Ashley is a junior at Clemson University, pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry. She is Advanced Open Water certified through SSI and is working on her Divemaster certification. Her love of the ocean led her to join a marine ecology research team under Dr. Michael Childress at Clemson. Her project will investigate how extreme heat events have impacted sea urchin abundance and herbivory in the Florida Keys. This information will help predict algal coverage on reefs as oceans continue to warm. Her dream career is to be a professor conducting marine ecology research. Through this position, Ashley hopes to continue her current work as a Supplemental Instruction leader by facilitating the professional, academic, and personal growth of students, while also helping to understand the world’s changing oceans.