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| The GRROE USVI Mangrove team of 11 undergraduate and graduate students, staff, and local educators. |
Mangrove education developed in the U.S. Virgin Islands is reaching audiences far beyond the Territory.
For the second consecutive summer, the University of the Virgin Islands’ Growing, Research, Restoration, Outreach, and Education (GRROE) USVI Mangroves Program brought a team of UVI students, staff and local educators to the Annual National Marine Educators Association (NMEA) Conference, sharing innovative approaches to mangrove education while building connections with marine educators from across the country.
A delegation of 11 traveled from St. Thomas and St. Croix to Cambridge, Maryland, for the 50th annual conference. Made possible through funding from the Schmidt Ocean Coalition, the USVI team included five public high school teachers, two undergraduate students, one graduate student, a former graduate student and two GRROE staff members.
Together, they served as ambassadors for the Virgin Islands, showcasing hands-on activities and lessons from GRROE’s Mangroves in the Classroom curriculum and demonstrating how locally rooted environmental education can connect students with the coastal ecosystems in their own communities.
The NMEA Conference brings together educators, scientists and conservation professionals to exchange ideas, build partnerships and strengthen marine, coastal and aquatic education. Throughout the week, the GRROE team took an active role in the conference, delivering a collaborative oral presentation, participating in a Share-a-Thon pop-up event and hosting an interactive exhibit featuring educational resources and hands-on activities from the Mangroves in the Classroom curriculum.
For the educators who participated, the experience offered more than professional development. It provided new ideas and resources they could bring directly back to Virgin Islands classrooms.
“Thanks to GRROE, I had the opportunity to attend the NMEA Conference in Cambridge, Maryland,” said Yaunika Milligan, a teacher at St. Croix Central High School. “The conference provided valuable professional development in marine and environmental sciences—subjects I teach at St. Croix Central High School. I also had the opportunity to share my experience helping pilot the GRROE Mangroves in the Classroom curriculum on St. Croix. Overall, it was a 10/10 experience, and I’m grateful to GRROE for selecting me to be part of their team.”
Growing the Next Generation of Environmental Stewards
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| GRROE USVI Mangroves Education and Outreach Coordinator and local educators celebrate their collaborative oral presentation highlighting the Mangroves in the Classroom curriculum at NMEA 2026. |
UVI students also gained valuable opportunities to strengthen their professional skills, expand their networks and deepen their understanding of marine education and conservation beyond the classroom.
For undergraduate student and GRROE USVI Mangroves intern Aaliya Warner Rawlins, returning to NMEA for a second year provided another opportunity to learn, connect and bring new ideas home.
“Having the opportunity to attend NMEA for a second year in a row was nothing short of an amazing experience,” Warner Rawlins said. “It felt like attending the conference for the first time all over again because of the wealth of new information I gained from each presentation and exhibit table.”
She said the experience was particularly meaningful because of her work as a Mangroves in the Classroom facilitator.
“As one of the Mangroves in the Classroom facilitators, it makes me especially happy to attend conferences like NMEA because they help me refine my approach in the classroom and ensure our local high school students are engaged in meaningful, hands-on learning experiences,” she said. “I’m excited to bring back new ideas, activities and teaching strategies that will strengthen our curriculum and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.”
Bringing National Connections Home
The impact of the conference did not end when the delegation returned to the Virgin Islands.
Beyond showcasing GRROE’s work, team members developed new professional relationships, explored opportunities for future collaboration and returned home with practical strategies that can strengthen mangrove and marine education throughout the Territory.
Those connections help advance one of the program’s broader goals: creating a pipeline of environmental knowledge that connects UVI researchers and students with local teachers, classrooms and communities.
Through initiatives such as Mangroves in the Classroom and opportunities to participate in national conferences like NMEA, GRROE USVI Mangroves is helping turn the Virgin Islands’ mangrove ecosystems into living laboratories for education, research and conservation.
And as the program continues to branch out, the knowledge and experiences gained nationally are coming back home—helping educators engage more students, strengthening environmental education in Virgin Islands classrooms and preparing a new generation to understand and protect the coastal ecosystems that surround them.
