Programs Blog

Friday 6 September 2023

Sea Education Association campus, Woods Hole

Calm sunny day

My experience in the program has been wonderful. The SEA program really started with a bang. From the very moment we arrived at the campus it’s been charged with things to do. I mean it in the best way possible. Because it is not just the academic aspect of the program, there is just so much to do! Like getting to know thirty new people and exploring the towns of Falmouth and Woods Hole. 

Let’s take it to the beginning… My name is Hatuey M. Connelly Molina, majoring in Wildlife Management and Coastal Marine Biology at the University of Puerto Rico in Humacao, BUHO!!!  Coming from a small island called Vieques the idea of taking such a venture and coming to the northeast of the United States, not gonna lie, was a bit nerve racking. However this was an opportunity of a lifetime that I don’t think I could forgive myself if I had not partaken in it.

There really aren’t any better words to describe my first impression of this place than the words of Rachel Carson: “The town is so much more attractive than I’d expected to find it. One can’t walk very far without running into water… Woods Hole is a delightful place to biologize.” And I mean it; it is so different from what I’m used to. Getting to see four different Ospreys (a species that only spends a couple of months back home) in the span of a short bike ride, it’s such an alien experience! Or having a flock of harbor seals stare at me! Or being able to hold an intact shark egg with an embryo inside! Even being in the area itself is a new aspect to explore. The marshlands don’t exist back in Puerto Rico. Adding on all of that… the weather *chef’s kiss* fantastic. 70°F on a September day… Unheard of!

A big part of this program is the fact that I’m getting to meet a lot of new people. The diversity of my classmates has been very entertaining. Everyone has their own story that differs to mine or to everyone else. There is diversity in age, origin, interest, goals, and general approach to life. We have people from a varied set of backgrounds like physics, theater, filmmaking, ecology, biology, geology, etc., and it’s such a nice place to be. A funny interaction between the rest of the group and me has been my little tolerance for the cold, because all of them are walking around in shorts and t-shirts in this weather and as the Caribbean boy I am, I walk around with my jacket and long pants. Also they say that 70° water is warm water… nope… I’ll stay with my 82° beaches!

Something that has made this transition very easy going is the SEA personnel. The professors have been very approachable from the get go. The program assistants have done their all to make us feel at home. They even made dinner for the first three nights! Just so we didn’t need to worry about it. Now the course load has been intense thus far, but it has been fun, really forcing me to give it my all. Which is what I’d hoped for.

Shout-out! For all of those that have financially supported me to get to this place the most heartfelt thank you! You have made one of my dreams a reality.  Know that everything I learn from this adventure is going to be returned to my dear Little Island Vieques <3

Y un agradecimiento en especial a mi abuelita querida que cubriste la gran mayoría del costo para poder lograr estar aquí… Un beso enorme pa’ ti!         

Hatuey M. Connelly Molina

University of Puerto Rico, Humacao