“Keep Your Passion Going!”, An Interview With Organization Founder, Science Communicator, & Aspiring Marine Biologist Jaela Balugo
- ThePersaudCatalog
- May 5
- 8 min read
Recently, our head writer was immensely fortunate to sit down with Organizational Founder & Science Communicator, Jaela Balugo, for an interview discussing her organization, Tides of Tomorrow, & her efforts in science communication.
Jaela Balugo is the founder of Tides of Tomorrow, a new organization from Northern California, dedicated to educating elementary & junior high students on the value & importance of the ocean, as well as providing them with a platform to have their oceanic ideas heard. Through this organization, she hosts school presentations, works with local artisans to raise funds for her organization & oceanic conservation, & is currently working to build a platform through a network of booths in farmers' markets throughout Northern California.
In today’s interview, we sit down with Jaela to discuss her wonderful organization, efforts in science communication, & advice for young people who simply wish to be heard in a comprehensive 13-question interview. Before delving into today’s interview, please note everything said has been edited for clarity, & that the opinions of our interviewee do not necessarily reflect the opinions & values of our organization. With that being said, let us delve into the contents of the interview!
The Contents Of The Interview
Questions About Her Passion:
1. What sparked your passion for marine biology?
I’ve always lived near the ocean, & although I don’t live directly on the water, I’m fortunate enough to visit the ocean frequently. Looking at the tide pools gave me a curiosity of it all. It inspired me to look for what else was out there. Sometimes, I would go out surfing & see new species of sharks or see a seal pop out of the water. That ended up spiraling into me looking for books, YouTube videos, & podcasts about creatures, how the oceans work, & how the ocean impacts humans. That is how it all started!
2. Is there a specific person, place, or piece of media that assisted in the sparking of your oceanic passion?
Watching oceanic documentaries on Netflix & Disney Plus caused me to look more into the subject, however, there was one person that I found on TikTok that truly helped me. I believe his handle was marinebiologyjohn, he was a PhD student from the University of Miami working with sharks, & working on tagging sharks. One day, I joined one of his TikTok Lives & I asked him the same question that you asked me: “What sparked your passion?”. He told me about how he had always loved biology & sharks, & I really connected with as well as admired him. He gave me advice about my future, my career, & about helping the planet. He influenced me a lot, I thank him a lot for my passion.
3. Do you have a favorite marine or terrestrial animal?
If I had to narrow it down, it would be extremely difficult. So, my last name is Balugo, & people accidentally call me Beluga sometimes, however, I don’t really care at this point. I find it kind of funny, & kind of silly. Marine mammal-wise, Beluga Whales are my favorite.
If it were sharks, I would have to say Oceanic Whitetips. They are such beautiful sharks, I love them so much! Those are my top two favorite animals.
4. What inspired you to begin your organization?
It started with me noticing that a lot of people don’t care about ocean conservation. Obviously, you don’t want to shove it down anyone’s throat & say that they have to care, however, you have to focus on this because it’s our future.
Also, I would hear other people who would say things that are completely untrue about our oceans, & about climate or say that they don’t really matter. I always found that interesting.
Kids, well, absorb everything. They often have these crazy ideas, however they have the best brains. I’ve worked around them a lot, & I feel like teaching ocean conservation & facts about the ocean to them at a young age is very beneficial. I’ve done a lot of research into childhood development, how children absorb things, & how they develop a vocabulary. I wanted to start an organization or group to have an impact while they are young.
Questions About Her Organization & Career:
5. Can you describe the founding process for your organization, & how everything began exactly?
I originally conceived this as a club at my school, however, it did not work as all of my teachers refused to sponsor it. That is when I thought, “I’ll do it myself!”. So, I got a group of people together & we began working on ideas to target elementary & middle schoolers, & we started. It is still in the starting stages, however, I’m pretty proud of it.
6. Do you mind walking me through a few of the programs that your organization is currently building or actively has?
Our organization is made up of 3 teams: Team Orca, Team Coral, & Team Dolphin. Team Orca is the team focused on presenting to kids in schools & hosting educational oceanic activities that are currently in the works right now. I recently spoke to the Superintendent of my school district, who is fully supportive & has asked us to send him a video on what exactly we intend to present to the kids & what our mission is. We are currently in the process of making that video. That is slightly difficult for everyone involved as of now, as all of us are focused on studying for our midterms & final exams, so we are rather backed up. We’re hoping to work on it soon, & are hoping to begin ramping up in Summer 2025.
7. Do you mind walking me through what exactly the roles of Team Orca, Team Coral, & Team Dolphin are?
As mentioned before, our organization is made up of 3 major teams: Team Orca, Team Coral, & Team Dolphin. Each team was named for a specific reason.
Team Orca was named due to Orca’s teaching their young how to hunt & teaching their young various behavior. They mainly focus on creating & presenting presentations for children in elementary & middle schools, which most of our current team decided to go for. A lot of people truly enjoy teaching, which I loved but was very unexpected! Team Orca is a part of our Wavemakers Department, as they are the ones out in the community making waves, & making a difference.
Next, in our Sustainable Seas department, are Team Coral & Team Dolphin, named for coral’s ability to create & dolphin’s ability to communicate.
Team Coral are our artisans, they create things in order to spread the message or to be sold to fundraise for our organization & to fundraise for various ocean conservation organizations. Team Dolphin primarily focuses on our marketing, & advertising. They help Team Coral promote our products, & assist in our physical advertising campaigns in farmers' markets & such.
We don’t want to solely focus our efforts on educating people in schools, we want to target members of the public as well. Education outside of the classroom does not have to be grueling, it does not have to be homework.
8. What are your primary goals for the organization in the near future, such as in 2025 & 2026?
For 2025, I’m hoping to have all of our legal matters settled, & to be fully registered & fulfill our legal obligations. In addition to that, I hope to have our YouTube channel fully prepared by the summer's end to act as a digital resource for those who don’t have access to our presentations in person, as well as having a booth in the market.
By 2026, I wish to have at least 5 classroom visits, however, I am aware that teachers are quite busy & have to take time away from valuable instruction for our visits. After that, I intend to graduate from High School, & enter University. I still intend to be running Tides of Tomorrow from the University, even if from afar.
9. What has been your proudest moment or greatest triumph leading the organization so far?
My two biggest triumphs may seem small, however, they are very important to me. My meeting with my superintendent from my school district set things in gear, & made me feel so empowered. He truly heard what I had to say; he didn’t dismiss me or steamroll over my thoughts, & it’s very rare to have someone listen to you about ocean conservation. That was a very proud moment for me! In addition to this, my other largest triumph occurred at a youth activism forum at UC Davis. I attended this event to assist one of my friends with her stall for her nonprofit organization. As I was walking around, I found a high-school chapter of the organization 350, & we had an amazing conversation, at the end of which they said that they wanted to collaborate with me! Meeting new people is mildly difficult for me, & making connections has been one of my favorite things to do as a part of Tides of Tomorrow.
10. I’m sure that you have had just as many hurdles as you have triumphs, if not more, & so far in your leading of the organization, what has been your greatest hurdle or obstacle?
One of the greatest hurdles is simply getting started. When I began the organization, I created a checklist. After I finished all of the things, I would officially start my organization, however, I had to constantly go back & revise that list. I ended up becoming very frustrated, & thinking, “Ugh, when is this going to end?”. I don’t think it has ended yet, it’s still 2 steps forward & 1 step back.
11. Is your ultimate plan to pursue marine biology as a career path?
My ultimate plan is to pursue research, & conduct my own research to benefit the oceans. I wish to teach as well, & ideally would like to become a professor at one of the UCs. I don’t have enough knowledge to know what exactly I wish to research, however, I’m excited to learn more throughout my college journey & in my career.
12. Do you have any advice for new organization founders, people looking to pursue marine biology, or young people looking to make an impact?
Go to the ocean. I know that may be difficult if you are landlocked, however, it’s always helped me to watch oceanic videos such as surfing competitions.
Keep your passion going because sometimes it will feel as if it is gone, & you’ll feel down. However, going back to the ocean or watching it in videos always makes me feel better. Don’t stop. There are going to be times when you feel as if you don’t lose your passion, but be resilient.
Also, there will be people who are willing to help you. You can reach out to me & I’m willing to help! Know your potential, & if something is stopping you, don’t let it because you can go farther.
13. Do you have any final words about marine biology, entering the field, starting your organization, or inspiration for those looking to make an impact?
If you have a passion for anything, whether that be the ocean or something else, keep it going. My passion for the ocean keeps me going, & any sort of passion is great to have.
Directories / Credits
Strategic Partnerships
Reel Guppy Outdoors
SharkedSkooler
Marine Enthusiasts Podcast
Cash Daniels
Tides of Tomorrow
Our Loyal Patrons
P. R. Ochoa
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