Sea Turtle Camp Team

Kasey was born and raised in Toms River, New Jersey. Growing up on the Jersey Shore, she was able to visit the beach year round and develop a true connection to the ocean and all of the related wildlife and ecosystems. At a very young age, she knew that she wanted to spend her life developing her passion for the ocean and marine life.

In 2008, Kasey moved to North Carolina to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). While completing her degree, she volunteered and interned at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher. Soon after graduating, Kasey interned at the University of Georgia’s Marine Extension Service and Aquarium as an environmental educator. This is where her passion for environmental education flourished. Following that internship, Kasey decided to further her education and returned to UNCW to pursue a Master’s of Science degree in Environmental Science and Coastal Management. Kasey has a wide variety of education experience in the fields of marine and environmental science, which have all deepened her love for public outreach and all things related to the marine environment.

When Kasey isn’t teaching about the ocean, she can be found at the beach reading a book, hiking, kayaking, or doing just about anything outdoors! She is very excited to have found her way back to Wilmington and loves that she gets to spend winters in North Carolina instead of freezing in New Jersey!

Bailey grew up year-round on Fire Island, New York. She spent her entire childhood on the sands of the tiny barrier island, always doing her part educating visitors, local communities, and other parties about her hometowns’ wildlife, history, and environmental issues. She has deep love and respect for the ocean and all it offers. Her goal is to help others feel the same by educating them about the importance of marine and coastal ecosystems.

In 2016, Bailey ventured to St. Augustine, Florida, to receive her bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management and a minor in Spanish at Flagler College. She was an active member of the college’s sustainability club and always volunteered within the community. During her final semester, Bailey interned at Anastasia State Park and gained abundant experience working with Florida’s wildlife, especially with sea turtles! After graduating in 2020, she completed a 50-week AmeriCorps service term through Conservation Legacy, serving as the Community Volunteer Ambassador for Fire Island National Seashore. During this time, her interest in conservation, community outreach, and environmental education grew stronger. She is currently enhancing her outdoor teaching skills and science/nature content knowledge through the North Carolina Environmental Education Certificate program.

Bailey spends her free time surfing, painting, hiking, cooking, practicing yoga, and exploring nature. She loves to travel and encourages individuals to travel sustainably and support local communities!

Jeb was raised on a farm in rural Virginia, where he grew up racing motocross and spending his childhood outdoors. In high school, he played football and lacrosse, but spent most of his time as a pole vaulter for the track team. He would spend his summers in Virginia Beach with his family, where he learned how to surf at 8 years old.

Jeb moved to Wilmington in 2018, where he received a bachelor’s in environmental science and started teaching surf lessons on Wrightsville Beach. During his summers in school, he would spend every day in the water, either surfing or teaching others how to surf. Surfing has allowed Jeb to travel to some amazing destinations, with surf trips in Florida, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Panama, Canary Islands, and even Iceland. He now spends his free time either surfing, riding dirt bikes, or with his puppy named Boots.

Jacob was born in a small town in Maryland, but his life changed dramatically when his family decided to move to Hawaii when he was still young. He grew up on the small island of Kauai and spent his childhood exploring the jungles and enjoying the beaches as much as possible. Most days were spent going cliff-jumping, free-diving, or surfing, but pretty much always in the water.

After high school, he left the sunshine behind and headed off to college in Oregon, pursuing a degree in Youth Ministry and Education. During his summer breaks, he worked at a camp in Oregon and led middle and high school groups through high ropes courses and rock climbing adventures. After graduation, he had to leave the grey overcast skies behind and headed back home to Kauai. From there he continued to work with all ages of students in a wide range of jobs, but all with the goal of investing in and empowering the upcoming generation of kids.

After getting married, Jacob and his wife Mariella (and their cat Mabel) decided to change things up and moved out to Wilmington, NC. In his spare time, he is still out in the ocean as much as possible and loves surfing more than ever. He also enjoys cooking, gardening, and hanging out with his cat.

King Hastings was born and raised in Marietta, Georgia. He is a junior at Georgia College and State University. In his free time, King enjoys watching and playing sports and spending time with his family and friends. Ever since he was young, he has had a love for all species of animals. Some of his fondest childhood memories are with his family at St. Simons Island. He has always enjoyed swimming and being outdoors in the sun! His family would always make a trip to the Georgia Sea Turtle Hospital, making a fun day out of it! He is very excited about this upcoming summer at Sea Turtle Camp! 

Megan Masciola is from Lewis Center, Ohio and recently graduated from Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. In spring of 2023, she received her Bachelor’s of Science in Zoo and Conservation Science with a concentration in Aquarium Sciences. She has been lucky enough to have worked at many zoos and aquariums, such as the Toledo Zoo, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and the Georgia Aquarium. She had the opportunity to work with a variety of aquatic animals, like manatees, sea turtles, sea lions, polar bears, moray eels, and many more. Recently, she spent six months at Coral World Ocean Park in Saint Thomas, USVI where she was an aquarist, helping take care of juvenile nurse and lemon sharks, green sea turtles, and stingrays. She has a strong passion for marine conservation education, taking pride in working on whale watch boats in New Hampshire to supervising educational sleepovers at the Toledo Zoo. Education is the first step in saving our planet and she is so excited to meet campers who share that passion with her. Can’t wait for a great summer!

Born and raised in Western Pennsylvania, Lyndsey found her passion for marine science while spending time on the beach with family in Massachusetts at a young age. Through her time volunteering with the Student Conservation Association and gaining a scuba certification as a teenager, she learned the fundamentals of sustainable conservation and solidified her resolve to pursue a career in environmental education.

Upon completing her degree in Marine Biology at the University of Stirling in the UK this spring, she is excited to return to the States and use her newfound knowledge to protect marine ecosystems from present and future challenges. She especially loves salt marshes, and when not mucking about in the mud she can be found reading or kayaking with friends!

As a returning camp counselor, she is committed to providing campers at Carolina Ocean Odyssey with a fun, engaging, and educational experience. She is excited to share her knowledge and love of marine biology and looks forward to inspiring campers to develop a deeper understanding of the ocean and its inhabitants.

Aine is a nursing student at Samford University! She grew up in Marietta, Georgia but always would spend my summers on a barrier island off the coast of Florida where she was a paddle board instructor and tour guide. Aine started paddle surfing at 15 and this is how she found a love for all things related to the ocean. Her favorite time to paddle board or surf is early in the morning when the wind is low and dolphins are out. Aine’s favorite ocean animals are sharks, specifically bullsharks! She has a strong desire to educate the young about worldly conservation and how to take care of our ocean and all things that live in it. Aine wants to spark a light in them for the beauty that is before them! She is honored to be a part of this team and cannot wait to meet you all this summer!

Jordan grew up right in the center of Florida in the city of Winter Haven. Growing up she loved the beach and the culture, making it a goal to move closer to the coast. After getting into photography in middle school and sticking with it through high school, she developed a passion for it and decided to pursue that as a career. She moved to Daytona Beach in 2020 to earn a Bachelor’s of Science in Photography from the University of Central Florida. It was a wonderful opportunity to be able to live closer to the coast and get an education in what she loves to do. Here she started to get involved with surf photography, scoring a job with a local surf school, photographed for the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet, FL, and made some lifelong friends. She hopes to be able to travel all over the world and photograph the people and places she comes across.

Sherrian “Sherri” Brown is an eclectic, urban hippie born and raised in the great state of Georgia. She grew up with a love of all things artistic and creative.  This is what led her in 1996 to enroll in The Art Institute of Atlanta’s School of Culinary Arts. This is where she gained her passion for cooking and creating in the kitchen. This led Sherri down her Culinary career of baking and pastry, cake decorating, catering, and much more.

Ryan’s passion for the ocean and conservation began at an early age. His family enjoyed traveling to many of the country’s national parks and protected lands. Growing up in California, Ryan was never too far from the outdoors. With the Sierra Nevadas to the East and the Pacific Ocean to his West, he was always surrounded by nature. While studying Marine Biology and Kinesiology at Humboldt State University, Ryan found a new passion, swimming with the local flora and fauna of the cool, nutrient-rich waters of the Pacific. When he isn’t swimming with fish or stepping from rock to rock in the intertidal, Ryan enjoys hiking, biking, and adventuring in the great outdoors. This is Ryan’s SEVENTH summer at STC and he can’t wait to get back into the swing of things. There is so much to see and experience when it comes to the ocean, it is so vast and unexplored… what wonders lie beneath those crashing waves? He hopes you will come join him and find out. Let’s blow some bubbles!

Abby was born and raised in Michigan and grew up spending most of her weekends at the lake. She has always been a water bug at heart. One of her first experience’s seeing the ocean was when she attended Sea Turtle Camp. From that moment on she knew she wanted to be a marine scientist. Abby loved being a camper so much that she came back for Surf Camp one summer and to get scuba certified the next. While attending college she became a marine educator for camp and a intern at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital. 

She attended Coastal Carolina University and earned her bachelors degree in marine science in 2020. In August of  2021 she obtained her masters in teaching science at CCU. She is now teaching high school marine science.  In her free time she enjoys looking for sharks teeth and shells, going fishing, and swimming. Abby looks forward to meeting campers and sharing her passions of ocean conservation with them. This will be her third summer as a counselor!