Laura’s grant enabled her to buy diving gear and attend the Quantitative Underwater Ecological Survey Techniques (QUEST) research diving field school, through the University of Hawai‘i. This field school allowed her to conduct ecology studies on coral reefs, using scuba. That summer she was accepted for an internship to the Northwest Hawaiian Islands to conduct benthic surveys for the Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) cruise. Following this internship she participated in several other underwater ecology research projects. In 2012 she returned to QUEST as a team leader, and was accepted again to the NWHI, as a benthic diver and a mentor for new RAMP interns. She returned to assist with QUEST in 2013 and 2014 as a logistics coordinator. Laura graduated in May 2013 with a B.S. in Marine Science, minor in Biology, and Marine Option Program certificate from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. She was accepted to graduate school to continue her education and deepen her understanding of ecology and research. She is now a Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science M.S. candidate at U.H. Hilo. Her research utilizes scuba to collect ecological data on coral reefs in Hawai‘i. She is very passionate about diving and conducting marine research, and has been involved in many underwater ecological assessment projects. The WDHOF Advanced Dive Training Grant allowed her to become a scientific diver, and pursue her interest in marine ecology.