Framingham Teen Prepares for Scuba Expedition

A Framingham teen will embark on a week-long ocean expedition off of Rhode Island later this month.

Catherine Cuddy of Framingham will join 12 other area teens in the New England Aquarium's Sea Turtle program, which encourages Teen Underwater Research, Training, and Learning Expeditions (TURTLE).

In preparation for the trip, Cuddy and the others are undergoing a vigorous training in scuba diving and and swimming skills, according to a statement from the New England Aquarium.

The Sea Turtle program requires teenagers to write essays, interview and exhibit a strong interest in marine biology. Now that they have passed the test, the teens will get to dive off of Fort Wetherill in Rhode Island and search for tropical fish.

Heather Deschenes, the Aquarium’s Manager of Youth Development Programs, said she hopes the teens might find butterfly fish, which are only a couple inches long. If they are able to find and successfully capture one of these fish, it could be brought back to the Aquarium’s Marine Animal Rescue facility in Quincy.

In addition to the Sea Turtle program, the Aquarium also hosts other camps and activities for teens.

“Having teens embark on such exciting new learning experiences beyond the Aquarium walls is part of our larger goal to inspire them to ‘Live Blue’ so they come to understand and cherish our changing environment,” said Deschenes. “Young people are the future so instilling a passion for keeping our waterways clean, pure, and healthy is such a powerful life lesson. They can go out and help in ways that inspire broader community participation and have a bigger impact.”

Teens participating in Sea Turtle are:

• Ming Wang of Lexington
• Victoria Astudillo of Brighton
• Cordelia Sanborn-Marsh and Leah Briggs of Cambridge
• Nicole Catubig and Shoshanna Minsk of Boston
• Elana Levitan of Weston
• Jordy McKay of Newton
• Catherine Cuddy of Framingham
• Kaitlin Allair of Ludlow
• Brendan Sullivan of Wilmington
• Zachary Rizzo of Woburn
• Isabelle Holt of Watertown