I’m Jaime Thom, senior manager of school programs here at the South Carolina Aquarium. Since I first joined the Aquarium as an intern nearly 25 years ago, I’ve had a front-row seat witnessing the profound impact this place has on the hearts and minds of young people. As my role has shifted and grown along the way, it’s truly been an honor to play a part in their journey of connecting to the natural world.
From the day we opened our doors, the Aquarium has delivered free STEM-based programs to a generation of students who might otherwise have lacked access to them. This work is central to what we do and who we are. As our 25th anniversary approaches, we are poised to serve the next generation — and the ones that follow — with the same indispensable experiences.
Will you support the next generation on their journey to learn, grow and connect with the natural world around them?
My own passion for this education mission is shaped by countless moments of connection and discovery. One such moment etched in my memory was that of a young student from a local Title I school who had never seen the ocean, despite living just a few miles away.
For him, the Aquarium was a world filled with unfamiliar treasures and animals he had never imagined. He was initially captivated by our otters, yet his curiosity and excitement soared as he saw the sea turtles undergoing rehabilitation in the Sea Turtle Care Center™. He swiftly became a whirlwind of nonstop questions and fascination about the ocean within our walls. By the end of his program, he expressed how he now wanted to become a marine biologist.
These moments vividly illustrate the ripples of impact from connecting young people to water, wildlife and wild places. In that moment, that student changed not only what he understood of the natural world, but also what he believed about himself.
Our dedication to connecting students to these immersive experiences has always been the cornerstone of our Aquarium mission. Until now, we have been limited in the number of students we can serve in our onsite classrooms, forced to turn away two students for each that we are able to educate.
With the opening of the new Boeing Learning Lab at the Charleston Maritime Center in early 2025, we will vastly expand our reach by doubling the number of program participants. Here, in these waterfront classrooms illuminated by sunbeams reflecting off the Charleston Harbor, students will learn about wildlife in their own backyards and well beyond. The Boeing Learning Lab represents an investment in the students of our community and an illustration of our dedication to their future, whether that future is yet clear to them or not.
As we throw open the doors to this extraordinary facility, I am particularly excited to see the countless expressions of awe and inspiration on the faces of this next generation of students. I cannot wait to answer every question that arises, and to be part of forging pathways between these young people and the world beyond their walls, and beyond their imaginations.
Will you give this next generation the chance to connect with the waterfront and one another?
Every child in our community deserves to connect with the water, wildlife and wild places around them. They deserve moments that change how they think about our planet, and about their role in protecting it. With your support, we can ensure that as many students as possible enjoy access to the Learning Lab and all of the profound moments that will animate it.
Published November 15, 2024