This online classroom from the Around the Americas Expedition is designed to open doors into the growing world of blue industries. ovate with our ocean.Here you’ll discover how people around the world work with and for the ocean: scientists, sailors, engineers, innovators, problem-solvers, and protectors. This classroom helps you find the path that fits you and shows how you can make waves in the blue industries.
Guest speakers:
Mark Schrader – Captain Mark Schrader was born in Nebraska. He had never seen the ocean until he was a teenager when his family moved to California. He made a life in Washington State on a farm and became a small business owner. He has completed two single-handed circumnavigations of the world. He also successfully skippered the first Around the Americas circumnavigation for science and education in 2009/10 and now the 2025/26 Expedition.
Mike Beemer- Michael Beemer is the department chair for the Marine Technology Center. He will be discussing career options and our program offerings related to repair & maintenance of boats, & career options for working on boats as onboard engineers.
Quinn Olson – Quinn Olson, Owner and Lead Rigger Northwest Rigging will discuss career pathways in the sailing industry, where to find them and how to follow them.
Shelley Brown – Shelley Brown, Director of Sailors for the Sea Powered by Oceana will be discussing her career path from studying marine microbes to educating and activating people to protect our oceans and waterways.
Tess Schornack is an undergraduate at Western Washington University, is pursuing an Environmental Science Degree with a Marine Emphasis and interns as the voyage’s social media and education outreach coordinator. She will discuss her journey of inspiring the next ocean stewards and what led her to join this expedition.
Grace Dalton is a marine biology undergraduate at the University of Victoria, a former research assistant intern with BC Whales, and a varsity sailing race team member. Grace interns as the lead scientist aboard this expedition. She will outline her pathway to becoming a marine biologist and ocean advocate.
The Around the Americas Expedition is a 14-month voyage, that just launched in May. They will circumnavigate North and South America aboard the 48-foot sailboat, One Ocean. The mission focuses on scientific research, education, and community outreach to raise awareness about ocean health. Building on Captain Mark Schrader’s original 2009–2010 journey, the expedition will compare oceanic changes over the past 15 years.
