Underwater intern

Growing up, University of Delaware undergraduate student Kelly Logan could not have imagined that one day she'd be swimming mere inches away from a whale shark. But that is exactly what happened this summer when she had the opportunity to swim with one - not to mention a long list of other interesting marine animals - as part of her role as the dive operations intern at the Georgia Aquarium.

Logan said the experience is something her 8-year-old self would never have believed she would get to try.

"Swimming with the whale shark was one of the greatest things I've ever done in my life," she said. "These are fish that I've only ever dreamed of seeing with my own eyes, and I get to experience them every day."

Looking back on her journey to the field of marine biology, Logan can still remember when she realized she wanted to become a marine biologist: the first time she saw the movie Dolphin Tale.

"More than anything, that movie set me on the track to pursue a career where I can do the work to help protect and conserve the incredible animals that are in our oceans," she said.

Now a rising senior studying marine science with a concentration in marine biology in UD's College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, Logan is living her childhood dream of helping protect and conserve wildlife by spending the summer interning at the Georgia Aquarium.

Logan, who is also pursuing a minor in energy and environmental policy, is working as a dive operations intern, a role that she got, in part, due to receiving a dive certification from the UD scuba program.