From February 18 through early April, the fourth level of the main Aquarium building will be closed for renovation, changing access to amenities and guest routes. Staff will be available to assist with alternative routes and accessibility accommodations.
For some, the Aquarium is a fun excursion. For others, like Guest Engagement Aide Nandhi Watts, it helps open the door to a new pathway in life.
National Aquarium Guest Engagement Aide Nandhi Watts' shift starts in a flurry of activity as she picks up her daily schedule. As part of the Guest Engagement team, she introduces guests to animals and environments while making complex ocean science easier to understand. Her energetic and friendly demeanor makes her well-suited to connecting people with nature. But it wasn't all that long ago that she was a relatively quiet student discovering her passion for the subject.
Living Seashore is a bustling hub of activity. Hundreds of visitors, including many students and families, pass through this exhibit daily. Standing behind the touchpools, Nandhi and her colleagues welcome guests before giving directions on touching animals and highlighting some of the species that can be found on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
For Nandhi, aside from a few years in New York City, West Baltimore is home. Growing up here, familiar red bricks and gray pavement were the backdrop to her childhood. But details in her surroundings, from the marshy scent of wetlands beyond the Inner Harbor to the sounds of gulls squawking by the water, caught her attention and added dimension to her feeling of "home." Apartment life didn't exactly lend itself to having dogs or cats, so (much to her excitement) her parents gave her a small fish tank to nurture her budding interests. Small freshwater fish were soon joined by a turtle, gifted by her grandmother, and before long, Nandhi was the fish and reptile expert in the house.
After being accepted at Crossroads School in sixth grade, Nandhi's exposure to and interest in nature and urban green spaces only increased. Field trips to local wetlands, fishing trips in Chesapeake waters and visits to Baltimore's cultural museums immersed her in the city's history with and reliance on coastal ecosystems. Her mother, recognizing how she thrived in these learning environments, sought out similar summer activities for her. So in 2015, Nandhi went on her first Henry Hall Summer Scholars camp with the Aquarium, leaving Baltimore behind for an adventure along Delaware's riverways. By week's end, she was hooked and would go on Summer Scholars excursions four more times.
With each camp, her geographical horizons expanded. And, although she'd experienced diverse cultures every day in Baltimore and the Bronx, these trips introduced her to an even more diverse world—both culturally and biologically. A week in the Louisiana bayou introduced her to watermen and researchers whose livelihoods were intertwined with the wetlands they worked in. Coastal Maine, with its rocky and weather-beaten shoreline, brought her face to face with lobsters and resilient tide pool critters. Two trips to Florida (the first to its eastern coast, the second to the Keys) had her patrolling beaches in search of sea turtle hatchlings and exploring mangrove and coral reef habitats.
"Growing up without many resources and lots of responsibilities, I didn't feel like I had many opportunities. But things like camp taught me I could turn some dreams into reality."
Though her school peers sometimes questioned her interest in marine science camp, she stayed true to herself, ignoring social pressures and always returning. Surrounded by ocean mysteries, she felt like a pioneer—doubly so when she looked around and saw few faces like hers in the larger field. Those experiences and the friends she made were formative; by her senior year of high school, she was set on studying marine biology and considered working at the National Aquarium as her future dream job.
In the spring of 2020, Nandhi was looking forward to graduation and her sixth and final Summer Scholars experience: a trip to Costa Rica. She'd been accepted into Southern University in New Orleans—a city that had captivated her since her Summer Scholars experience there—and was excited about beginning her college career in the fall. But then the COVID-19 pandemic dashed all plans; Nandhi had to adapt to a new reality. Ever practical, thanks to her upbringing, she adjusted her course.
As life ground to a halt, she refused to lose all momentum, pivoting to attend local colleges to complete general education requirements and planning for a future when she could transfer credits. One thing was sure: she wasn't waiting for doors to open without gaining more experience in the meantime.
She took stock. What had fulfilled her in the past, and what skills could she improve? Something related to marine habitats, certainly, but also something where she could practice communicating with others about the topics she loved. Luckily, she found her answer in 2021, when she applied to join the National Aquarium's Guest Engagement team. She was hired and made the move from an Aquarium camper to an Aquarium staff member.
"My job lets my inner kid shine and meet many people from varied backgrounds. I love sharing my enthusiasm with guests, helping them see how we all impact the world in different and important ways."
Looking at Nandhi today, it's hard to imagine she would ever find talking about marine science challenging. She is a dynamic communicator, engaging with guests and deftly navigating their questions. When asked how she connects so easily with an audience, her answer is simple: she places the person before anything else and tries to imagine things from their perspective. It's an empathetic skill she's been developing since those early Henry Hall Summer Scholars days, meeting people from all walks of life whose interests in and connections to nature varied widely.
Having achieved her dream of working for the Aquarium much earlier than anticipated, Nandhi is leaving her options open. She's still at the start of her journey, after all. Whether her next steps see her to New Orleans to finish her degree as she'd been planning back in 2020, or she elects to pursue a job more directly tied to animal care, she doesn't know. Until she does, she's inviting others to share in her joy for the wildlife, ecosystems and nature that make our home on Earth complete. Regardless of the path she chooses, she is a win for the aquarium world—and for the animals and environments to which she lends her voice.
