Hady Santos Cotom

Growing up I never went on vacations, nor did I ever grow up near an ocean. I was born in Nebraska and since then have never left. Being twenty-two and still not having the opportunity to see the ocean with my own eyes really inspires me to make issues like coral bleaching a bigger deal for all of us to see. I have learned about all the beautiful ocean features that our oceans can offer. I would like those beautiful features to never be ruined and taken away from those who haven’t had a chance to visit or see an ocean in person. Future generations should also have that opportunity. Coral bleaching is a real issue, and I would like for all of us to learn something about the negative things that may be happening out in our world focusing on something like our oceans. They may look like they are perfectly fine on the outside but some daily things that we may take part in such as riding a train, driving our cars, or throwing plastic into our earth can have
a big effect. It is important for us to stay alert and know what our world may be going through and have a bigger picture in our head of what the world may be asking from us to be able to flourish and stay alive. Going from research to actually making designs for my capstone has been a big process for me. The passion to learn about coral bleaching has grown more from once being part of an Oceanography course. I wanted there to be something for people to take home with them and keep the curiosity growing wanting to know more about the topic. The postcard contains
a special message that can help and remind us of certain things that can be done to prevent coral bleaching. There are also fun stickers and tote bag designs that people can also look at
and even take a sticker home with them.