by 
I gazed down at the rivers snaking through the massive wrinkly mountains of the Midwest from my small airplane window—”What on earth did I just sign up for?” kept ringing through my head. It was only a few weeks ago that I signed my acceptance letter for the August 2022 STEMSEAS trip aboard the R/V Sally Ride, and as exciting as that was, my mother passed after a long battle with cancer around the same time. Ever since, my wildlife camera and field guides had been lying idle collecting dust. I quickly lost interest in much of the natural world which had captivated me my whole life until that point as my whole world came crashing down.
Amidst that grief, the opportunity of a lifetime opened up for me: a one-week trip in the North Pacific Ocean aboard a Navy oceanic research vessel from Seattle, Washington, to San Diego, California, suddenly became a reality. Despite my lack of motivation from the immense grief I’d been carrying, part of me knew my mom would’ve wanted me to say yes. So I did.
View of Mt. Baker from the R/V Sally Ride on our first full day aboard the ship.
No less than a day after setting foot on the R/V Sally Ride did I know I had made the right decision. While we were setting up the lab, the Bridge called down to let us know there were whales spotted at the bow— and like any sane marine science enthusiasts, we all dropped everything and darted to the bow. That evening, we were heading out of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and right at the mouth of the strait where it opened to the ocean, there was a spectacular showing of dozens of whale spouts, fins, and flukes to greet us. Some were so close that we could hear them surface before seeing them, as their massive lungs took in air, then we’d spot them as their fins and tails rolled slowly back into the sea. The evening quickly gave way to night, creating a sharp decline in temperature. Despite our fingers growing numb in the midst of heightening winds and the coolness of the night setting in, we remained on the bow until the sun was swallowed by the deep gray ocean, still full of twinkling eyes and laughter.
Several whales photographed from our first day at sea.
For the rest of the trip, I felt much of my grief buffered by heartening scenarios just like this. To me, this is what it’s all about—not just the incredible creatures we stumble upon that humble us, but meeting people from all walks of life, coming together to do some good and learn about this complex and beautiful world around us and each other despite the personal challenges we all face. I had good expectations for this STEMSEAS trip, but I got far more out of it than I had expected. Memories, experiences, and people that I will cherish forever, and that have inspired me to seriously pursue a career path that supports this work.
A cargo ship in a dramatic sunset from our first day at sea.
– Kristen Cooney
