Jetty Porter, an incoming freshman from Hollywood, Florida, is entering UM as a marine biology and ecology. She spent most of her time in high school conducting research on coral, different kids of fish and sharks. Photo credit: Jetty Porter
Two weeks before a planned hip replacement during her junior year of high school, incoming freshman Jetty Porter journeyed to the Virgin Islands to conduct coral disease surveys. Porter, who is from Hollywood, Florida, embarked on the two-week research project to collect coral data for the College of Charleston, an experience Porter said sparked her interest in marine science.
“There’s a part of me that loves just getting to be out there in the field and interacting with animals one-on-one and really being able to connect with what I’m studying on a personal level,” she said.