Senior Kowal starts two educational programs at Roundhouse Aquarium

By Elizabeth Goldman 

Sports Editor

Senior Malia Kowal started two Girl Scout patch programs with the Roundhouse Aquarium, educating girls of all ages about the intersection between marine biology and ocean conservation. 

The first of these programs took place on Oct 22, 23, and 24. Kowal grew up going to the Roundhouse Aquarium and has been volunteering there for the past few years. In early March of 2020, she began working to implement these programs for her Girl Scout Gold Award. 

“I have always been curious about marine biology, but [volunteering at the Roundhouse] and talking to so many amazing people has definitely helped me learn more about the subject,” Kowal said. “I have always liked going down to the beach and seeing what’s in the water below, so that’s where my interest in marine biology started from.”

Kowal started two programs with one focusing on tide pools for elementary school-aged girl scouts and the other focusing on marine mammals for middle and high school-aged girl scouts. Each program is a total of three hours long and has both a virtual and in-person session. 

“I first had the idea about two years ago, but the process was a lot slower due to the pandemic,” Kowal said. “My general idea was to connect ocean conservation and marine biology is super important, and it was when I approached the Roundhouse and we came up with the idea of doing two different programs, [each focused] around different ecosystems or different types of animals.” 

The tide pool program focuses on what a tide pool is, and the animals that habit them. The marine mammal program focuses on what makes a marine mammal special as well as how to identify it. Tying in ocean conservation, both programs address ways people can mitigate their effects on the environment. 

“I’ve really enjoyed [volunteering at the Roundhouse] and getting to talk to people about something I’m passionate about,” Kowal said. “The oceans are a major part of our environment and it has far reaching effects on everything, so it’s been a valuable experience learning as much about it as possible. 

Kowal did a lot of the research herself, but worked closely with Programs, Personnel and Marketing Manager Brittany Olaes and Executive Director Grace Adams at the Roundhouse Aquarium to complete and formally implement these programs.

“On the ocean conservation side, I’ve been able to talk to a lot of great people through the Manhattan Beach Sustainability Youth Council and the Manhattan Beach environmental manager,” Kowal said. “They helped guide me on the sustainability aspect of                                          my curriculums.” 

So far, Kowal’s programs have only happened once, with about 30 participants collectively, but she is working with the Roundhouse staff to schedule more. To keep her program sustainable, she is teaching other Roundhouse volunteers how to run the program on their own. 

“[These programs] help people see how their actions affect the environment and the animals that live there,” Kowal said. “Being able to see the different wildlife that lives in the South Bay and [connecting] that to how we affect the environment and how we can protect those animals is a major motivator.”