Where Are They Now: Anupa Asokan!
By: Mary Quinn
A new season is officially underway at MarineLab, bringing with it brand-new seasonal instructors and more additions to our staff alumni wall. As we look forward to what is promising to be a record-breaking season with program attendance, now seems like the perfect time to reflect back on some past instructors and see where they are now!
Part of an instructor’s job is to be constantly learning. Not only how to be flexible and adapt to changing circumstances, but how to work as a team, trust our guts and react quickly to situations. In an average month at Marinelab, we host around 400 students and chaperones, all from different backgrounds and areas of the country. That means that for us, the knowledge just keeps coming!
One past instructor, Anupa Asokan, represents how our alumni take the transferable skills learned at MarineLab and hit the ground running to create meaningful change around the world. Anupa now works in Los Angeles as Senior Oceans Advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council. Impressed? We are too!
Read below to hear how MarineLab shaped her career and love of the ocean, and how her position as seasonal instructor in 2013 served as a stepping stone to the future.
Q: Where do you live now and what do you do? How did you end up there?
A: I advocate for strong marine protected areas, or parks in the ocean, so we can protect the diversity of marine life in our ocean and help it adapt and survive through threats that come from climate change, industry, pollution, etc. After MarineLab, I moved to Washington, DC and worked for NOAA for several years. I loved my job there but missed being on the water, so when an opportunity came along for me to work in ocean conservation back in Southern California, I jumped at the chance. I love it here, though I do miss manatees, mangroves and catching red drum!
Anupa now serves as the Senior Oceans Advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council!
Q: What was your favorite MarineLab class/lab/field trip to lead and why?
A: I love any opportunity to snorkel, and the reefs are always magical, but I particularly loved our trips to the mangroves. Snorkel adventures in the mangroves are unexpectedly fun, and there’s a surprising amount of biodiversity and structure to explore. Red mangroves are my favorite tree because they are resilient, adaptable and provide so many benefits to our coastal communities.
Q: What is one of your favorite memories from your time at MarineLab?A: I led a group on a snorkel at one of our reef sites and at least a dozen spotted eagle rays swam circles around us for a while. As soon as they went on their way, two green sea turtles showed up! It was an amazing moment in nature that everyone was stoked to have experienced.
Eagle rays are a fan favorite at MarineLab
Q: How did your time at MarineLab influence your current career?
A: My work still involves the ocean and I work every day to make sure that future students can continue to experience the amazing marine life that lives in places like the Florida Keys. In fact, NOAA just took public input on a new plan to better protect the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. My time at MarineLab and the in-depth knowledge and experience I gained there was integral to my ability to advocate for stronger protections for the Keys’ reefs.
Q: Tell us about yourself- How do you spend your days? What are you passionate about?
A: I still spend as much time as I can in the water. I mostly like to surf, dive and fish, so I take advantage of being near the coast again to do those things as often as possible. I also serve on the National Board of Directors for the Surfrider Foundation and to support them, I’ve done a few long-distance stand-up paddles to raise awareness and funds for the issues they work on. My longest paddle was 27 miles across the Santa Monica Bay, and I saw whales along the way!
Q: Anything else you want MarineLab blog readers to know about you??
A: Your stories about what the ocean means to you, including your experiences at places like MarineLab, make my job easier because they are so helpful in getting our elected officials and government leaders to take notice and do the right thing to protect our ocean for the future. So, take advantage of social media, public comment opportunities, petitions, email… any opportunity to reach our decision-makers to share your love of the ocean and why you want to protect it.