While Dr. Kylie Smith and Michael Goldberg are the brainpower behind I.CARE, the interns are the heart. From guiding recreational divers on outplanting trips and monitoring 100% of our corals, to onshore coral husbandry, educational outreach, and data analysis and collection, our interns do it all.
Interested in our year-long, paid internship? Our timeline for our application periods can be seen in the table below!
View our position description and download a copy of the application here.
To apply, fill out this Google form with your answers to our application questions.
Get to know our past and present interns below!
Current Interns
James Becker
James is from Hagerstown, Maryland and received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at Franciscan Unive
rsity in Steubenville, Ohio. James has been interested in marine science since childhood, but the first time he truly explored the field was during a trip to Sea Camp in Big Pine key during his tropical marine ecology course in college. James is excited to continue to learn more about reef ecology and experience all I.CARE has to offer! His favorite coral species is the thin-leaf lettuce coral, Agaricia tenuifolia, because they have corallites on either side of their blade-like plates and can form colonies in so many different shapes!
Gaven Depies
Gaven is originally from Wisconsin and graduated from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale with ah Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science. Prior to his start at I.CARE, Gaven spent two years working in environmental consulting where he provided assessment and advisory services to clients on matters pertaining to the management of environmental issues. Gaven is most excited to work with members of the Florida Keys community and engage them in coral reef restoration. He is thrilled to be working with the local dive community and form meaningful connections while educating the public about the importance of coral reef ecosystems through hands-on experiences. His favorite coral species is Oculina diffusa, the ivory bush coral!
Julia “Juice” Severance
Juice was born and raised in South Florida and completed a Mass Communications degree with a minor in Leadership from the University of South Florida – St. Petersburg. From here, she furthered her education and obtained a Master’s degree in Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. Throughout her internship, Juice hopes to deepen her biological understanding of coral, how they interact with the changing ecosystem on the reefs, and how she can help restore them. Her favorite coral species is the smooth flower coral, Eusmilia fastigata. This species of coral comes alive at night feeding feeding on small invertebrates and zooplankton with their tentacles.
Nora Mouer
Nora is originally from Richmond, Virginia, and graduated from Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Sciences with minors in Environmental Science and Sustainability and Coastal Resilience. In her senior year of college, she studied the disease, Perkinsus marinus (Dermo) in the species Crassostrea virginica, the Eastern Oyster. Within South Carolina’s estuary, she looked at the abundance and intensity of the disease over multiple years. Nora is most excited to learn about coral health in the Florida Keys. She is also thrilled to engage with the local community to help outplant corals in the marine environment. Nora’s favorite coral species is Manicina areolata, the rose coral!
Eric Wehmeyer
Originally from Point Pleasant, New Jersey, Eric studied for his B.S. in Marine Biology at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. He worked in a coral genotyping lab for his senior year, and also worked with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources conducting ecosystem monitoring and fisheries management. He is very excited to put his skills to the test in a whole new fashion working with live coral and a new ecosystem, and getting to meet so many people with a similar passion!
Intern Alumni
Sarah Smith
Sarah calls Ohio home, but she moved around often growing up. She went to Florida State University and earned her B.S in Biological Science. While at FSU, she completed an Honors Thesis on the life history and ecology of the benthic zoanthid, Palythoa caribaeorum, on the Florida Keys Reef Tract, as well as worked as a research assistant for a project investigating the effects of nutrient enrichment on Caribbean reef sponges in the Florida Keys! During her internship, Sarah not only helped with our coral program but also helped support I.CARE’s sponge program through the summer of 2024! We are excited to see what Sarah does next!
Sami Levine
Sami is originally from Port Washington, New York. Growing up down the street from the Manhasset Bay allowed her to observe marine creatures and ecosystems from a young age, so she likes to say she’s always been a Marine Biologist. She then completed a B.S. in Marine Science/Biology at the University of Miami. Sami loved being able to dive Florida’s coral reefs while also studying corals in a marine biophysics lab during her degree! Through this research, she conducted a senior thesis project on coral heterotrophy, specifically looking at the fluid flows corals generate around themselves to facilitate feeding. After her internship, I.CARE is happy to keep her on as a Coral Biologist overseeing I.CARE’s coral propagation activities!
Nik Vieder
Nik is from Metro-Detroit, Michigan. After beginning school in Florida, he completed his degree in Zoology at Michigan State University, completing a focus on Zoo & Aquarium Sciences. He fell in love with marine life on his first Discovery Dive when he was 10 years old and was certified as soon as he was old enough. He fell in love with coral through his experience in the aquarium industry. I.CARE is combining his passions for marine life, coral husbandry, and conservation into his work every day.
Courtney Eshelman
Courtney is from Wabash, Indiana and attended Indiana University where she earned her bachelors in Animal Behavior as well as a Certificate in Underwater Resource Management. While she always knew she wanted to work with animals, it was through learning to dive that she realized how passionate she was about working to preserve coral reef ecosystems. Courtney has been a diver for 5 years and joined the I.CARE team in order to experience the various aspects of a career in marine conservation. She is eager to continue developing her scientific diving ability while helping to provide recreational divers with the same experience that sparked her passion!
Norah Mendoza
Norah is from Seneca, SC and received her bachelor’s degree in Spanish with a minor in outdoor leadership from Winthrop University. After studying abroad in Costa Rica she realized that marine science was her passion and pursued it from there. She has been a divemaster for 2 years and wanted to experience a more scientific approach to diving and found I.CARE. She loved combining her passions for diving and marine conservation while interning with I.CARE! Norah is currently the Program Coordinator for MISS (Minorities in Shark Science)!
Abbey Townsend 
Growing up in landlocked Colorado, Abbey was always intrigued by the ocean and has long been obsessed with it. She took trips to the Florida Keys as a kid, and was inspired to pursue marine science when she saw corals for then first time. She has always dreamed of working with our fragile coral ecosystems and earned her degree in biology with a concentration in marine science from the University of North Florida. Abbey is now working to become a coastal science teacher in Jacksonville, FL!
Sharleen Muñoz
Sharleen is from Katy, Texas and earned her bachelors degree in marine biology from Texas A&M University. She pursued marine biology as a career path because she wanted to personally see the impact that human interactions have on corals. Prior to joining I.CARE, Sharleen got her divemaster certification in Cape Town South Africa. Sharleen is still living in the Florida Keys and working to save our precious coral reefs!
Lauren Mahoney
Lauren is from Den Haag, Netherlands and earned her B.Sc. degree from Duke University in biology with a marine concentration and minored in environmental sciences and policy. Growing up just a 10-minute cycle away from the ocean in the Netherlands, Lauren always knew she wanted to be involved in marine conservation. Then while attending Duke, marine biology quickly became her passion as she spent her summers at the Duke Marine Lab studying marine invertebrate zoology and ecology.
Duncan Coles
Duncan is from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands and earned his B.A. degree from Colby College in Biology and Environmental Science with a concentration in Marine Ecology. Growing up in St. Croix, he always loved being in the water and began scuba diving around the age of 10! During his undergrad, he studied ocean sciences in the Gulf of Maine and tropical ecology in Costa Rica.
Riley Garvey
Riley is from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and earned his BS in Biosystems Engineering from Clemson University. Growing up near the ocean, Riley always knew that he loved marine life. However, when he was applying to colleges, he looked for engineering programs to stimulate his passion for problem-solving and refine his skills in math and science. Fortunately, while at Clemson, he joined a research lab that provided him the opportunity to conduct marine field work for a summer in the Florida Keys! After falling in love with the area, Riley applied for the I.CARE internship and has been working with I.CARE since October, 2021.
Riley now serves with I.CARE as our new Monitoring Coordinator!
Camille Demairé
Camille is from La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. She graduated from the University of Neuchatel in Switzerland with her masters degree in Biology. Her undergraduate major was Animal Behavior with a minor in Chemical Ecology. Camille has always been passionate about nature, and water is her element. Protecting marine ecosystems and the creatures that call them home was a natural path for her. Her favorite coral is Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmatta) because juvenile fish love to hide behind its branches!
Mackenzie Kawahara
Mackenzie is from Manhattan Beach, California and earned her B.Sc. degree from the University of California, Davis in Marine and Coastal Science with a Japanese minor. Between her father’s love for the ocean and her mother’s Hawaiian cultural heritage, she was raised from a young age to follow the concept of ‘malama aina,’: an ancient Hawaiian philosophy that seeks to understand and respect the relationship between humans and the land and sea. This inspired her passion from a young age to study marine biology.
Post I.CARE, Mackenzie will be pursuing a PhD at Oregon State University.
Alene Nelson
Alene is from Auburn, Alabama and earned her B.A. degree from Auburn University in Accounting. Working as a divemaster in the Dominican Republic allowed her the opportunity to volunteer with a coral restoration project, ultimately sparking her interest in marine biology. She joined the I.CARE team in February, 2021, assisting with some of the organization’s first coral outplants.
After her internship, Alene served for one year as I.CARE’s first Education and Outreach Coordinator. She now dives as one of our local volunteers for outplant, maintenance, and monitoring dives! If you’re a Monroe County local, contact any of our participating dive shops to see how you can get involved.
Nathan Greenslit
