It's a whole new year, a whole new world... under the sea

Ten adventurous Mercyhurst students are diving headfirst into the new year—literally! They'll plunge into the depths of Bonaire's vibrant waters, kicking off their scuba certification journey on Jan. 4, 2025.

The students are traveling to the Caribbean island, situated off the Venezuelan coast, where they will earn scuba diving certifications, as well as credit for their study of Underwater Archaeology and Underwater Photography/Videography as part of the university’s popular Faculty-Student Academic Travel (FSAT) program.

The FSAT program provides Mercyhurst students the opportunity for short-term, faculty-led experiences abroad. Each course is linked to its own custom travel component that brings the classroom to life.

This marks the second iteration of the Bonaire trip, which was started last year under the guidance of Pete Stadtmueller, director of Graphic Design and an open water scuba diving instructor, and Dr. Audrey Forbes-Cardinali, assistant professor of Biology and a seasoned diver.

Both were passionate about introducing students to the underwater world where they could swim with marine life like dolphins, sea horses, turtles, and eels while admiring the beautiful formations of caverns and reefs. In addition to Stadtmueller and Forbes-Cardinali, scuba instructor Nicole Tupek of Diver’s World in Erie will accompany the entourage.

“Learning to scuba dive unlocks a whole new world that I’d normally never be able to explore, and it gives me a new appreciation for the beauty of this Earth,” said sophomore Physics major Eva Henneman, who will join nine other students on the January excursion. She also looks forward to meeting new people and “making the most of an adventure that we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.”

Besides Henneman, students making the trip include:

Grace Gregoire, senior Sports Medicine major

Grace Cronin, sophomore Early Childhood Education major

Samantha MacDonald, sophomore Graphic Design and Cyber Security major

Monika Benesh, sophomore Intelligence Studies major

Avery Blume, freshman pursuing Management studies

Dylan Maclean, sophomore Cyber Security

Nolan Aurio, senior Cyber Security

Sam Petros, junior/grad student in 4+1 Cyber Security program

Lauryne Davis, senior Sports Medicine Pre-Physical Therapy

The Bonaire trip runs from Jan. 4-11. A FSAT excursion to Greece is planned in the spring, as is the university’s traditional semester in Dungarvan, Ireland.

For these and other study-abroad opportunities, visit the university’s study abroad web page or contact Dr. James Snyder, who heads Mercyhurst’s Office of Global Programs, at jsnyder@mercyhurst.edu.

FILE PHOTO: One of last year’s Bonaire FSAT participants, Alyssa Poleski, is seen cleaning a coral restoration tree.