Bearcat Jaden Hansen volunteers at the aquarium

The sun glimmers through the water of the fish tank as a brightly colored orange fish swims on by. The room smells slightly of the ocean and slightly of fish. It is Saturday morning and senior Jaden Hansen is arriving for his weekly shift at the Central Coast Aquarium. Here, Hansen, feeds the animals, leads public talks, and collects knowledge about marine life. 

“I have been volunteering here at the aquarium for about eight months. I started back in April and my positions entail aquaristing and an exhibit hall docent,” Hansen explained.

The Central Coast Aquarium, located in Avila Beach, holds marine life including sharks, star fish, urchins, fish, and much more that Hansen feeds. Hansen started working at the aquarium after he moved to Paso during his junior year.

“After visiting the aquarium with my family  a while back and realizing that they were offering volunteer opportunities to high school students, I decided it would be a great opportunity to get immersed in the field of Marine Biology since I want to do that furthering my academic career,” Hansen said.

Hansen has had a long history by the ocean growing up relatively close to it. This created a special love for marine life.

“Growing up relatively close to the ocean in Long Beach and Ventura area, I would spend countless hours at the beach either with friends in the water or studying tide pools. I was always fascinated with the marine life I’d find,” Hansen said.

Hansen plans on attending a four year university after his senior year. He plans on studying marine biology with the hopes of doing research and joining field studies programs. Hansen also wants to earn a graduate degree in marine biology. The aquarium has provided him with skills for his future path.

“Working at the aquarium has taught me a vast knowledge of local marine wildlife. I have also built my communication skills while leading public talks as an exhibit hall docent,” Hansen said.

Hansen enjoys feeding all the different species in the aquarium. Hansen is instructed on how much to feed each animal with note cards placed on the outside of the tanks.

“My favorite part of the aquarium is being able to feed all the different species there, but it is sometimes tedious because they sometimes are hiding in crevices which can be a great stress when coming to feed the animals,” Hansen said.