By: Josephine Joller-Haeussel
Hey, my name is Josephine Joller-Haeussel and I was a peer for the 2025 camp of OCG. It really was a wonderful experience. Getting to reunite with old friends, now also as peers, as well as meeting new people in the form of both campers, peers, and even mentors was so delightful. I didn鈥檛 realize how much I missed OCG.
The week one field trips were just as great as I remembered, if not better. I loved working on nutrients on Ft. Desoto with mentors Savannah and Audrey. They were great company while having to deal with the sweltering Florida summer heat. Likewise, kayaking to Shell Key was great. At Shell Key, I went diving for shells along with two other peers Alana and Maggie鈥攚e didn鈥檛 find much, but it was still fun.
IMAGE ABOVE: Campers compare shallow sediment cores from the mangroves at Ft De Soto.
It was such a great opportunity for me to be allowed to help out with the research cruise on the ANGARI. Usually, only graduating peers are allowed to go, but since there was extra help needed, I didn鈥檛 mind at all getting to spend one more day with such wonderful people. It was great getting to take pictures of the events going on inside and outside of the boat because there was just so much activity to capture.
Looking back, I was really lucky to be with the same group of campers for every field trip. I could really see the connections forming between this group of campers right before my very eyes. They had lots of energy that鈥檚 for sure, and it didn鈥檛 take long for that to spread. Overall, being a peer for camp OCG was not only fun, but a great experience for gaining new skills of building responsibility, respect, and trust in both yourself and your teammates. I wouldn鈥檛 hesitate to be a peer again next year.
By: Annalise Trunk
This year I helped in two different labs, Fish Ecology and DNA Detectives. I loved watching campers slowly grow in confidence and interest as the labs went on. In the Fish Ecology lab, campers learned about the anatomy of a fish, dissected and identified different fish species, and learned about the current state of our oceans. At the beginning of the lab, campers were hesitant, unwilling to touch the dead fish and slow to answer questions. But it didn't take long for them to warm up. By the end of the first day, the girls were discussing their favorite type of fish and happily finding the different organs in their dissected fish. The next day, campers learned about overfishing and the plastic currently being poured into the ocean. The girls learned through hands-on activities and were given practical ways they could help.
IMAGE ABOVE: Camper Laila dissects a fish as part of the fish ecology lab.
OCG provides girls with a priceless experience. They learn from scientists about what is happening in our oceans and what they can do to help. I am honored I was able to participate, not only as a camper but as a peer mentor, watching other women learn to protect the sea.
By: Annabelle Bergeron
Two years ago, I came to Oceanography Camp as a wide-eyed camper, completely fascinated by the ocean and everything we got to experience hands-on. This year, I returned not as a camper, but as a first-time peer. Stepping into this new role was surreal and exciting. I remembered exactly what it felt like to be in the campers' shoes, and now I had the chance to help create that same spark for someone else.
One of the highlights of my experience was going on a field trip to Fort De Soto. There, the campers learned about mangroves in the most immersive way possible鈥攂y being in them. They examined sediment tubes to compare grain sizes and waded through the water to explore seagrass beds up close. Watching them connect what they鈥檇 heard in the classroom to what they were seeing and feeling in real time reminded me of how powerful hands-on experiences could be. There鈥檚 something special about learning with your feet in the sand and your hands in the water.
IMAGE ABOVE: Campers pull the seine net by the mangroves at Ft De Soto.
Back inside, I got the opportunity to work with two labs: DNA Detectives and beach profiling. In DNA Detectives, the campers swabbed surfaces around campus and grew bacteria colonies on petri dishes, then extracted DNA from strawberries to learn more about genetics and lab techniques. It was messy and exciting and made science feel fun to them. In beach profiling, the campers analyzed the grain sizes and graphed the beach profile using data from Honeymoon Island. It was rewarding to watch them interpret the results and start to see patterns emerge from their own work.
The group of campers I worked with was genuinely amazing. Each of them had this quiet, unique maturity. They鈥檙e just heading into 9th grade, but their curiosity, kindness, and ability to collaborate really stood out. I learned just as much from them as I hope they learned from me. Being a peer mentor helped me grow in ways I didn鈥檛 expect. I became more confident in leading and explaining, but also in listening and stepping back when they needed space to explore on their own.
Oceanography Camp will always be special to me, but this summer added a new layer to that. It wasn鈥檛 just about experiencing science but helping someone else find their place in it. And that, to me, is what makes this camp unforgettable.
IMAGE ABOVE: Campers (left to right) Alishya, Faylynn, and Emilie make candy models of DNA to learn the different structures and demonstrate how it is read within the cell, during the DNA detectives lab.