Shifting Tide: Sandburg Student Studies Sea Creatures in the Bahamas

For the past ten years, Sandburg senior Ashley Horvath, 17, has been dreaming of the day she starts her career.

Horvath wanted to become a marine biologist since a family vacation to Florida when she was seven. In July, Horvath took a big step towards her dream by taking part in Shedd Aquarium’s High School Marine Biology (HSMB) trip to the Bahamas.

“[My family] went to Discovery Cove, in Florida, and we got to swim with the dolphins and sting rays," Horvath said. "I was just like, 'Wow, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.'”

Ten years later, and fresh off of the Bahamas trip, Horvath will soon take that next step toward her goal. She hopes to continue studying marine biology in college either in Hawaii or California.

Her journey from Orland Park to the islands began in February when she applied for the program, after a trip to the Shedd.

“We saw a sign on the wall [at the Shedd Aquarium] and it was talking about the High School Marine Biology program,” she said. “And I was just like, 'Wow, this is for me.' I've always been interested in the water. … So we talked to a person who worked in the education department and I just got really exited about it and was just like, 'I have to do this.'”

During the week leading up to the trip, Horvath and 19 of her peers studied at the Shedd in preparation.

While in the Bahamas, Horvath and nine other students stayed on the Shedd's 80-foot research vessel R/V Coral Reef II. While aboard, the students were split into teams and assigned specific sea creatures to focus on. They also immersed in the creatures' homes by snorkeling in the waters.

“Our project was talking about the Nassau Grouper — which is an endangered fish — and we wanted to make a protected area for it,” she said. “[The group] all worked together on different research projects, but what we did was water samples. We tested alkalinity and toxicity and everything you could imagine. We did fish samples, pretty much everything you could imagine.”

After eight days of learning and discovery it was time for Horvath and the group to return to Chicago, but their bond will likely last longer.

“Honestly, I love these kids, they're all like my second family,” she said. “It's cool to have them, because when I'm talking to somebody, like my friends and family, about marine biology stuff they just look at me like, 'Oh yeah, that's cool.' But with [the other students] when I talk to them they really understand what I'm saying. I really liked everybody.”

The trip is over and the classes have ended for the group, but they still have work to do. On Aug. 20, they will present their findings at the Shedd's year-end ceremony, something Horvath is both excited and nervous about.

“My class voted me to do the speech [at the ceremony], so I'm kind of nervous, because I have to speak in front of 300 people,” she said.

As her final high school year soon starts and college looms on the horizon, Horvath said she is eager to share her experiences with her classmates and teachers; before hopefully leaving for either the University of Hawaii at Hilo or the University of California – Long Beach next fall to start college.

“I can't really stay here to get the whole experience that I'm looking for,” Horvath said with a laugh.