Residential Unit Leader
Cami Bender
Cami is from Winston Salem, North Carolina, and grew up as a competitive swimmer, spending as much time as she could outside and in the water. From a young age, she cared deeply for all wildlife and knew she wanted to help protect the environment.
During her undergraduate degree, Cami studied abroad in Turks and Caicos, where she first got SCUBA certified, and her classwork revolved around marine biology research and fieldwork, both in and out of the water. In 2024, she graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in Biology and Environmental Science. Since then, she has done various marine conservation internships, doing coral restoration in the Florida Keys, as well as providing medical care to sick and injured sea turtles at the Sea Turtle Hospital at UF Whitney Lab.
Most recently, Cami completed a Divemaster and marine research internship in Indonesia and is currently getting her SCUBA Instructor certification in Thailand. Outside of diving and traveling, she also loves baking, crafting, hiking, and anything else to get her outside and active. Cami is so excited to meet everyone this summer and share her love for the underwater world with you all!
