Danika Strecko

I was born by the ocean. When I was 14, I got my diving certificate with my father, with whom I scuba dove with locally. Through this experience, I discovered the rich diversity of sea life here. This includes such organisms as rockfish, the giant Pacific octopus, cod, spot prawns, lingcod, and curious sea lions. Harbour seals also loved to hang around, but could be very curious, which I learned one day when one seal tried to bite at my fins!

In my studies, I opted for the integrated science program at UBC (University of British Columbia). But, as my studies continued, I grew dissatisfied about getting little experimental and practical knowledge. I started volunteering at the Vancouver Aquarium as an educator and learned from that experience that I really liked teaching science to others. This caused me to go back to school and got my teaching degree. From there, I taught high school for a few years, but always came back to the Aquarium to work with sleepover programs. Since it was hard finding a full time position as a teacher, when the opportunity came to get a full-time position at the aquarium, it was an easy choice for me.

The most challenging part in my new career was learning the necessary digital skills to prepare the web content. I really like the hands-on experience, and I have always been close to the ocean. Now, I needed to activate my creativity to find ways to engage students who do not have the ocean in their backyard. I wanted to help people fall in love with the oceans. My strong suit is my experience as a teacher, which has helped me to build good lesson plans, which align with the curriculum.

Since I am using technology in to deliver programs there is always something to learn. When connecting to teachers, it is hard to predict what technology they might be using or what problems can occur. As a result, being prepared to help troubleshoot their audio and camera if necessary keeps me on my toes! Recently, we have also collaborated with One Ocean to do live broadcasts from their ship in Antarctica. This involved broadcasting live on social media. We also managed to connect to more remote Indigenous communities thanks to the help of major partners who helped us set-up working Wi-Fi in remote locations.

When I became a full-time teacher in BC, it was a difficult time to find work. It took some perseverance and willingness to teach any class and any subject available. This experience allowed me to realize, at the same time, that a lot of education can happen outside the formal school system. Without that initial struggle, I might not have landed the job that I now love.