From the mountains to the ocean -- back to Boston!

Hi everyone! My name is Ashley Wakefield, I am 23 years old and will be spending my first summer back in Beantown with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay as a Senior Harbor Educator! I could not be more excited about this opportunity. With the ocean, the best city in the world, and kids eager to learn about their surroundings, could it get any better?

Enjoying the ocean on the west coast - in Sausalito, CA

Let's back up, and I'll give you a little background on myself. I was originally adopted from South Korea, and grew up in upstate New York across the street from a lake which honestly made my childhood awesome, and rarely boring. As the years past, I developed a love for all-things-Boston -- the city, the Celtics, the Patriots and most of all the Red Sox. After graduating from high school, I attended Ithaca College in New York's Finger Lakes region to study sport. Despite realizing early on in my college years that I was slowly losing interest in sports, it was definitely no set back as another passion slowly crept up in the back of my mind. This passion was a world away from sports, and combined water -- specifically the ocean, marine mammals, marine creatures, beaches, and all-things marine-related! After college, I ended up serving with AmeriCorps for the past two years. My first year was spent in Boston with City Year, which was incredible as I served on the Civic Engagement Team. Last year, I moved across the country to Denver, CO to serve in an urban high school. Despite my love of adventure, my heart remained in Boston. With that said, it is great to be back in this beautiful urban environment.

I cannot wait for our summer youth programs to begin! Not only will I get to share my love of Boston, the harbor, and its marine life with kids who want to learn, but I'll be spending each day out on the water! I am positive that this will be my most exciting summer yet, and I wish the readers of this blog a happy summer as well!