Seven teens from Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County were selected to participate in the Ocean Guardians Program at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium this summer. After successfully completing a competitive application and panel interview process, the following Boys & Girls Clubs members were accepted into this 9-week program: Lei’Asha Battle, junior at Riverview High School; Jordan Blake, a junior at Sarasota High School; Gabriel Burger, a sophomore at North Port High School; Angelo Gutierrez, a senior at Sarasota Military Academy; Desmen Lee, a sophomore at Booker High School; Woodrow Stewart, a junior at Suncoast Polytechnical High School; and Cooper Zigmond, a junior at Sarasota Military Academy.

As Ocean Guardians, the teens will work side-by-side with Mote professionals to gain real-world experience and practice valuable job skills such as communication, public speaking, collaboration and time management while learning about the world’s oceans, exploring careers in marine science and ocean conservation and earning either a stipend or volunteer hours.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County