One of the most interesting places at Hualalai is the Kumu Kai Center located at King’s Pond.
On March 29, Kelsey Makida, the Marine Husbandry Specialist at Hualalai, will be speaking at 10:30 am. about marine species. What a way to welcome spring!
Title: Spring Into Ocean Life
Speaker: Kelsey Makida
In honor of spring time and the surrounding holidays, we’ll be looking into some fascinating marine
species found worldwide that are spring-holiday themed.
Kelsey is originally from Southern California, and moved to Hawai’i in 2007 to attend the University of
Hawai’i at Hilo where she graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Marine Science. Her affinity to
marine life was sparked by a visit to her favorite Aquarium at Monterey Bay and was further ignited by
caring for her pet fish growing up. During her college career, Kelsey interned at the Pacific Aquaculture
and Coastal Resources Center in Hilo, working with octopus, sturgeon and urchins. From this experience,
she rechanneled her interest in Marine Science toward sustainable aquaculture and the importance such
studies has had on Hawaiian history. Post-graduation she took a job at a commercial scale mariculture
facility in Kona as a technician, cultivating marine organisms for food and training in husbandry. The
knowledge and experience she gained at that facility helped her transition into her role at Hualalai as the
Marine Husbandry Specialist in 2014. To further her knowledge and skills, Kelsey also received her
certification in Veterinary Assisting in 2018.
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