ Zelda Glazer. Angel’s research project was titled: “Eco-Art: Spreading Ocean Conservation Awareness through Mixed Media.” Angel’s PSA project was a video produced in the style of a news segment focusing on the impact of Eco Art, including b-roll footage and interviews from Big Blue & You’s recent event Art by the Sea.

This year’s cohort of the Junior SeaKeepers Program was made possible by our incredible donors, Open Water and The Asher Foundation. Open Water is an aluminum water company who awarded SeaKeepers with the Green Sheep Grant to help fund activities and materials throughout the program, as well as the cost of the Graduation and Research Symposium. The Asher Foundation invests in causes that protect our oceans, strengthen our communities, and inspire the next generation, and fully funded the scholarships given to our three awardees this year. We are so grateful to the generous contributions made by these partners that have allowed us to make the 2025-26 Junior SeaKeepers Program as engaging and rewarding as possible for this next generation of ocean stewards.

We were so honored to be able to work with this year’s incredible group of Junior SeaKeeper students. Throughout the program, our team has had the opportunity to mentor students through research and community engagement projects, accompany them on exciting field trips, connect them with researchers, and teach them skills that will help them in higher education or careers in marine science. The final Graduation and Research Symposium was a wonderful opportunity for our Junior SeaKeepers to bring their work throughout the program full circle and share what they have learned with the local community. We hope that our 2025-26 students have enjoyed their experiences, and we look forward to continuing to work with these passionate students in the future.