Meet Ocean Explorer Mahealani Akui!

OET proudly welcomes Mahealani Akui to the Corps of Exploration as part of the Science & Engineering Internship Program. This internship program supports community college, undergraduate, and graduate students in building professional workforce experience and exploring STEAM-related careers that connect to research themes like robotics, ocean science, education, and exploration. Mahea is joining E/V Nautilus for our NA182 expedition as an ocean science intern.

We sat with Mahea to learn more about their experience at sea and the path that led them to Nautilus.

Describe your role with OET.

I’m one of the Ocean Science interns a part of this expedition, and I work as a data logger during ROV dives! My job is to essentially sit on watches during ROV dives and take detailed notes and photos of the different observations we might encounter during the dives. The notes and pictures are then used to write dive reports to properly summarize and compile the data. I also help out in the lab when needed! 

Can you tell us a little about your background? What influenced you as a child?

I always had a deep interest in the sciences ever since I was little, but I was very indecisive on what discipline. However, I’ve been in proximity to water since I was able to walk. From the sunny Southern California beaches, to the black sand beaches in Hilo, Hawaii, the ocean became a steady constant in my life that would never go away. Culturally too, the ocean is a huge part of my life as a Native Hawaiian. It became something sacred to me as I got older and began to recognize its importance in my life, as well as the world, and formulated into something I wanted to protect with every part of my being. I was also influenced by the many movies, media, and books I had consumed growing up. I’m a firm believer in the arts, and any background in the arts is an important part of science because it allows you to approach any problem with creativity and navigate it scientifically. 

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be so many different things growing up it seemed like I had a new answer every week. My most prevalent answers were doctor, animator or concept artist, and marine biologist. When it came time for sending in college applications, my love for the sciences and the ocean shone through enough to make my final decision and begin pursuing a Marine Science major. I was partially influenced towards taking an interest in deep sea exploration through my endless YouTube surfing and stumbling upon a multitude of videos about the deep sea. Just knowing how much of the deep sea we didn’t understand, especially about its fauna, inspired me to focus my studies on this vast and misunderstood habitat. 

What would you consider to be your greatest challenge entering this field?

I’d say my greatest challenge was finding ways to stay motivated. With how rigorous the coursework can be and the competitiveness of the field, it’s really difficult to stay motivated and fight burnout whenever it pops up. Also dealing with setbacks and failures, especially with academics, was and might always be my greatest struggle as well. It’s taken a long time to understand that these things don’t define my intelligence or capability to do hard things and be in this field, and with the help of my wonderful support system I’m working everyday to do my best. 

Do you have any advice for someone looking to follow a similar path?

Try everything you can! Marine Science, and STEM careers in general, are so interdisciplinary that dipping your toes into anything that also interests you will be wonderful for building a diverse skill set. And it’s okay to not have everything figured out right this second, you’d be surprised by how many masters and PhD students also are still figuring things out. There’s always time to find out where your interests lie within this diverse field, and there’s always so many opportunities out there. Remember, there is still time.  

What's next for your ocean studies and career? 

After this internship finishes, I’ll be heading back to the University of Hawaii at Hilo to continue my junior year. Afterwards, I hope to pursue my masters in Marine Science and hopefully find a career doing deep sea research and exploration like I’m doing with Ocean Exploration Trust as an intern. I hope I’ll be able to come back on the Nautilus again in the future, but I will always carry the experiences and skills I’ve learned during this internship into my future.