University of Oregon

Alyssa Bjorkquist

Alyssa Bjorkquist

Education Associate, Aquarium of the Pacific
MS Candidate, Cal State University, Long Beach

After graduating from OIMB in 2016, I followed opportunities to try out informal education and marine research all over the West Coast. From wild Catalina Island to breathtaking Alaskan coastlines, the positions I held, although seasonal, were truly life-changing! I found myself gravitating towards working with the public and schools in zoo and aquarium settings, working at both the Los Angeles Zoo and Aquarium of the Pacific. COVID-19 rocked the informal science education spheres and I pivoted careers to an all-too familiar space: the classroom! I am now a (virtual) Science and Math Teacher and Mentor with Fusion Academy Los Angeles, where I teach biology, physics, & chemistry (among other subjects) to middle and high school students in a 1:1 setting. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work with curious young minds every day and critically examine the intersections between science, culture, education, and social action with them. When not teaching in a classroom, I am a graduate student in the M.S. Science Education program at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB)! My graduate degree is helping me dive into the research and application of curating science teaching in formal and informal education settings. Completing my undergraduate thesis at OIMB drew me to this graduate program; the research and writing process I engaged in during my thesis was so fundamental in focusing my professional path on marine and science education.