Historically and even today, women contribute a lot to the STEM industry and don't really get the credit they deserve. - Melissa Cristina Márquez

I grew up wondering where the female marine biologists were, especially the Latinas, and really doubted whether I could break into a field that seemed not too welcoming for minorities. I hope by seeing me, and my work, that anyone of any background thinks, "Huh. If this girl from a tiny Caribbean island can do it, so can I."

To protect anything, you need to care about it, and to care, you need to know that it's there. But, not everybody has had the luxury to visit the ocean, or experience what is happening in the ocean. I hope that through my initiatives I can show large audiences the great natural beauty and astonishing wildlife that our marine habitats have. The goal of my conservation career is to have people come away with an appreciation of how important our oceans are, a better understanding of how all habitats are linked, what problems the ocean faces and what we can do to help.

Seeing great whites in their natural habitat, so different from the monsters many paint them to be, really opened my eyes to how villainized they were and made me wonder how people came to that conclusion.