Howdy!
I’m Wil, and I’ll be joining STARC aboard the USCGC Healy for its final cruise of the year this fall. I’m a senior at the University of Alaska Fairbanks majoring in geophysics, which is a fancy way of saying I like rocks. I’m originally from Southern Arizona, but moved up to Alaska four years ago for college, and despite going from 110 to -30 degree days, I love it up here, and all the chances to explore rugged and remote places through fieldwork.
In 2023, after pestering a professor for almost two years (and building up a good skill set), I got the opportunity to join the research team on the R/V Sikuliaq for a month as we took sediment cores in the Bering Sea- me, a former desert rat, who had never been on a boat in my life! It was an extremely difficult and rewarding trip, and I left with my eyes open to a new career path… boats?
I used this experience to join a Sikuliaq NGA LTER cruise- twins, Kaleigh! It must be a gateway cruise to marine technician work, because I’ve fallen in love with working at sea, supporting the science and helping collect data while always being in the field. My background is science-heavy, but low-tech, and I hope this upcoming internship will help bridge the gap between those and build a wider skill set for marine technician work. I look forward to sharing this journey!