Cassie MacDowell – Alumna

Name: Cassie MacDowell
Age: 22 (2023)
Nationality: Caymanian
Current Profession: Mangrove Action Project – Education Manager
Programme (s) completed at CCMI: 7-day Caribbean Marine Ecology Camp (CMEC); 3-6 month Internship (twice!)
Year programme was completed at CCMI: 2017 CMEC, 2019 Edu Intern, 2021 Edu Intern.

How did the CCMI programme you completed help you develop professionally and/or personally? “During my time spent at CCMI’s CMEC program, I gained a greater understanding of the marine world and the significant role we play in supporting and preserving it. When I returned in 2019 for my first internship with them, I was able to put what I had learned at CCMI and through other volunteer experiences into action and evolve from student to teacher. The education internship allowed me to gain confidence teaching and presenting to all ages from elementary to university aged students. In 2021 I re-joined the team to assist in post-covid operations and getting the station up and running after a quiet few months due to the pandemic. This time around, I had a much more significant role in the education team. Some of my duties included lesson planning, student coordination and general organization of the programs we were running, which is a big part my current role at MAP.”

What is something you learned while at CCMI that you have never forgotten? “One thing I learned at CCMI and have never forgotten is how corals function! The explanation of the symbiotic relationship between the coral and the zooxanthelle has always stuck with me as a fun fact from my time at CCMI.”

Is there something that you do differently now, because of what you learned at CCMI? “I was 16 on my first trip to CCMI, which is a pretty impressionable age. Before we arrived, we were given a packing list and one of the items was “reef safe” sunscreen, shampoo and conditioner. There were outdoor showers that we could use with direct drainage to the sea, and we were taught about the harmful chemicals found in non-reef safe cosmetics. Since then, I have been much more mindful of what products I am using and when I am using them. For example, putting sunscreen on well in advance of entering the water in addition to using natural and biodegradable products.”

Please share with us a favourite memory of your time at CCMI. “Over the years I have definitely made some great memories at CCMI, but one of my favorites would have to be leading a group of students on the dive site “Meadows” in Bloody Bay. We jumped in and right away were greeted by a very friendly and acrobatic eagleray. He stayed with us the whole dive and as we were doing our safety-stop, another one joined the group! The kids loved it and it is still to this day, many dives later, my coolest eagleray interaction!”

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