Sea, Sand and Sky

Hello! I’m Sarah McRae, and I will be working as Junior Program Assistant this summer for save the Harbor Save the Bay. I’m eighteen years old, and will be starting as a freshman this year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I was introduced to Save the Harbor Save the Bay through my grandmother and my cousin, and I have participated in the Cupid/Shamrock Splash for several years.

Orientation was certainly a new experience for me. Going into it, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Would it be more like a classroom lecture setting, or hands on? Well, Day 1 involved chanting, singing, and running in circles. Can’t say I expected that. Day 2 involved the Children’s Museum and Fort George, and Day 3 consisted of Comcast and Carson Beach. The strangest thing for me was walking in the tunnels of Fort George. It sounds ordinary, but there was no source of light in the tunnels. The tunnels were pitch black, and the walls we used to guide us slippery and wet. The strangest part about it was a room we went to. There was a small hole in the ceiling (a chimney shaft) that let in a small beam of light. The light had a milky, pearly quality to it, and when someone stepped into the light they had an unearthly look to them. It looked like a set from a movie, and the fact that I couldn’t see anything out of my peripheral vision only made it seem even more surreal.

I have two goals for the summer as a JPA. My first goal is to learn more about Boston Harbor, including its marine life, history, and how to interact with it. My second goal is to teach people what I learn. I love learning new things, and I love sharing with others what I learn. For the first half of the summer I will be working at the Boston Children’s Museum, and I look forward to teaching people about marine life and Boston Harbor.

That’s me in front row with the pink shirt.

And here’s a picture of me with my cousin Patrice Haney and grandmother Carol Haney at the Cupid/Shamrock Splash. I’m in the middle.