Morgan Scola, a graduating senior majoring in Marine Biology and Ecology with minors in Meteorology and Psychology, has soaked up every minute of her time at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. Through the past four years, Scola has gained a wide variety of skills that make her an ideal candidate for her future career goals in marine biology and ocean conservation.
Scola is a very engaged student around the university. She is an intern in two Rosenstiel labratories as well as an active member in many marine based student organizations. Scola is currently finishing two years as an undergraduate intern with the Shark Research and Conservation (SRC) Program at Rosenstiel. As an intern, she goes out in the field with the research team and participates in the tagging of sharks and taking blood samples. She also participates in outreach activities, teaching the local community about shark conservation.
Along with her work at SRC, Scola has also been working in the Alfred C. Glassell, Jr. SUrge-STurcture-Atmosphere INteraction (SUSTAIN) Lab at Rosenstiel, which is run by Professor Brian Haus. During her time as a student intern at SUSTAIN, she had the opportunity to represent the lab by presenting a research poster at the 2024 American Geophysical Union’s Ocean Sciences Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.
“Everyone in SUSTAIN, grad students and researchers, are super supportive and encourage me to ask questions leading to me learning so much,” Scola added.
The opportunity to assist in this lab has allowed Scola to diversify her experience in marine science as she has been able to work with the world-class wind-wave tank designed to study air-sea interactions and hurricane force winds over water.
Being out at sea serves as headquarters for Scola, where she can immerse herself in the science of the ocean. For a year and a half, Scola served as the president of UM Scuba Club, one of the largest student organizations on campus. As a member of the club, you have access to discounted dives and advanced certifications, as well as open water certifications for first timers. Scola joined the club as a freshman, then joined the executive board as outreach coordinator her sophomore year; she earned the president role in January 2024.
“I remember when I got accepted into UM, I was so excited to join SCUBA club that I direct messaged the club on Instagram, as a high schooler,” Scola shared.
Along with SCUBA, Scola participates in several extracurriculars including vice president of the women’s club hockey team and an undergraduate peer counselor at Rosenstiel.
“The reason I chose UM was to immerse myself in a diverse group of extracurriculars so that no matter what major I ended up choosing, I could still SCUBA and play hockey,” she added.
Over the course of four years, Scola has grown in many ways, but she is most proud of how she has grown as a leader. Her freshman year, Scola tried a lot of different things that allowed her to explore her skill set. She adds “I don’t regret anything I tried.” Finding her place in SCUBA Club has allowed her to grow her skills in time management, delegation, and recognizing the pressure is not all on her.
“When I didn't know how to delegate and hold others responsible in their roles, it led to me overcommitting myself and burn out. Now, I enjoy all my extracurriculars because I have been able to lead while watching others around me grow in their own way,” Scola added.
Everything Scola has gained through her college experience has led her to accomplishments she never saw herself reaching, like presenting research at an internationally recognized conference or drawing blood from live sharks for conservation research. Morgan Scola truly made her mark at the university and took advantage of any opportunity that approached her.
