Erin Dower is a senior in the Global Ecology program. She had the opportunity to work at the Baltimore National Aquarium this summer. The Pulse wanted to ask her about her experiences.  

What was your summer job? 

I worked as a Youth Exhibit Guide at the National Aquarium as well as a swim teacher/lifeguard at goldfish but that wasn’t very interesting.

Did you have to fulfill any requirements to work at the aquarium? If so, what were they?

There really weren’t many requirements but I was able to have a steady form of transportation, and attendance on the same days of the week for the end of June, July, and august.

Why did you decide to work at the aquarium?

I found the application through Mrs. Binns on the classroom website and I was hoping it would fill the internship requirement for global… Later on, I figured it didn’t quite fully fulfill it but… it was a cool experience. And I want to major in marine biology in college.

What was your favorite part of working at the aquarium?

Meeting new people from different counties and even states that all had similar interests.

What was your least favorite part of working at the aquarium?

The commute of getting into Baltimore two times a week.

Have you always been interested in aquariums and marine biology?

Partially, marine biology has always been a strong interest of mine, only recently have I been interested in process of running an aquarium/taking care of the animals.

How was the commute?

[I] had to wake up super early to go and had to wait 12 hours for my dad to pick me up. 

What were your responsibilities at the aquarium?

I would move from different regions of the aquarium, standing next to exhibits answering questions/engaging with guests. 

What have you learned from your job at the aquarium?

I have learned how to communicate on a professional-ish level, a lot about different fish species, and how there are a variety of different roles needed for an aquarium to function