Larkin Garden, 20, will be a 2025 graduate from Catawba College with a B.S. in Environment and Sustainability and a concentration in Natural Resource Management. She had the privilege of growing up in the outdoors of Asheville, NC near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and has fond memories of wandering through forests and watching evening fireflies. However, she was always happiest underwater even though the ocean was far from home. In 2019 she got her Open Water Certification shortly before COVID-19 hit the world. While she enjoyed snorkeling for hellbenders in mountain streams she still hoped to experience the wonders of our oceans.
In the summer of 2024, her dream came true during an amazing Research Experience for Undergraduates program at Shannon Point Marine Center (SPMC) with Western Washington University. Participating in a scientific diving class and getting to design a research project for pinto abalone restoration in the Pacific Northwest was challenging but incredibly rewarding to her. At SPMC she met the 2024 AAUS Mitchell Scientific Diving Research and Dr. Lee H. Somers Scientific Diving interns who shaped her experience as a new diver. Getting to dive with such supportive, helpful, and knowledgeable people from both OWUSS and SPMC showed her what a safe and inclusive diving environment should be and is something she hopes to embody wherever she goes. She is beyond excited to continue her diving journey with the National Park Service’s Submerged Resources Center and experience our nation’s unique and beautiful parks.
