Student Spotlight: Maive, 4th Grader at Joyner Elementary
“I’m super inspired.”
When you ask Maive why she loves coming to Ocean Discovery, she lights up. “We learn a lot about our environment and how to make it a better place,” she says. As a 4th grader, Maive is already thinking deeply about her impact on the world—and she credits her teachers for helping her get there.
“My teachers at Ocean Discovery are sweet and kind. They’re patient with me, and I like that about them,” Maive shares. “They teach us things like how trash ends up in our environment and how people are helping by cleaning it up.”
This week, she learned about sharks with Ms. Wendy. “Sharks have really squishy body parts to help them resist the pressure deep in the ocean,” Maive explains. “It’s not just ‘sharks have fins and teeth’—it’s more in-depth. We learn how sharks have multiple rows of teeth and how that helps them chew. That’s what I love about Ocean Discovery—we go deeper.”
When asked why teachers matter, Maive doesn’t hesitate: “Ocean Discovery teaches us everything that’s happening around us—and what we can do about it, even at our age. Teachers like Ms. Wendy are important because we can’t learn this on our own.”
And what would happen if the teachers weren’t there? “I would feel very sad and upset. The teachers are a big part of our learning. We can’t do this without them.”
Thanks to the support of Ocean Discovery’s educators and programs, Maive is already imagining her future: “I want to study the ocean, the animals, and ways we can help the environment. I also want to work at Ocean Discovery one day—because I love teaching, and I love learning from other people. That’s what happens here—we get taught, and we teach others.”
Maive shared a message for her teachers: “Thank you for everything. You taught me how pollution affects our oceans and how we can help. I’ll miss you, but I’ll always remember what I learned—and one day, I hope to come back and inspire others, just like you inspired me.”
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