When you invest in the Seymour Center, you create scientists like Ellie

My name is Ellie Giles, and I’m a sophomore in the Marine Studies program at Oregon State University. Ellie’s 2nd grade field trip to the Seymour Center. The Seymour Center has been so many things to me: a community, a place of discovery, and even a second home. I still remember my first field trip there in second grade, being instantly drawn to the aquarium and feeling a sense of wonder I hadn’t felt anywhere else. From that moment on, I knew what I wanted to do; I wanted to be a marine biologist. Without a doubt, the Seymour Center is the reason I’m pursuing marine science today. It didn’t just spark my curiosity; it gave me the tools, encouragement, and community to turn that spark into a career path. Even though my dream looks slightly different than it did in elementary school, the Seymour Center expanded my ideas of what I can do to make a difference and made working in marine education feel like a real possibility. Ellie explores sea otter habitats at Elkhorn Slough