Announcing Two New Explorer Scholarships!
“Life is either a bold and daring adventure or nothing at all.”
Hellen Keller’s famous call to action has guided me since I first found it in a fortune cookie in middle school. I scotch taped over it to protect the paper’s integrity and taped it to a favorite picture of my parents all dressed up with somewhere to go. It remains there to this day.
Back then, my life was quite standard: school, study, sports, homework, dinner, family, sleep, repeat. I certainly didn’t feel like I was extraordinary, nor that I could lead a life that was as big as that word feels.
Thankfully, life took its turns, and I’ve evolved into someone I never could have dreamed of. My first liveaboard dive trip led me to quit my job, sell my house and start anew: orienting myself toward joy and for the oceans. That was over ten years ago. I now find myself living the largest life I never could have imagined, going on expeditions, telling epic stories, running two passion project nonprofits, making movies, and doing whatever crazy other things light me up. It’s a blessing.
As our Director of Scholarships, I have the immense privilege to pay it back and pay it forward through The Seabirds’ New Explorers Scholarships officially kicking off right now! This offering to the world and to little me is one of my proudest legacies.
Two New Scholarships for a Whale Expedition
In March 2027, we will welcome two New Explorers with our team in the Silver Bank, Dominican Republic, to spend a week learning, collecting field data, and experiencing one of the greatest wildlife gatherings on Earth.
Each winter, more than 5,000 North Atlantic humpback whales migrate to the warm, protected waters of the Silver Bank to mate, give birth, and nurse their calves. In the summers, many of those same whales head north to feed in nutrient-rich waters, including Norway, where our team has had the privilege of studying them in 2022 and again in 2025. Sometimes, it feels a little like we’re stalking them; we promise, we’re just big fans! There's definitely something special about meeting the same whales in two completely different chapters of their lives.
Each scholarship covers a full berth and participation in all citizen science activities on board.
One scholarship is made possible through the Re!Earth Initiative, a youth-led climate organization working to support the next generation of environmental leaders through community, creativity, and action. Their commitment to making climate work more accessible aligns naturally with our mission at The Seabirds to bring more people into the field, and we're honored to partner with them to offer our first New Explorer Scholarship.
Our second scholarship honors the memory of Janet Harris, whose adventurous spirit and belief in opening doors for others continues through this opportunity. We hope every scholar who joins us under Janet's name carries a little bit of that spirit with them—one of curiosity, courage, generosity, and saying yes to life's biggest adventures. This scholarship has not yet launched, and we’re working with Janet’s family to ensure we uplift the communities she cared about most. Stay tuned for more!
Why our Scholarships Matter
The Seabirds’ New Explorers Scholarship opens the door to ocean exploration for people who never imagined they belonged here. There are no prerequisites other than caring a lot about our planet and wanting to do something about it. Every person, as they are, qualifies to become one of our new explorers and citizen scientists.
Our team goes to some of the most exquisite and remote places on this planet to collect important oceanic data, to experience wonder in its purest and rawest forms, and to chase J-O-Y. That mix of things transforms people. It feels like it’s something in the water or the air, and the excitement is contagious.
Everyone somehow comes back more alive, more activated, more connected than they ever thought possible. They come back knowing they’ve had a bold and daring adventure, and that more of them are within reach. That they can build their own biggest, boldest life of their dreams.
And all of that becomes more in reach for our New Explorers through these scholarships.
Thank you to our partners, Re!Earth Initiative and the family of Janet Harris, for their support and inspiration. We’re so proud to do this work with you. To our future scholars: we can’t wait to meet you very soon!
